Pap and Circumstance

"The history of women who served in or with the US military during World War II is a complex story of policy development, cultural expectations, social norms, race relationships and citizenship. While this may be stated for almost any era, the sheer numbers of women in the military and the global significance of World War II reinforce the impact of the event. The war changed women's expectations and gave impetus to movement for greater gender equality—even though postwar society expected women to leave the workplace and focus on their roles as wives and mothers."

from "In Defense of a Nation: Servicewomen in World War II", edited by Major General Jeanne M. Holm, USAF (Ret.) and Judith Bellafaire, Ph.D., Chief Historian of the Women's Memorial Foundation, Arlington, Virginia, Vandamere Press, 1998.


The Court-Martial At Fort Devens

written by Jeffrey Sweet, directed by Mary Beth Easley

The true, racist incident/s which precipitated the court martial of several Women's Army Corp privates during World War II was a travesty of justice. Jeffrey Sweet's play, "Court Martial at Fort Devens," produced by The New Federal Theater in the Castillo Theater's lovely performance space on 42nd street, is also a travesty. The fault is the playwright's. The script is so very thin that if it were kleenex it could not hold a sneeze. It offers a limp chronology of the events with very little development of individual characters. The actresses are well-meaning and, with better material, could probably do a creditable job. It isn't clear whether Mary Beth Easley's directorial work would shine with a better play to work with. It is clear though that she has few ideas for salvaging this one. The grossly stereotypical white characters in this piece simply have too much to say. Truth is we know exactly what pompous, racist, misogynist white men think. We hear it everyday. We'd like to know more of what a group of young, African American women who took the very bold step of enlisting in the Women's Army Corp had to say about their lives and their treatment by the army. Perhaps in a better play we could hear more of their frank, heartfelt opinions of their personal relationships and the American cities they hail from. This play does not serve up much other than a chronology of events larded with pap.

For more info on African American Women In Service To America visit:http://www.womensmemorial.org/News/BHM07.html