While this author ended his 2021 writing on a “positive note,” of course we were all deeply saddened by the loss of America’s “Golden Girl,” Betty White, who died on the last day of 2021 at age 99.
Numerous pieces have already been written about this much beloved icon, including one at the New York Times recalling Betty White’s life and career as “a Television Golden Girl from the Start.”
In the Time’s piece, there is a paragraph on a part of Ms. White’s life that was not known to many:
During World War II she served in the American Women’s Voluntary Services and drove a “PX truck” delivering soap, toothpaste and candy to soldiers manning the gun emplacements the government had established in the hills of Santa Monica and Hollywood.
Betty White was 19 when she volunteered in 1941.
The U.S. Army and other publications are now expanding on that part of Betty White’s life.
In an official tweet the U.S. Army memorialized her service to country in the 1940s, The tweet says:
We are saddened by the passing of Betty White. Not only was she an amazing actress, she also served during WWII as a member of the American Women’s Voluntary Services. A true legend on and off the screen.
The Military Times writes about the volunteer group:
The volunteer group amassed more than 300,000 members and “provided a variety of services and support; they sold war bonds, and delivered messages, they drove ambulances, trucks, cycle corps and dog-sleds, they also worked in navigation, aerial photography, aircraft spotting, and fire safety,” according to Museum Textile Services.
In a 2010 interview with Cleveland Magazine, Betty White discusses her 1941 volunteer service when, “at night, dances were held for the troops before they were shipped overseas.” She comments, “It was a strange time and out of balance with everything…which I’m sure the young people are going through now. We’ll never learn. We’ll never learn.”
America will never forget you, Betty White.
