Beaverton resident Irene Londraville credits WAC service with shaping her sense of fairness

Irene Londraville, a 92-year-old Beaverton resident, attributes her lifelong commitment to fairness and assertiveness to her two years of service in the U.S. Women’s Army Corps. The veteran served as a Private First Class from 1954 to 1956, a period she describes as formative for her character.

Londraville moved to Oregon from Massachusetts in 1948 when she was an eighth grader, settling in Hammond with her family. She recalls playing at Fort Stevens, where she saw Civil War-era batteries and World War II facilities. Although her father served in World War I and three of her brothers enlisted, her decision to join the military was personal rather than familial.

After graduating high school and spending two years in a convent, Londraville chose to enlist because she did not wish to marry at age 20. She stated that her motivation was less about a traditional love of country and more about wanting the nation to be good for current and future generations. “You want everyone in your country to have a fair chance,” she said.

Her basic training took place at Fort Gordon in Georgia, where she discovered a talent for marksmanship. She attributed her sharpshooting ability to years of throwing stones with her four brothers during her childhood in Massachusetts. Following basic training, she was stationed at Fort Meade in Maryland.

At Fort Meade, Londraville operated teletype machines, sending and receiving messages as the Korean War wound down. Her duties involved relaying information about rerouted soldiers, expedition plans, and supply movements to Washington, D.C. She noted that the fragments she transmitted often lacked full context, but the work required precision. She observed that within her cadre, everyone was treated equally regardless of background. “There were no special people, no unspecial people, and you saw it that way from the very beginning,” she said.

Londraville said the military taught her how to make independent decisions and how to hold her own in various aspects of life, including marriage and parenting. She recalled supporting her children when teachers gave them a hard time, a skill she believes was honed during her service. “It counted. Even in marriage I could hold my own and support my kids if teachers were giving them a hard time,” she said.

She believes the experience allowed her to understand her own capabilities. “Being in the military can bring out the hidden things in yourself. It could be better, it could be worse. It doesn’t change. It just lets you see what you’re made of,” she said.