Even though co-author, Cyndee Schaffer always knew her mother served during World War II, it was still a little hard to believe. “She was always a very quiet person,” says Schaffer, “and that she found the courage to join the military just amazed me.”*

In fact, Schaffer’s mother, Mollie, served as an enlistee in the newly-formed Women’s Army Corps from 1943 to 1945 during which time she sent home hundreds of letters describing bombings in England, landing in Normandy just weeks after the Allied invasion, and serving in Germany after VE Day.*

Using excerpts from Mollie’s letters written home, as well as her recollections, Cyndee provides a romantic yet frightful glimpse into the life of a woman in uniform during this crucial time in history. She traces the footsteps of her mother and her fellow WACs who followed the soldiers stationed in Europe from London to Normandy, Paris, Versailles, and Frankfurt.

See the accompanying blog post, My Mama Wore Combat Boots!

Presented by Edgewater Village Chicago, Friends of the Edgewater Library, and the Edgewater Branch Library.

* Content from an article about Mollie’s War on the Evanston Public Library website.