Private Johnny Johnston, WAAC: A Candid Memoir: One Woman's Pioneering Journey in the WWII WAAC

by Edith M Johnston, Jean Labelle (Preface)

Who is Private Johnny Johnston? To me she was mom.
This is a raw and personal memoir written by my mom, who was one of the first women during WWII to join the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). Her story is filled with a mix of inspiring, poignant, and humorous adventures starting on the day she enlisted, was officially accepted, and sent to Fort Des Moines, Iowa, for basic training in November 1942. With a new nickname, a new uniform, and new friends, mom was selected to attend Midland Radio and Television School in Kansas City for radio communications and Morse Code training. Upon completion of this training her first assignment found her at an Arkansas airbase teaching radio communications to Army, Navy and Marine pilots preparing for air combat duty overseas. Traditionally a role only males performed earlier. Mom went on to serve in Georgia, Kentucky, and Virginia airbases before being honorably discharged in August 1945 during one of the most devastating wars ever fought by this United States.

268 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 12, 2025

Reviews

[Dorothy Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't stop reading this book! Edith Miriam Johnston has paid tribute to her own mother's World War II experiences as a member of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corp, beginning in 1942. Edith Johnston, nicknamed Johnny by her WAAC pals, experienced a unique reality in the beginning of the world war because the US government just decided to invite women to enlist and the result was overwhelming. Plans were not complete, and women were housed in all kinds of places waiting to be trained and to serve. Johnny Johnston was a sweet young woman, naive but capable of learning and growing, religious, and honest. The story of her training, the men she met, the two she fell in love with, the places she was sent--all these details make for an extremely interesting and engaging read. Her daughter has done a great job of making her mother real, likable, entertaining--and personally as well as historically significant. This is a beautiful book, and I highly recommend it. Honest and unputdownable!

[Erika Seyffert Marais · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Amazon Kindle suggested this book due to the books I've been reading recently, namely Christian biographies. At first I didn't make the connection, but it was truly a very special story of a young woman living out her Christian faith in the WAAC during WWII.
It is well written and I highly recommend the book.