Dreams of Service Amidst War
When the bombs fell on Pearl Harbor in 1941, a determined 28-year-old Dorothy "Dot" Cole decided to enlist. Even a rejection from the U.
S. Navy due to her height didn't deter her. Instead, Cole turned her aspirations skyward, learning to fly with hopes of becoming a military pilot. She earned her pilot's license but found her service in the Women's Reserve Marine Corps limited to secretarial work. Undaunted, Cole served her country with dedication in Quantico, Virginia.
From Flying High to Secretarial Duties
Despite her dreams of taking to the skies in service, Dot's reality was grounded in the clerical tasks** allocated to many women of her time.
From 1943 to 1945, Cole served as a Marine Sergeant but never got the chance to fly for the military. Nonetheless, her role was pivotal in supporting the war efforts behind the scenes.
A Life of Service and Family
After her discharge, Dorothy moved to San Francisco, marrying Wiley Cole and starting a family with their daughter, Beth. She continued her work as a secretary, this time at the Ames Research Center which later integrated into NASA, showcasing that her contribution to American innovation and progress extended far beyond the end of WWII.
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