BEMIDJI — In 2022, now-retired Bemidji State University criminal justice Professor Mike Herbert published his book honoring the former Bemidji State College men who were killed in WWII: Leaving Campus: a World War II Epitaph.
Now, Mike has just published another book — this time, focusing on the women in Beltrami County who volunteered for military service. They Answered the Call: Minnesota's Beltrami County Women Who Served in the Military During WWII is the result of two years of searching through Bemidji State University archives, social media, the National Archives, and genealogy and military websites.
In a recent What We’re Reading interview, Mike explained that after writing Leaving Campus, he wanted to turn his focus to the women’s stories.
“I thought it was important that we keep their memories alive, too," he said. "They were just as brave and served our country honorably and they deserve to be recognized.”
While the exact number of Beltrami County women who served in WWII is difficult to calculate, Mike was able to collect the histories of 102 women. Women in WWII served in all four branches of the military, as well as in the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP, a civilian organization.
Though women did not serve on the front lines in WWII, their work was often dangerous. Mike explained artillery shells or aircraft crashes were typical circumstances that resulted in women dying in service. Again, with no official source, Mike estimated around 500 women died in service in WWII — but none of those women were from Beltrami County.
Aside from a drive to serve their country, these women of Beltrami County shared a sense of adventure and bravery. Mike noted the women in his book likely faced harassment and a stigma associated with women serving in the 1940s, but they weren’t going to settle for less.
“They were very brave women," he said. "And I'm not saying other women weren't. I'm just saying that they were extraordinary in the fact that, ‘I'm going to go do this thing and I'm going to face the obstacles.’"
More information on They Answered the Call can be found here, or check your local library or bookseller.
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