Clarice Fortgang Pollard was a pioneering civilian-soldier who served in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), later reorganized as the Women’s Army Corps (WAC), during World War II. Born and raised in the heavily industrialized urban landscape of Brooklyn, New York, Pollard left behind her civilian autonomy to join an experimental and highly regimented military organization. The creation of the WAAC in 1942 was a massive federal effort to mobilize women into noncombatant military specialties, effectively freeing male soldiers for frontline duty.

Following basic training at the austere Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia, Pollard was deployed to Class Number 4 of the WAAC Administration School, established at Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College (SFA) in Nacogdoches, Texas. Because the war drastically reduced male civilian enrollment, SFA President Dr. Paul Boynton had successfully lobbied to host the first WAAC administration school in the nation, effectively saving the college while supporting the federal mobilization effort.

Trading the urban Northeast for the agrarian Piney Woods of East Texas, Pollard and her fellow recruits navigated a surreal environment. She explicitly recalled the stark contrast in accommodations, noting that recruits "luxuriated all over the place" in large dorm rooms with semi-private baths, a dramatic shift from the cramped quarters of basic training. They endured a grueling 16-hour daily schedule designed to rapidly teach complex data architecture, military correspondence, and human capital logistics.

Outside of the classroom, Pollard actively participated in the unique cultural exchange of the era. This included attending a Texas-style Passover Seder that bridged the linguistic and cultural gaps between Northern urbanites and Southern Jewish communities. She also engaged with the local culture by swimming in nearby lakes and visiting downtown movie theaters, where she marveled at the local audiences enthusiastically "talking back" to the actors on screen. The gravity of the war, however, remained omnipresent; after witnessing a civilian college graduation at SFA, she reflected on the deep emotional impact of seeing students celebrate their "big day in the saddest of times".

Upon graduating from the SFA Administration School, Pollard's operational scope expanded significantly. She was stationed at Camp Upton in New York, where her duties evolved from foundational administrative filing to highly sensitive strategic labor. Her key responsibilities included drafting complex charts, compiling data graphs, and drawing secret logistical maps.

Furthermore, the military recognized and harnessed her innate artistic abilities. She transitioned into a specialized role as a public relations coordinator and poster designer. In this capacity, Pollard created original cartoons and graphic designs that the federal government utilized for nationwide WAC recruitment propaganda, actively shaping the public perception of women's military service.

Following the allied victory and her honorable discharge, Pollard and her husband, Monroe Pollard, participated in the massive post-war migration to the American Sunbelt, ultimately settling in Phoenix, Arizona. She remained an active advocate for veterans, dedicating her time to researching and validating the battlefield decorations of her peers.

Pollard codified her monumental experiences across two primary source texts: a 23-page published booklet focusing heavily on her enlistment and early training experiences titled Hey Lady! Uncle Sam Needs You! (1985), and her comprehensive memoir featuring her original wartime illustrations. While often referred to by its main title and subtitle separately, the complete work was published as Laugh, Cry and Remember: The Journal of a G.I. Lady (1991). Through her service and her literary documentation, Pollard cemented her legacy as part of the vanguard that permanently altered and expanded women's roles in the defense of the United States