Mary Claire (Ryan) Fane - daughter of James & Josephine Ryan, Belvidere
WWII Women Veterans
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Brief Biographies of Narrators
When
and why did you join the military and what branch? Tell me about
your different experiences in the very beginning.
Narrator: Mary Fane
Interviewer: Lindsay Raver
LR: When did you join the military?
MF: In the early 1940's rumbles of war were eminent. Unlike later years, patriotism ran rampant. Everyone wanted to do his share toward the war effort. My father participated in the block watch for "lights out" and my mother rolled bandages for the Red Cross. With this background I was determined to find a "niche" where I could utilize any experience I had that may be useful to the war effort. I had worked for Rockfod Life Insurance Company for several years since graduating from highschool. When I read of the need for women to man the homefront and relieve men for active duty, I knew that I had found my place.
I enlisted in the WAVES (Women's Auxiliary Emergency Serfice). I reported for duty on April 9, 1943 for boot camp at Waterloo, Iowa. The Navy Utilized Iowa State University campus for training and we were billeted in dorms. The whole experience was a revelation. I had been working for about 4 years in an office and spending my spare time going dancing, having fun, and securing an up to date wardrobe, so this rigid routine was quite a shock. Wearing a uniform was a new experience which I soon became very proud of. As part of our rigorous physical training, I used muscles I never knew existed. At that time I was 5' and weighed 110 lbs., so my new found friends had to boost me over walls and pull me along on marches. My whole life style changed from going out at night staying until midnight to going to bed at 9:00 P.M. exhausted.
Interviewer: Lindsay Raver
LR: When did you join the military?
MF: In the early 1940's rumbles of war were eminent. Unlike later years, patriotism ran rampant. Everyone wanted to do his share toward the war effort. My father participated in the block watch for "lights out" and my mother rolled bandages for the Red Cross. With this background I was determined to find a "niche" where I could utilize any experience I had that may be useful to the war effort. I had worked for Rockfod Life Insurance Company for several years since graduating from highschool. When I read of the need for women to man the homefront and relieve men for active duty, I knew that I had found my place.
I enlisted in the WAVES (Women's Auxiliary Emergency Serfice). I reported for duty on April 9, 1943 for boot camp at Waterloo, Iowa. The Navy Utilized Iowa State University campus for training and we were billeted in dorms. The whole experience was a revelation. I had been working for about 4 years in an office and spending my spare time going dancing, having fun, and securing an up to date wardrobe, so this rigid routine was quite a shock. Wearing a uniform was a new experience which I soon became very proud of. As part of our rigorous physical training, I used muscles I never knew existed. At that time I was 5' and weighed 110 lbs., so my new found friends had to boost me over walls and pull me along on marches. My whole life style changed from going out at night staying until midnight to going to bed at 9:00 P.M. exhausted.
What was life like for
you after the war ended?
Narrator: Mary Fane
Interviewer: Lindsay Raver
MF: This experience gave me an opportunity to see some of the East Coast as well as to fulfill a role. At the end of the war, I was transferred to Chicago Naval Station where I assisted in a mustering out program. Upon my discharge in November of 1945, I returned to Rockford and became the first woman commander (in that area) of an American Legion Post. I was married soon after to my husband of 58 years. We had met at a wedding in Belvidere, Ill and never forgot each other. He had enlisted in the Navy prior to our meeting and was called to duty in January 1941. He served in Okinawa and Japan and was assigned to the Shangrila aircraft carrier.
We both utilized the GI Bill and attended the University of Illinois after our marriage. I did not finish as I became pregnant, and in those days, pregnant women stayed home. Don was able to finish and get his degree in Marketing with the GI Bill and his working part-time.
We returned to Rockford for his job and raised 3 children: 2 boys and 1 girl. As my children got older, I was able to use my accounting experience and return to work.
Interviewer: Lindsay Raver
MF: This experience gave me an opportunity to see some of the East Coast as well as to fulfill a role. At the end of the war, I was transferred to Chicago Naval Station where I assisted in a mustering out program. Upon my discharge in November of 1945, I returned to Rockford and became the first woman commander (in that area) of an American Legion Post. I was married soon after to my husband of 58 years. We had met at a wedding in Belvidere, Ill and never forgot each other. He had enlisted in the Navy prior to our meeting and was called to duty in January 1941. He served in Okinawa and Japan and was assigned to the Shangrila aircraft carrier.
We both utilized the GI Bill and attended the University of Illinois after our marriage. I did not finish as I became pregnant, and in those days, pregnant women stayed home. Don was able to finish and get his degree in Marketing with the GI Bill and his working part-time.
We returned to Rockford for his job and raised 3 children: 2 boys and 1 girl. As my children got older, I was able to use my accounting experience and return to work.
Did
you make lots of friends while you were in the military?
Narrator: Mary Fane
Interviewer: Lindsay Raver
MF: Yes, of course. This is a picture of all of us in our uniforms [points to a photograph]. Yes, I still communicate with some of the girls even though we are up in ages. I also made friends with sailors whom I will never forget. We continued to keep a rigid schedule both physically and mentally and learned about love and sacrifice. I always felt badly when another young sailor from our office was shipped out for active duty, but knew that was what we were there for.
Interviewer: Lindsay Raver
MF: Yes, of course. This is a picture of all of us in our uniforms [points to a photograph]. Yes, I still communicate with some of the girls even though we are up in ages. I also made friends with sailors whom I will never forget. We continued to keep a rigid schedule both physically and mentally and learned about love and sacrifice. I always felt badly when another young sailor from our office was shipped out for active duty, but knew that was what we were there for.
