Coast Guard SPAR in World War II

Gale / Smiths, Verda Smith / , , , , /

I remember several stories mom told about her time in the SPARS. When she wanted to enlist, which would without question take her far from home (although not leaving the US), she asked for her parents’ permission and grandpa initially said no until grandma had a chance to talk him into letting mom go.

NOTE: SPARS was the nickname for the United States Coast Guard Women’s Reserve, created 23 November 1942 with the signing of Public Law 773 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The name is a contraction of the Coast Guard motto: Semper Paratus and its English translation Always Ready. The name also refers to a spar in nautical usage. Like the other women’s reserves, such as the Women’s Army Corps and the Navy WAVES, it was created to free men from stateside service in order to fight overseas. — from Wikipedia.com

NOTE: After the comment below from Tom Hough I have added a link to a movie made about another woman who joined the SPARS in WWII  “My Mother was a Coast Guard SPAR”.]

There’s a newspaper article that I don’t have about her breaking the all time typing record when she tested for entry into the SPARs. I believe it was 91 WPM. I’ll add it to this post if I get a copy of it.

I called the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in DC and they sent me a proof of the information mom submitted when she registered. Her dates of service in the SPARS were from April 6, 1944 to April 18, 1946. Her rank was YN1 with a American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal.

[wpdm_file id=12 title=”true” ]

 

She was sent to Fort Lauderdale for training where they had commandeered large luxury hotels to house the recruits.

The uniform she was required to wear included really unattractive shoes which mom would switch out for more attractive, feminine open toe shoes. Each time she was caught with the wrong shoes her punishment was to wash the hotel ballroom floor with a toothbrush. This punishment didn’t seem to deter mom because she said she washed that floor on several occassions.

She told me of not eating all day so she could eat a doughnut. Her way of watching her weight.

After training she was sent to work in Washington, DC as a legal secretary. She attended a lot of embassy parties and was engaged to marry more than once while there.

When FDR died she, along with most people in the US, was devastated. She felt it was an enormous honor when she was selected as one of the people to march in the funeral procession April 14, 1945.

She kept this article that refers to the SPARs even though she wasn’t destined for Alaska.

I have this picture because I helped her register with the Women in Military Service for America Memorial. It’s a beautiful memorial and I would recommend a visit for anyone if they happen to be in DC and at Arlington Cemetary — you can look up mom on the registry when you’re there — this is the photo we submitted.

The last thing I have from her military service is a picture of she and Gibby. Gibby was from High Point, NC and they were inseparable friends. We went to visit Gibby when I was 12 years old. Note that mom had a different hat and scarf on than Gibby. I wonder if this was another fashion statement and I wish the photograph showed their shoes too so we could see what mom was wearing.