COVINGTON, La. (WGNO) — It was an easy choice for Martha Sonnier in 1942. She enlisted.

"I chose the Marines because my father used to be a Marine," Sonnier told WGNO News from her Covington family's home. "That's a perfect example that you could do something for your country."

Sonnier served for three years. Much of her time was spent traveling the United States to recruit men to fight in the war, while she and other enlisted women handled as many responsibilities as possible at home.

"Somebody had to fight a war. Somebody had to take care of us," she said. "You want to replace him, let him go fight. We'll take their place."

While most of the war was fought in Europe, Asia and the oceans separating them from the United States, there were cases of U-boat attacks off the American coastl

See Full Page