This was taken on the front steps of the Chapel of the Naval Communications Annex (the former Mt. Vernon Academy), 3801 Nebraska Ave, Washington, DC. At the time it was taken, Mom (second row, second from right) was an officer in the WAVES. We know nothing more about this photo, but we assume this was the group of people she worked with. Perhaps one of these people is your (grand) mother or father, and you have one of the other 15 copies that must exist of this photo. If this is the case, I'd love to hear from you. What did she do, you ask? Well, we're not sure of the details, and we can't ask her, because she died in 1985. But we're pretty sure she was breaking codes, either German or Japanese ones, by machine. She was 22 when she entered the Navy in January 1942, the child of a well-to-do Boston family (her dad was a surgeon, her mother a society lady). She served throughout the war, worked at CIA for a while, got married and then became a housewife and mother. She remained very quiet about this work for the rest of her life, and my brother and I never grilled her about it. Now we wish we had asked a few more questions. View full size.
This was taken on the front steps of the Chapel of the Naval Communications Annex (the former Mt. Vernon Academy), 3801 Nebraska Ave, Washington, DC. At the time it was taken, Mom (second row, second from right) was an officer in the WAVES. We know nothing more about this photo, but we assume this was the group of people she worked with. Perhaps one of these people is your (grand) mother or father, and you have one of the other 15 copies that must exist of this photo. If this is the case, I'd love to hear from you. What did she do, you ask? Well, we're not sure of the details, and we can't ask her, because she died in 1985. But we're pretty sure she was breaking codes, either German or Japanese ones, by machine. She was 22 when she entered the Navy in January 1942, the child of a well-to-do Boston family (her dad was a surgeon, her mother a society lady). She served throughout the war, worked at CIA for a while, got married and then became a housewife and mother. She remained very quiet about this work for the rest of her life, and my brother and I never grilled her about it. Now we wish we had asked a few more questions. | Click image for Comments. | Home | Browse All Photos