Carmen Contreras-Bozak

Infobox Military Person
name=Carmen Contreras-Bozak
born= birth date and age|1919|12|31
died=
placeofbirth= Cayey, Puerto Rico
placeofdeath=


caption=Tech4 Carmen Contreras-Bozak First Hispanic to serve in the U.S. Women's Army Corps
nickname=
allegiance=
serviceyears= 1942-1945
rank= Tech4
commands=
unit= 149th WAAC Post Headquarters Company
battles=World War II
awards=European-African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 2 Battle Stars
laterwork=Founder chapter of WAC Vets Founder chapter of the Society of Military Widows

Tech4 Carmen Contreras-Bozak (born December 31, 1919) was the first Hispanic to serve in the U.S. Women's Army Corps where she served as an interpreter and in numerous administrative positions.

Early years

Born Carmen Contreras in 1919, she was the oldest of three siblings. She was born and raised in the town of Cayey, Puerto Rico, located in the central mountains of the island, where she attended elementary school.

Her mother, Lila Baudilia Lugo Torres, moved the family to New York City in search of a better way of life. In New York, Contreras attended Julia Richman High School and upon graduating went to work for the National Youth Administration. After taking and passing a Civil Service test, Contreras went to work for the War Department in Washington, D.C. as a payroll clerk.

World War II

During this period, the Army was looking for bilingual Hispanic women to fill assignments in fields such as cryptology, communications and interpretation. In 1942, Contreras joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) and was sent to Fort Lee, Virginia for training. Contreras volunteered to be part of the 149th WAAC Post Headquarters Company the first to go overseas, setting sail from New York Harbor for Europe on January 1943.

The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was established during World War II on 15 May 1942, "for the purpose of making available to the national defense the knowledge, skill, and special training of the women of the nation."

The unit arrived in Northern Africa on January 27, 1943 and rendered overseas duties in Algiers within General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s theatre headquarters. The women who served abroad were not treated like the regular Army servicemen. They did not receive overseas payment nor could they receive government life insurance. These women had no protection if they became ill, wounded or captured. If captured, the women were considered as "auxiliaries" serving with the Army rather than in it, did not have the same protections under international law as the male soldiers. These were factors which the Army took into consideration when they decided to integrate the Women’s Corps into the regular Army.

Contreras was promoted to the rank of Tech 4 (Technical Sergeant), which in the today's Army would equal the rank of Sergeant (E-4). Her responsibilities included the transmission of encoded messages to the battlefield.

On July 3, 1943, the WAC bill, which established the Women’s Army Corps as integral part of the Army of the United States, was signed into law (Public Law 78-110) becoming effective on September 1, 1943.

After returning home, Contreras entered Valley Forge General Hospital on July 1945, for treatment of an eye infection which she had contracted in Algiers. There she met Theodore Bozak, a patient who would become her husband. Carmen Contreras-Bozak and Theodore Bozak had three children, two sons, Brian and Robert, and a daughter, Carmen.

Postscript

Contreras-Bozak currently lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There she started a chapter of WAC Vets and in 1998 founded a chapter of the Society of Military Widows. Approximately 200 Puerto Rican women served in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II.

Awards and decorations

Among Tech4 Carmen Contreras-Bozak's military decorations were the following:

* with 2 Battle Stars
*
*
*
* Army Good Conduct Medal

ee also

*List of notable Puerto Ricans
*List of famous Puerto Ricans - Military
*Puerto Rican women in the military
*Puerto Ricans in World War II

External links

*cite web|url=http://www.utopia.utexas.edu/explore/latino/narratives/07Bozak_Carmen.html
title=Young woman's life defined by service in Women's Army Corp
first=Katie
last=Kennon
work=Latinos & WWII: Narratives, Volume 4, Number 1,
date=Spring 2003
publisher=University of Texas at Austin
accessdate=2006-07-22

*cite web|url=http://www.womensmemorial.org/Education/HisHistory.html
title=The Contributions of Hispanic Servicewomen
work=Women in Military Service for America
first=Judith
last=Bellafaire
accessdate=2006-07-22

*cite web|url=http://www.hispaniconline.com/hh02/history_did_you_know_sidebar.html
title=Did You Know? Quick Facts on Latinos in the Military
work=Hispanic Heritage Plaza
year=2002
publisher=Hispanic Online
accessdate=2006-07-22

*cite web|url=http://becerra.house.gov/HoR/CA31/Hidden+Content/Womens+History+Month+Dear+Colleague.htm
author= Xavier Becerra (member of Congress)
title=Learn about the contributions of American Latinas
date=March 30, 2006
accessdate=2006-07-22
format=PDF Co-Sponsor H.R. 2134.