Conditions Governing Use

Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Preferred Citation

Velma L. Brimzy diary, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased with the Mears Fund.

Biographical / Historical

Velma L. Brimzy was an African American woman from Rapides Parish, Louisiana born around 1919. She enlisted in the Woman's Army Auxiliary Corps on March 25, 1943 and was a member of the Woman's Army Corps (WAC) after Congress equalized benefits and turned the WAAC into the WAC on July 3, 1943. She was a member of Company 7, 3rd Regiment, 2nd Platoon. She began her training at Fort Des Moines on May 23, 1943 but became sick early on and spent most of her training at the base hospital. She was discharged on July 31st, 1943 and returned home, working various jobs over the next few years. By 1958 she was living in San Diego.

Content Description

The collection contains a single diary belonging to African American Womens Army Corps Private Velma L. Brimzy. Brimzy was stationed in Fort Des Moines, Iowa, Louisiana, and San Diego during World War II and post World War II. A majority of the diary entries document her time in the Women's Army Corps. The diary also includes inscriptions from fellow army services members.