Iowa WAVES
Throughout the continental United States some 1,600 girls are helping with the war by serving their country as WAVES. The tasks at which the Iowans are working are typical of the varied and interesting jobs the WAVES are doing to replace men for the fighting front. The national recruiting quota is 1,200 a week and by the end of 1944 the navy hopes to have 94,000 WAVES.
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Lela Marie Smith, Ames, seaman first class, is a film editor at the naval air station, Anacostia, D.C. Using a magnifying glass, she studies the film, snips out the unwanted material, then splices the strip back together.
Source: The Des Moines Register, February 20, 1944 (photo included)
Ames Girl Is Doing Special Work in Navy
Sp. 2/c Lela Smith has been visiting her father in Ames the past week. She arrive last Tuesday from her station at the Naval Air Station, Anacostia, Washington, D.C.
Sp. Smith is in the processing division of Motion Picture work, which consists of developing and printing the films released by the Navy and the Marine Corps. The Photo Science Laboratories are at Anacostia.
These films are released to Public Relations where they are cut and edited for news reels. The films come from combat areas.
This division also makes training films which are shown as part of the training courses.
The films made for the War Loan Drives, Navy versions were made by this division also, and include the 4th, 5th and 6th war loans.
Five hundred girls are at the Station and housed in Navy barracks. Sp. Smith was attached June 12, 1943. She returns to Washington tonight.
Source: Ames Daily Tribune, October 31, 1944
Lela Marie Smith was born Aug. 14, 1908 to Ernest H. and Rose Randles Smith.
Petty Officer Smith served in World War II with the U.S. Navy WAVES Photographic Science Laboratory, Naval Air Station, Anacostia, D.C.
Source: ancestry.com
