CENTER FOR U.S. WAR
VETERANS' ORAL HISTORIES
World War II
Loretta E. Hoffman
World War II Oral History Interview
US Army, Women’s Army Corps
Date: June 2, 2004
Interviewer: Michelle Carrara
Summarizer: Katherine Gleason
Veterans History Project
Summary
Loretta E. Hoffman is a World War II US Army veteran. She is the recipient of the American Service Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal.
Hoffman was born in Brooklyn, NY in February 1923. She enlisted in the US Army when she was twenty-one, joining the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). Hoffman stated she wanted to enlist because of her family’s pedigree of service in the US Army. She explained that her cousin, father, and great-grandfather all served in the Army during various American wars.
When asked about the attacks on Pearl Harbor, Hoffman stated, “I had no idea what Pearl Harbor was. I had never heard of it.” But nonetheless, she found herself “in a state of complete shock” at the news of an attack on the American homeland. Additionally, Hoffman explained that her hometown of Brooklyn had a large Jewish population. Thus, she recalled being “very aware” of stories of the concentration camps in Europe.
Hoffman recounted that before the US entered WWII, people in the military were perceived as “bums,” stating, “You didn’t hear much good about them, but as soon as the war started, everybody’s attitude changed.” She described that during the war, Americans were in favor of helping soldiers and contributing to the war effort. However, women in the military were still looked down upon by some who insinuated their purpose was to “serve” American soldiers. Consequently, Hoffman recalled being warned that she needed to be careful, as her behavior was a reflection of every woman in the military.
After enlisting, Hoffman was sent to Fort Oglethorpe for Basic Training in February of 1944. She explained that military life was just as she expected, stating, “It wasn’t totally different from home. My father was very strict.” After completing Basic Training, Hoffman was sent to Fort Hancock in New Jersey, where she worked in the Special Services office. Her job was to organize the paperwork for entertainers brought in for USO camp shows. Hoffman also met her future husband at Fort Hancock.
You get up and you have your breakfast and we had exercises in the morning. And you go to work, and you have lunch and you go back to work, and you are finished at the end of the day, at five o’clock.
Eventually, Hoffman was transferred to the Pentagon, where she worked in the Classified Message Center. Her responsibilities were to receive, reproduce, and distribute classified messages. She described being investigated by the FBI in order to receive her security clearance.
While working in the Classified Messages Center, Hoffman recalled that she received a number of messages about the atomic bomb. However, she explained the messages were heavily coded and didn’t make much sense to a layperson. When asked about her thoughts on the use of the atomic bomb, Hoffman stated, “We thought it was better to use the atomic bomb and not kill Americans…It’s a shame, but that’s the way it goes.” She emphasized, “I still am convinced it saved many lives…it saved both American and Japanese [lives].”
Hoffman served in WAC for nearly two years. She was discharged in March of 1946 and got married soon after. Hoffman utilized the benefits of the GI Bill to attend college and became a teacher.
After I was discharged, I went to school on the GI Bill. I had no training and my father’s attitude if I had been a boy would’ve been different but girls, they get married and they had families and they didn’t have to go to school. I had to graduate from high school but that was it…I got married and went to school on the GI bill and it changed my entire life.
Later, Hoffman joined the Women’s Army Corps Veterans’ Association. She attended numerous veteran events and noted, “You see what the young women are doing now, it’s incredible.” In her final remarks, Loretta E. Hoffman, drawing on her wartime and life experiences, emphasized that young people must “appreciate what they have in this country.”
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