Myrtle A. Rhoden Collection

Collection

Identifier: WV 0171

Staff Only

Content Description

The collection includes a 6 June 2000 oral history transcript; 3 photograph copies of Rhoden in uniform, circa 1943-1945; a copy of Honorable Discharge Record and Certificate, 13 November 1945; a copy of "The Ninth & Tenth (Horse) Cavalry Association," The Buffalo Soldiers pamphlet, undated; a Buffalo Soldiers Chapter Banquet with memorial to Rhoden, 25 March 2000.

Dates

circa 1941-1945

Creator

Rhoden, Myrtle A. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information. Please see our Sensitive Materials Statement.

Biographical / Historical

Myrtle A. Rhoden (1921-2005) of New York City, served in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) and the Women's Army Corp (WAC) from 1941 to 1945.She was part of the all African-American 6888th Central Postal Battalion.

Myrtle A. Rhoden was born in New York City on July 17, 1921, to Jamaican natives, and raised in Harlem. After graduation from high school, she trained as a beautician and worked in a beauty parlor. Rhoden enlisted in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) and was sent to Fort Des Moines, Iowa, for basic training as a member of a segregated unit in 1942. She was then stationed at Fort Clark, Texas, where she did administrative work in a hospital and sang with an army band.

In August of 1943, she reenlisted in the Women's Army Corp (WAC) and was later transferred to Camp Gruber, Oklahoma. She was then assigned to overseas duty and traveled on the Ile de France to Glasgow, Scotland, after which the troops were transferred by train to Birmingham, England. There, Rhoden sorted mail until she was transferred to Rouen, France, several months later. Rhoden returned stateside and was discharged in late 1945.

Following her military service, Rhoden worked in a Civil Service job in New York for several years, and later went to work for IBM, retiring from there after twenty-one years of service. She settled in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1993. Rhoden was active in the 369th Veterans Association of New York as one of only a few women in the branch. She died in October 2005.

Extent

0.21 Linear Feet (3 folders )

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

License: This record is made available under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Creative Commons license.

Additional Description

Abstract

Myrtle Rhoden (1921-2005) of New York City, served in the United States Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) and the Women's Army Corp (WAC) from 1941 to 1945. She was part of the all African-American 6888th Central Postal Battalion.

The collection includes a 2000 June oral history; photocopies of discharge paperwork and certificate, 1945; Buffalo Solider banquet program, 2000; photocopy of Rhoden in her Women's Army Corps uniform, circa 1940s.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into the following series: oral history, photograph, and military papers.

Condition Description

The condition is good.

Offensive Language Statement

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