The First WAAC Officers to Serve in a Combat Theater

Left to right: Lt. Marsili, unknown WAAC, Capt. Marquis, Lt. Joosten, eating a meal at Allied Force HQ

On January 27, 1943, the first American Expeditionary Force of American women landed in North Africa. General Dwight D. Eisenhower had specifically requested a company of WAACs, soldiers in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, be sent to his Allied Force Headquarters in Algiers, to fill non-combat roles in the hopes of releasing more men for combat and solving his manpower shortage in the North African theater.

I based my novel, Murder in the Ranks, on the brave volunteers that served with this company of women soldiers, the 149th Post Headquarters Company.

The five officers leading this company were true pioneers, being the first American women to command troops in a combat theater. 

Leading the company was Captain Frances K. Marquis, from New York. In typical 1940s fashion, she was described in the newspapers as keeping “her nose nicely powdered and knows how to make a lemon meringue pie”. There was great consternation in the press about keeping these women soldiers feminine while facing the hardships of war. We’ll get into that in another blog post! 

Left to right: Lt. Joosten, Lt. Janeway, Lt.

Executive officer and second in command, Lieutenant Evelyn B. Nicholson, was a lawyer from St. Louis. 

Lieutenant Joan E. Joosten served as intelligence officer, censor and commander of the “clerical platoon”. Joosten was Dutch and became an American citizen in 1929. Her husband also served in the army, but she had no idea of his whereabouts while she was in North Africa. She had also lost contact with her family in German-occupied Holland. 

Lt. Nicholson and Lt. Joosten

Lieutenant Sylvia Marsili, of Pittsburgh, was the mess, supply, and morale officer. Her family was Italian and she spoke the language fluently. She was well liked by the enlisted women of the 149th Post. She was also the first woman to supervise the loading of a military transport in United States military history. She was the youngest officer to serve and described as “a bundle of energy and a tonic to morale”. She held a Master’s degree in science and chemistry.

Lieutenant Margaret Janeway was the oldest of the officers and served as the medical officer. She operated a small sick bay in the convent where the company was housed. In civilian life, Janeway was a prominent New York physician and surgeon and a staff member of the Lenox Hill hospital.

Each of these women faced trials and tribulations during their service in North Africa. Each of them crossed milestones that paved the way for women to play a more active role in the armed forces. There are also some mysteries and scandals to tell! So stay tuned!