More to Explore
People and Groups
Events
Related Topics
Recommended Articles
-
Virginia Military Institute (VMI)
, public institution of higher learning in Lexington, Virginia, U.S. It is a state military college modeled on the U.S. service academies. Students are referred to as cadets; all cadets enroll in U.
-
Matthew Bunker Ridgway
(born March 3, 1895, Fort Monroe [Hampton], Virginia, U.S.—died July 26, 1993, Fox Chapel, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) U.S. Army officer who planned and executed the first major airborne assault in U.
-
Albert Coady Wedemeyer
(born July 9, 1897, Omaha, Neb., U.S.—died Dec. 17, 1989, Ft. Belvoir, Va.) American military leader who was the principal author of the 1941 Victory Program, a comprehensive war plan devised for the U.
-
Lucius D. Clay
(born April 23, 1897, Marietta, Ga., U.S.—died April 16, 1978, Cape Cod, Mass.) U.S. Army officer who became the first director of civilian affairs in defeated Germany after World War II.
(Born May 4, 1907, Lowell, Mass., U.S.—died Feb. 13, 2005, McLean, Va.) U.S. military officer who held commands in the early Women's Army Corps and who worked for the integration of women into the regular army.
Hallaren was educated at the state teachers college in her native Lowell. In 1942 she entered the Officer Candidate School of the newly organized Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (later the Women's Army Corps, or WAC). The following year, with the rank of captain, she was named commander of the first battalion to go overseas. She served as director of WAC personnel attached to the 8th and 9th Air Forces. By 1945 she had advanced to lieutenant colonel and in that year was appointed director of all WAC personnel in the European theatre.
In 1946 Hallaren became deputy director of the WAC, and the following year she was named director, taking the rank of colonel. With the enactment on June 12, 1948, of the Women's Armed Services Integration Act, Colonel Hallaren became the first woman to receive a commission in the regular army (except for those in the Medical Corps, who had been incorporated into the regular army in 1947). She continued as director until January 1953 and retired from the army in 1960.
In 1965 Hallaren became director of the Women in Community Service division of the U.S. Labor Department. She left that position in 1978 but continued as a consultant to the division and to other organizations. In retirement she remained active in civic affairs, serving for many years on the board of directors of the WAC Foundation and lecturing on the history of women in the army. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1996.
Copyright © 1994-2011 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. For more information visit Britannica.com.
Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!
This Day in History
Feb 9
Lead Story
Satchel Paige nominated to Baseball Hall of Fame, 1971
On this day in 1971, pitcher Leroy "Satchel" Paige becomes the first Negro League veteran to be nominated for the Baseball Hall of Fame. In August of that…
Shop HISTORY
-
The Color Of War DVD Set
Own this groundbreaking series featuring authentic color footage of World War II.
$49.95
-
Band of Brothers DVD Set
Follow the 101st Airborne as it drops into Normandy on D-Day and fights its way through Europe to the end World War II.
$79.99
-
Email Updates
Keep up with the latest History shows, online features, special offers and more.
Sign upClassroom Study Guides
-
Vietnam in HD Teacher's Guide (PDF)
Classroom companion for the new HISTORY series Vietnam in HD.
