At War on the Home Front
By Edward F. Dolan
United We Stand
Food for Thought
Bond or Bust
The Ugly Side
Some German Americans changed their names for safety's sake. Also changed were the names of things that had their origins in the German language. Hamburger steak and the German measles were rechristened "Liberty steak" and "Liberty measles." The dachshund dog was given the new name "Liberty pup."
Women in the War
Approximately a million women filled the vacancies left by the men who were now in uniform. Many were young girls who had previously worked in local shops and department stores or who and never worked before. Many were wives who had once worked, but had left their jobs to raise families.
World War I also marked an important "first" for American women. For the first time in the nation's history, women were permitted to join the armed forces. Some 13,000 enlisted in the navy to do clerical work stateside. Nearly 300 entered the marine corps as clerks and more than 230 women traveled to France as part of the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Some 11,000 women, although not actual members of the armed forces, served abroad as nurses, other became ambulance drivers.