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Living History in Our Community
Mary Orr's Story — a WAC during World War II
Mary Orr was born Mary Monahan on May 9, 1926. Like her husband, Ray, she grew up in South Philadelphia. In fact they met there, while ice skating, when Mary was 13 and Ray was 15.
Women started to appear in uniform soon after the start of the war, and many stories appeared about the work they did. It sounded more exciting than staying at home, but Mary was not quite old enough to join. She had a solution — alter her birth certificate!
Mary joined the Women's Army Corps in 1944 and was sent south, to Fort Oglethorpe, GA, for basic training. (Fort Oglethorpe was converted in 1943 from a men's induction center and basic training camp to a training center for the Women's Third Army Corps.) Afterward, Mary was assigned to Chattanooga, TN, where she worked in an army office.
Mary discovered that the reality of army life was not at all what she thought would be. And so when her real age was discovered and she was discharged less than a year later, Mary was not unhappy — a short career but a big adventure!
Ray and Mary stayed in touch throughout the war years through letters. When she was discharged from the WAC's, Ray was home on leave. They met at John Wanamaker's department store, went out for the evening, and started to get serious right away.
Ray and Mary were married over 50 years, had three children and two grandchildren.
Click here to read the story of Mary's husband, Ray, a World War II veteran who served in both the Atlantic and Pacific arenas, and took part in the Normandy Invasion.
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