Could women wear the drivers qualification badge

[2ad82recon]

Guys/Girls..just a quick question could say a WAC or Nurse wear the drivers qualification award with say the Driver-W tab attached.

 

If so would they be authorised to wear it on their Class A uniforms if they were qualified to drive Jeeps/Ambulances and GMC 6x6 etc ?

 

or were they solely a "male" soldier award/qualification ?

 

regards

 

Lloyd

[alibi]

First of all Army nurses were commissioned officers and would not have been assigned duties driving vehicles. However that does not mean they would not have received training in driving vehicles and qualified for Driver badges. Officers generally did not wear qualification badges as it is more-or-less considered that officers were "qualified" by virtue of their rank.

 

WAAC and WAC enlisted personnel were very often assigned duties that included driving. The female soldier (Kay Summersby) that General Eisenhower had the affair with was his driver. In the case of enlisted female soldiers the Driver qualification badges could be earned and worn on the service uniform.

 

To be more specific the female enlisted soldiers assigned to medical units could easily have been assigned duties as vehicle drivers and awarded Driver qualification badges.

 

An interesting aspect of the purpose of the women's auxilleries is that thay were assigned many duties in the U.S. where they flew aircraft, drove vehicles and did mechanical work on vehicles. In these capacities they qualified as drivers and mechanics and for the qualification badges that went with those duties.

[2ad82recon]

Thanks USCG.....so it is feasible that a WAC auxillery attached to a field hospital (say) ambulance driver or courier could wear the Driver qualification badge with W-Wheeled qualification bar ?

 

Regards

 

Lloyd

[gallantryinaction]

Hi Lloyd,

Here's a WWII Army Good Conduct medal officially named to a T/5 who served in the 4624 Service Unit WAC Detachment from 1943 to 1946 at Camp Ellis, IL. According to her service record summary under the "Decorations and Awards" section, she was entitled to wear the "Driver and Mechanic badge with wheel bar."

I hope this helps!

EDIT: Picture no longer available

[2ad82recon]

CASE CLOSED...thanks Dtom....irrefutable proof

 

Regards

 

Lloyd

[deros]

I love it when speculation gets proven. I would have added my two cents in agreement.

[2ad82recon]

Hi deros i have just realised who you are....welcome to this new forum.

 

Yes it does and isnt the entitlement to wear the MECHANIC tab worth knowing...

 

All the best my friend

 

LLoyd