Joy Bright Hancock American soldier, veteran of both world wars, one of the first female officers in the American Navy. Date of Birth: 04.05.1898 Country: USA

Biography of Joy Bright Hancock

Joy Bright Hancock was an American servicewoman, a veteran of both World Wars, and one of the first female officers in the United States Navy. She was born in Wildwood, New Jersey and during World War I, she attended a business school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before joining the Navy. She worked as a yeoman in Camden, New Jersey and at the US Naval Air Station in Wildwood.

In 1921, Joy married Lieutenant Charles Gray Little, but tragically, he died in the crash of the airship 'ZR-2' in 1921. A year later, she found a position at the Bureau of Aeronautics, where she edited the Bureau's newsletter, which later became the 'Naval Aviation News'. In 1924, she left the Bureau and remarried Captain Lieutenant Lewis Hancock Jr. Unfortunately, her second husband also died in an aviation accident when the 'ZR-1' crashed in September 1925.

After attending diplomatic training courses and obtaining a private pilot's license, Joy returned to the Bureau. She worked there for over ten years, until the second year of World War II, primarily handling public relations.

In October 1942, Joy was called to serve as a lieutenant in the newly reformed Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). The WAVES project was created on July 30, 1942, as a special naval unit consisting solely of women. It wasn't until June 12, 1948, that women were formally recognized as full-fledged military personnel. Despite the initial assumption that these positions would be temporary, the roles of women in the Navy and other military branches became permanent.

Joy initially served as a Reserve representative in the Bureau and later held a similar position in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Naval Operations for Air Warfare. By the end of the war, she had risen to the rank of commander. In February 1946, Joy became the Assistant Director of the WAVES and focused on planning. In July of the same year, she was promoted to become the Director of the WAVES, despite only holding the rank of captain. She led the organization during challenging times, including significant fleet reductions during the late 1940s. Fortunately, the situation eventually improved, and women became more actively involved in naval affairs.

Joy retired from active duty in June 1953 and a year later, she married Vice Admiral Ralph A. Ofstie. Sadly, this marriage was also short-lived, as Admiral Ofstie passed away at the end of 1956. After her third widowhood, Joy lived in Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands.

In 1972, Hancock published her autobiography, 'Lady in the Navy'. She passed away on August 20, 1986, in Bethesda, Maryland, at the age of 88. Joy was buried alongside her third husband at Arlington National Cemetery.