HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Editor's note: This feature is part of a Hill Air Force Base 80th anniversary series. These articles will feature the base’s historical innovations and achievements, and will highlight mission platforms that have been operated and supported throughout the decades. March is Women's History Month, and this article spotlights the history of women employees at Hill.
Women have contributed immeasurably to operations at Hill Air Force Base in many capacities since its origin as a military installation. During the Second World War and Korean War these included roles typically held by men, ranging from munitions handling to aircraft maintenance. It also included uniformed service for some.
With the shortage of available men for labor due to the draft during WWII, in 1942 the War Department approved the hiring of women to perform tasks previously reserved for male workers. These tasks included working with sheet metal, welding, and aircraft engine repair. One historical document stated that in these areas, women “proved to be an untapped and seemingly limitless reservoir of skillful manpower.”
Although women have played an integral part in the success of the U.S. military by serving in supporting roles since the American Revolution, only at the beginning of the 20th century did women begin serving within its uniformed ranks without needing to hide their true identity. As the century progressed, so too did the numbers of women serving in the military. Just as operations really began to pick up at Hill Field in 1943 the first contingent of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps assigned to the installation arrived.
On July 15, 1943, the 907th WAAC Post Headquarters Company activated at Hill Field. Their barracks unfinished, the 14 women present temporarily occupied on-base civilian dormitories in Hillcrest Village. A few months later, the 907th inactivated and its personnel became a part of the Women’s Army Corps Detachment 1, assigned to the Ogden Air Service Command’s 482nd Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron.
The detachment grew to a strength of 94 before once more re-designating to Section C, 4135th Army Air Forces Base Unit. One example of the many contributions made by the members of the WAC is that of the three women who served alongside civilian counterparts in the base’s Statistical Control Section. These women collected, controlled, and transmitted reports to higher headquarters using IBM equipment throughout the remainder of the war.
While this chapter of history closed on January 17, 1947 when the last officer of WAC Section C departed from Hill Field for separation at Camp Beale, California, the next chapter opened four years later when, on May 16, 1951, the 3005th Women in the Air Force Squadron began its assignment at Hill AFB. This squadron served at the installation until its inactivation on December 6, 1954.
The women of the 907th WAAC and WAF Section C paved the way for other women to follow after them. Their vast contributions made at Hill AFB, serving both in uniform and in other roles, helped ensure the base’s succeeded in its various missions.