“Well, here’s the first letter from your “WAVE”! This is the first line from a collection of letters written by Elinor “Lin” Johnson Folk to her mother and sister during WWII. Lin was among the first group of trainees for the newly formed military branch of the Navy WAVES – Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. Young women came from every state, except two, to form the first unit trained at Cedar Falls, Iowa. Lin’s 150 letters written from December 13, 1942 through December 4, 1944 are now a part of the Veteran’s Oral History Collection housed at the Gore Center. Lin’s letters paint vivid descriptions of her excitement and anxiety as she travels from her home in Los Angeles, California to Iowa for basic training; on to Atlanta to become a link trainer instructor; to assignments in Pensacola and Whiting Field in Florida. Along the way a romance blossoms and the letters detail Lin’s marriage to the officer who would eventually bring her home to Tennessee. Follow this link to a sample letter.
Lin Folk and Leslie Royer
Leslie is one of the student workers
who worked on the transcription of Lin's oral history interview and letters.