"Even before Pearl Harbor, the Navy knew they needed more cryptographers." (Audio Interview, 0:50)

Ann Ellicott Madeira

War: World War, 1939-1945 Branch: WAVES (Navy Women's Reserve) Unit: Naval Intelligence/ Cryptographer Service Location: Washington, DC Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade Place of Birth: MD

In her senior year at Bryn Mawr College, Ann Ellicott was approached in confidence about work for the government. This was before the attack on Pearl Harbor, but Washington was already recruiting bright young women to work as code breakers. Ellicott moved to Washington after graduating, sharing an apartment with three other women. Their work could be tedious, but the results could also be exhilarating, as when their ability to decode a message about Japanese air traffic led to the U.S. shooting down a plane carrying a high-ranking enemy admiral. Life in the capital could also be exhilarating; wearing a uniform, she notes, was an easy way to meet and make friends.