And the Smith campus would be their staging ground. They were among 9,000 women-and 200 Smith alumnae-who, over the course of the next two and a half years, would train to become U.S. ![]() All were highly educated and had civilian work experience that would benefit the Navy. Of the 150 women in this pioneering class, eight were Smith alumnae. But their hair was uniformly short, carefully curled and pinned so as not to cover their collars, and the heels of their black oxfords measured between 1 and 1.5 inches. ![]() Their uniforms weren't even ready when the Navy’s first women officer recruits arrived in Northampton on August 28, 1942. Between 19, thousands of enlisted women came to Northampton to become officers in the U.S. Congressional legislation created a women’s Navy Reserve, and the Smith campus was the training ground. ![]() World War II military buildup meant that women were needed to serve.
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