Alyce Lillian Ellis Dixon
Dixon
Alyce Lillian
MA
World War, 1939-1945
WAC (Women's Army Corps)
6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion
Technician Five
Scotland; England; France; Arlington, Virginia; European Theater
Unknown
Veteran
"I’m not a person who’s afraid, and so I did very well. A lot of the girls got upset and sick and wanted to go home, but I’m still out there fighting." (Audio recording, 18:31)
Alyce Dixon dedicated much of her life to helping others. She was involved in veterans’ service organizations and other charities, but took the most pride from helping the people around her in myriad small ways every day. As the third of nine children she was a protector for her younger siblings, and helped to provide for them as soon as she was old enough. Joining the Women’s Army Corps in 1943 is one of the few things she remembers doing for her own benefit – she was hopeful that Army doctors would have a cure for her chronic skin condition. While she did not find a cure, Dixon found that she was well-suited for military life and enjoyed her experience – especially the opportunity to travel around Europe while posted there with the 6888th.
Determined to Serve: African American Women in World War II
Enlisting in the WAC with the hope that Army doctors could cure her vitiligo.
6888th’s operations in Europe; processing mail for soldiers killed in the Battle of the Bulge; handling care packages filled with food, which attracted pests.
Writing columns for the base newspaper; experiences in training; military assignments were her first experience of the South.
Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.05202/
DLC-AFC
2023-06-05
loc.natlib.afc2001001.05202