"After all, who takes care of the Red Cross's morale?": The Experiences of American Red Cross Clubmobile Women during World War II

<p>This thesis examines the experiences of the women who served in the American Red Cross Clubmobile Service in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. Their job required them to travel through England, France, and even Germany in converted buses and 2 ½ ton trucks, serving coffee, donuts, and a smile to soldiers just off the front lines. Though considered essential to maintaining soldiers’ morale, historians have virtually ignored these women’s experiences and role in the war. The inattention to their participation by the academic community parallels the disregard the women faced during the war. Clubmobile women encountered the strain and dangers of war armed with minimal training and virtually no psychological preparation for what they might face; however, they were expected, and indeed relied upon, to bolster the morale of men who had often just come from the front. By focusing on clubmobile women’s role in maintaining soldiers’ morale, the Red Cross and the military neglected to recognize that the morale of their female workers was equally important. Through an examination of documents written by various clubmobile women, this thesis explores how women coped with both highly gendered expectations and the experience of war itself. Clubmobile women came to rely on one another to navigate the challenges they faced and to do their job effectively. The camaraderie amongst them was a result not only of their shared experiences, but also of their status as noncombatants and their gender. Ultimately, this research seeks not only to answer the question “who takes care of the Red Cross’s morale?” but also to illuminate the circumstances that make this query necessary.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

War and Society

Year

2021

Author dc:creator

• Gulley, Paige

Contributors dc:contributor

• Jennifer Keene
• Charissa Threat
• Kara Dixon Vuic

• clubmobile
• American Red Cross
• World War II
• women
• European Theater of Operations
• United States History
• Women's History

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/war_and_society_theses/17

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.chapman.edu:war_and_society_theses-1017