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for in-station training of weather observes (WAAC).” The desire of individual bases to experiment with the military training of women soldiers was so great that in August it was necessary for AAF Headquarters to write to commands telling that not to exceed the maximum time allowed for continuation training of Waacs (four hours weekly) under War Department regulation.(1)

Although as early as 6 May AAF Headquarters had sent a letter to air commands outlining to them how varied a staff director’s duties and responsibilities would be, and stating that their recently acquired staff directors would hold positions comparable to those of “Service Command WAAC Directors” as described by earlier War Department publications, it was not until commands began to receive Waacs in numbers that they saw how much the job of WAAC staff would require. Then letters began arriving asking for appropriate grade vacancies for staff directors, or for additional staff directors. On 15 May the Flying Training Command asked for WAAC staff directors in each of its three “training centers” (later Eastern, Central, and Western Flying Training Commands). On 28 June Technical Training Command asked for “senior WAAC officers” for each of its five districts. a request for a WAAC staff staff director for the exempted activities directly under 


1. Commands had placed women on key clerical assignments, would not release them for training during the day, and yet expected them to take three or four hours of training  weekly. The result was that women were working, Training , or doing housekeeping duties from early morning until late at night.

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