Southern Oregon women joined the Navy

On April 16, 1917, the Home Telephone Company in Medford, Ore., printed a notice asking patrons to be patient as “one half of the operating force is gone to Naval Reserve duty at the Puget Sound navy yard.” Seventeen Southern Oregon women, including 10 who worked for the telephone company, had enlisted in the Navy the previous month. They were the first wave of women to join the regular U.S. military service, with the same rights, ranks, and responsibilities as men. [...]