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Vivian Mildred Corbett Bailey at time of interview [2017]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: WAC (Women's Army Corps)
  • Unit of Service: Company 3, 1st Regiment, Women's Army Auxiliary Corps; Women's Detachment Fort McClellan; Women's Detachment 2 Fort Benning; Officer's Administration Course; Fort Bragg Separation Center
  • Location of Service: Fort Des Moines, Iowa; Fort McClellan, Alabama; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Bragg, North Carolina
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/108519

View full service history

"They're not cursing me, they're cursing my skin tone." (Video interview, 19:59)

The limited job opportunities for African American women in the 1940s led Vivian Bailey to follow in her cousin's footsteps and pursue a commission in the Women's Army Corps (WAC). Yet serving as a WAC during World War II meant that her service, just as in life, was constantly permeated by what she called "the cost of segregation." Throughout her time as a WAC, during which she eventually achieved the rank of 1st Lieutenant, she served in multiple administrative roles at Ft. McClellan, Ft. Benning, and Ft. Bragg. Perhaps her most memorable experience was a chance meeting with General James Ulio, the Adjutant General of the Army from 1943 to 1946, when he put his manners before his rank by having Bailey disembark their train before he did, leading his welcome committee to salute Bailey first.

Interview / Recording

More Resources

[ Separation Qualification Record ]
[ Report of Attendance at the Adjutant General's School ]
[ Military Record and Report of Separation ]
[ Officer Qualification Record [28 November 1945] ]
[ Commendation [3 May 1944] ]

Show more resources (14)

[ Special Orders No. 102 [28 April 1944] ]
[ Military i.d. card for Vivian Bailey ]
[ Officer's and Warrant Officer's Qualification Card ]
[ Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition ]
[ Congressional Citation from Congressman Anthony G. Brown [4 March 2020] ]
[ Letter from President Bill Clinton to Vivian C. Bailey [12 August 2009] ]
[ Letter from President Bill Clinton to Vivian C. Bailey [4 January 2011] ]
[ Letter from First Lady Michelle Obama to Vivian C. Bailey [26 May 2015] ]
[ Letter from First Lady Michelle Obama to Vivian C. Bailey [1 September 2015] ]
[ Letter from President Bill Clinton to Vivian C. Bailey [3 February 2018] ]
[ Letter from President Bill Clinton to Vivian C. Bailey [8 February 2018] ]
[ Letter from John W. Lathrop to Vivian C. Bailey [23 April 2018] ]
[ Letter from First Lady Michelle Obama to Vivian C. Bailey [29 September 2020] ]
[ Letter from Vivian C. Bailey to First Lady Michelle Obama [30 October 2020] ]

About this Item

Title

  • Vivian Mildred Corbett Bailey Collection

Names

  • Bailey, Vivian Mildred Corbett
  • Veterans History Project
  • Janice Agazio
  • Riddle, Wanda L.
  • Library of Congress

Home State

  • Maryland

Headings

  • -  Bailey, Vivian Mildred Corbett
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army. Women's Army Corps.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Female

Race

  • Black or African American

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: WAC (Women's Army Corps)
    • Unit of Service: Company 3, 1st Regiment, Women's Army Auxiliary Corps; Women's Detachment Fort McClellan; Women's Detachment 2 Fort Benning; Officer's Administration Course; Fort Bragg Separation Center
    • Location of Service: Fort Des Moines, Iowa; Fort McClellan, Alabama; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Bragg, North Carolina
    • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
    • Dates of Service: 1943-1946
    • Entrance into Service: Commissioned
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: Digital File [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2017-04-04)
  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2017-04-04; 2017-10-12)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [6 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1943-1946)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [8 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1943-2015)
  • Manuscript: Correspondence [9 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 2009-2020)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [39 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1943-2020)
  • Manuscript: Printed matter [2 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 2007)
  • Photograph: Mixed (Multiple types of photographs) [45 items] -- Photograph (collected 1943-2018)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/108519

Cite as

  • Vivian Mildred Corbett Bailey Collection (AFC/2001/001/108519), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Bailey, Vivian Mildred Corbett, Veterans History Project, Janice Agazio, Wanda L Riddle, and Library Of Congress. Vivian Mildred Corbett Bailey Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.108519/.

APA citation style:

Bailey, V. M. C., Veterans History Project, Janice Agazio, Riddle, W. L. & Library Of Congress. (1943) Vivian Mildred Corbett Bailey Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.108519/.

MLA citation style:

Bailey, Vivian Mildred Corbett, et al. Vivian Mildred Corbett Bailey Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.108519/>.