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Westray Battle Long | |
|---|---|
| Born | Martha Westray Battle August 10, 1901 Rocky Mount, North Carolina |
| Died | January 31, 1971 |
| Occupation | Director of the Women's Army Corps (1945-1947) |
| Known for | First female recipient of the Legion of Merit |
| Successor | Mary A. Hallaren |
Martha Westray Battle Long (August 10, 1901 - January 31, 1972) more commonly known as Westray Battle Long, was the second director of the Women's Army Corps and the first woman to receive the Legion of Merit. Before entering the service, Long worked in her first husband's insurance agency. Long also worked in various government agencies, and served under General Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Biography
[edit]Early life
[edit]Westary Battle Long was born Martha Westray Battle in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. She was born the daughter to Jacob Battle Jr., and Mattie Nash Wright.[1] From 1918 to 1919 Long attended the North Carolina College for Women. From 1921 to 1922 Long attended Pell's Law School. From 1919 to 1934 Long worked in various insurance agencies.[2]
Marriage and children
[edit]Long was married three times throughout her life. From her first marriage she had a daughter, Westray. Her first marriage was to James Stacy Boyce in 1924. Her second marriage was to William Leslie in 1948. Her third and final marriage was to Willie James Long in 1964.
Death and afterward
[edit]Westray Battle Long died January 31, 1972 in Reed Army Hospital. Long has a portrait, with her in uniform, in the Archives and Museum of History Building in Raleigh and at the Armory in Rock Mount, North Carolina. All of her wartime papers are available in the Truman Memorial Library in Independence, Missouri. Long is known for being the second Director of the Women's Army Corps and the first ever woman to receive both the Legion of Merit and the Cross of Military Service.
Career
[edit]Civilian Services
[edit]In March of 1934 Long began her work for the United States Federal Government in Washington, DC, working for several different government agencies in various positions. She served as Administrative Director of Litigation for the National Recovery Administration in 1934 and 1935 and as Administrative Assistant to the General Counsel and later as Chief of the Insurance Section in the Rural Electrification Administration from 1936-1940. She also worked as Assistant Chief in the Federal Works Agency in 1941 and 1942.
Military Services
[edit]Long entered military service in 1942, following her work in the Federal Works Agency. She began her service as an Officer Candidate in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). In December of 1942 Long was promoted to First Officer (Captain) within WAAC. Long was then transferred to the North African Theater of Operations as Theater WAC Staff Director in August of 1943. She served as director of the Staff under General Dwight D. Eisenhower. After serving as Director of Staff, she was promoted to Major in August of 1943. She was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in February of 1944.
During her work on this assignment she was awarded the European-African ribbon with battle star and the Legion of Merit. She was the first woman to be awarded this honor. In August of 1944 she transferred to the War Department General Staff. During her time on the staff she worked as a personnel officer. By May of 1945 she was appointed the Deputy Director of the Women's Army Corps, formerly named the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps.
By July of the same year she succeeded Colonel Oveta Culp Hobby as Director of the Women's Army Corps and was appointed to the rank of Colonel. She remained the Director of the Women's Army Corps until March of 1947, when she was hospitalized.[3]
Women's Army Corps Service
[edit]Long, serving as Director of the Women's Army Corps, made a flight around the world in an attempt to arrange for Women's Army Corps members to return to the United States who were eligible for discharge. By doing this she was awarded the Pacific Theater Ribbon. For her accomplishments she made as Director of the Women's Army Corps and her work done with the problem in the Army known as Psychoneurosis, Long, Colonel Boyce at the time, was awarded, in January 1946, an Oak Leaf Cluster to the Legion of Merit. By November of 1946 she became the first woman to receive the Cross of Military Service by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Awards
[edit]- European-African ribbon with battle star
- Legion of Merit
- Pacific Theater Ribbon
- Oak Leaf Cluster to the Legion of Merit
- Cross of Military Service
References
[edit]- ^ Eatman, George (2001). The Battle Book. p. 32.
- ^ "Truman Library - Westray Battle Boyce Long Papers". www.trumanlibrary.org. Retrieved 2015-04-07.
- ^ Fleming, Monika (1998). Rocky Mount and Nash County. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 122.
Further reading
[edit]- Nicholas, Westray (1991). "Long, Westray Battle". In Powell, William (ed.). Dictionary of North Carolina Biography: Vol. 4, L-O. University of North Carolina Press. pp. 94–95. ISBN 9780807867129.