Capt. Joy Bright Hancock served as a yeoman (F) during World War I. She worked at the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics during the interwar period, was commissioned as an officer in the WAVES, and served as director of the WAVES during World War II. She became the first woman to hold a regular commission in the U.S. Navy (1948). She was instrumental in crafting and securing passage of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act in 1948, which allowed women to serve as permanent, regular members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Hancock retired from the Navy as a captain in 1953.

Last Updated: 29 March 2023