Des Moines in the Services
Marie H. Eichelberger, administrative officer for the Iowa WAC recruiting headquarters, has been promoted to captain.
Captain Eichelberger has been stationed in Des Moines since 1943, and before that, took training at Fort Des Moines. She opened the first WAC recruiting substation in the state in Sioux City, Ia., April 1943. She has one son, Sergt. James W. Powell, who is on his way overseas.
Source: The DesMoines Tribune, September 21, 1944 (photo included)
Lt. Norma L. Newberg repeats the induction oath recited by Lt. Marie Eichelberger, WAC administrative officer of Iowa, who came here from Des Moines Thursday evening to induct Lt. Newberg, adjutant of civil air patrol squadron 721-3, into the WACS.Warrant Officer Russell I. Huffman, officer of the local WAC recruiting station, looks on in the background.
CAP Officer Joins WACS
Lt. Norma L. Newberg became the first local civil air patrol representative to enter the WACS, and the first officer to be demoted to a private “with all the honors,” when she was sworn into the service Thursday at the Dodge Light Guard armory.
Lt. Marie Eichelberger, WAC administrative officer of Iowa, flew here from Des Moines to administer the induction oath. Maj. Floyd Miller, of Des Moines, also came to witness the ceremony but declined to participate.
Lt. Newberg, who since August, 1941, has served with the army air force liaison office of the Missouri River division corps engineers in Omaha, became a member of the C. A. P. at Kansas city in February, 1942. It was shortly after her return to Omaha that she was appointed adjutant of Squadron 721-3, at which time she moved to Council Bluffs and has since resided at 111 Glen avenue.
For one and one-half years she served as a dark room technician with the engineers in Omaha.
At the close of the induction ceremony, Pvt. Newberg affectionately creased the folds of her CAP uniform which she plans to “send home to South Dakota” until after the war when she plans to return to the organization.
Source: The Council Bluffs Nonpareil, Council Bluffs, Friday, October 20, 1944, Page 6
