World War II Honoree

Dorothy Frances Dwyer

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Ridgefield, Washington

Honored By

MaryAnn Holbert

Relationship

Daughter

Served in WWII October 1942 to June 1945. She enlisted in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps later to be known as the Women’s Army Corps (WACs). She went to Fort Des Moines, Iowa for basic training. In the summer of 1943, her unit boarded the Santa Rosa, a luxury liner that had been converted into a troop ship. This ship docked at the Mediterranean port of Oran, Algeria on August 21, 1943. Her unit then boarded a train to Algiers, North Africa. She was assigned to General Eisenhower. She worked in the nerve center (also known as the ‘eyes only’ program) in Algiers. she decoded information from Washington D.C. to General Eisenhower. In addition to her military duties, she participated in ceremonial roles. She carried the American flag during 1943 military reviews featuring her unit. After Eisenhower moved to England to set stage for the D-day invasion, she was moved to Florence, Italy. While crossing the Mediterranean, their ship was targeted by a German U-boat. She survived the attack. She joined the staff of General Benjamin Chidlaw, deputy-commanding general of the 12th Tactical Air Command. Her job was to write letters home to families of people killed or missing in action. It was a difficult and emotional assignment. She returned to the United States where she served the rest of her military duties at Fort Dix, New Jersey. She was offered an order to go to the Pacific Theater of Operations or take her Honorable Discharge, she took the latter.