08/30/2026
“Hurricanes were not the only threat. U-boats patrolled the coast and German agents were a concern. All the SPARs were issued fi****ms, and the lighthouse was the backdrop for target practice.
‘We were ordered to shoot anyone who entered the LORAN building without authorization.’
- Radioman 3rd Class Anita Freeman
Our work in Chatham originally began as part of our She Served Here focus in 2025, but the more we learned, the more it helped shape our 2026 theme: Serving on All Fronts.
Chatham gave us a much clearer picture of the American Theater and the very real dangers faced by women serving here in the Lower 48. Their work was critical to the Allied war effort, even when the battlefield looked very different from the one we typically picture.
We talk about context a lot. When you understand how seriously the military considered the possibility of German landings on the East Coast and Japanese attacks from the West, it makes more sense why so much critical infrastructure and military work was moved inland during the war. Suddenly, WAVES doing codebreaking in Dayton makes a lot more sense. And suddenly, the SPARs stationed along the coastlines look a lot more obviously like a military assignment and a lot less like a cushy posting in a resort town. The map of service becomes much clearer.
Yesterday, we had some great conversations about the difference between the homefront and the American Theater and between civilian work and military service. There was a lot of overlap, but military service still came with its own unique risks, responsibilities, and requirements.
Those challenges shouldn’t be overlooked simply because the theater of war isn’t as obvious to us today.
That has been the heart of Serving on All Fronts, recognizing and celebrating military service even when it doesn’t look like what we expect it to.
