I added more pictures of Mollie and her friends as well as a few of the original letters that Mollie wrote home.  Use the navigation on the right to access them.

Why did an average American woman become a WAC during World War II and place herself in peril? This book describes the life of a WAC enlistee, Mollie Weinstein (now Schaffer), who joined the military to serve our country and journeyed to Europe to labor for an important cause while experiencing the adventures of a lifetime. Her story documents the human side of life during the war—a life that alternates between fear and romance, exhaustion and leisure. Some of that story was picked up by the Detroit Jewish News in her hometown when a columnist for the paper asked her to be his overseas correspondent. The newspaper and B’nai B’rith raised $165,000 in War Bonds in her name. It took many letters home telling everything from daily challenges to exciting experiences (when the censors allowed) for her story to emerge. What was it like to be in England while the country was under constant bombardment by unmanned German missiles? Imagine being among the first WACs to enter Normandy after the D-Day invasion. Did you ever wonder about your foreign language skills from high school? Well, Mollie used those skills when she was transferred to Paris, acting as an interpreter in both work and social situations. Envision being a young Jewish woman in Frankfurt Germany on Rosh Hashanah 1945 and walking with other G.I’s to the rededication of the only standing synagogue.

Mollie frequently wrote home and her sister saved all of her letters. This collection depicts vividly her experiences from her first train trip to Daytona Beach, Florida for basic training in October 1943 to the dramatic picture of seeing the Statue of Liberty as her ship approached the shores of the USA in November 1945.

Back in the fall of 2008 the Minerva Journal of Women and War published an article discussing Mollie’s Letters.