Irene O. Galloway (1908–1963) was an American Army soldier and the fourth director of the

Women's Army Corps The Women's Army Corps (WAC; ) was the women's branch of the United States Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), on 15 May 1942, and converted to an active duty status in the Army of the United S ...

(WAC).

Early life and war service

Irene O. Galloway of

Carroll County, Iowa Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,760. Its county seat is Carroll. The county is named in honor of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, signer of the Declaration of Independen ...

attended Boyles Business College in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

."National Affairs: Saluting Irene" ''Time Magazine'', December 22, 1952, accessed February 18, 2011

/ref> Galloway joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in June 1942. In September 1942 Galloway was graduated from WAAC Officer Candidate School at the WAAC Training Center at Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School, Fort Des Moines, Iowa. When asked why she was compelled to join the Army, Galloway replied that she was inspired to join because of her brother who was serving in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and because of an article in the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

regarding opportunities for women in the Army."Longines Chronoscope Television Journal" 1956 v.6 Interview of Irene O. Galloway by

Larry LeSueur Laurence Edward LeSueur (June 10, 1909 – February 5, 2003) was an American journalist and a war correspondent during World War II. He worked closely with Edward R. Murrow and was one of the original Murrow Boys. Early life LeSueur was born o ...

and

Don Hollenbeck Don Hollenbeck (March 30, 1905June 22, 1954) was a CBS newscaster, commentator, and associate of Edward R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly. He was the writer and producer of ''CBS Views the Press'', a Peabody Award-winning radio show that critique ...

, https://archive.org/details/gov.archives.arc.95897 Galloway served in the WAAC through World War II and witnessed many changes in the roles women played in the military throughout the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, one of which was the loss of women's status as "auxiliary" units that changed the name of the WAAC to WAC. Upon completing her training, Galloway served at the WAC headquarters at the

Pentagon In geometry, a pentagon () is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple polygon, simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simple or list of self-intersecting polygons, self-intersecting. A self-intersecting ...

, the headquarters for the Army Services Forces, and with the G-1 Career Management Group until she was assigned as WAAC Staff Advisor for the U.S. Army in Europe in 1948. In November 1952 Galloway was selected as a replacement for commander of the WAC Training Center in Fort Lee. Just two weeks after reporting for duty as Commander of the WAC Training Center, Galloway was notified of her selection as Director of the WAC and was sworn in on January 3, 1953. At the time of her appointment as director, Colonel Galloway had served 10 years in the WAC, and was awarded the

Commendation Ribbon The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fift ...

from the Army of Occupation WAAC, and the American Theater and European Theater Ribbons during World War II. During her tenure as WAC Director, Colonel Galloway played an instrumental role in increasing military pay and reenlistment bonuses."Women in the U.S. Army:Post Korean War (1953-1965" United States Military, accessed April 8, 2011

/ref> Colonel Galloway also implemented the Military Occupational Services (MOS) for enlisted personnel, and oversaw the establishment of a new WAC training facility in

Fort McClellan Fort McClellan, originally Camp McClellan, is a United States Army post located adjacent to the city of Anniston, Alabama. During World War II, it was one of the largest U.S. Army installations, training an estimated half-million troops. After t ...

in Alabama. Irene_galloway_20191106_120245_copy

In 1963 Colonel Irene O. Galloway died of cancer. As a result of her role in moving the WAC training facility to Alabama, the North Gate entrance and North Gate Road, both of which led through the WAC Training Facility at Fort McClellan, were renamed Galloway Gate and Galloway Gate Road.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Galloway, Irene O 1908 births 1963 deaths Women's Army Corps soldiers 20th-century American military personnel United States Army colonels