Inez Naomi Stroud (1909-1994) of Wilmington, North Carolina, served in the United States Women's Army Corps and then the United States Army from 1943 to 1969. Inez Namoi Stroud was born on 9 July 1909 in Wilmington, North Carolina. She was the third of nine children of the Rev. C.A. Stroud and Mrs. Beatrice Ford Stroud. Her father was a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the family moved frequently. Stroud was a graduate of the Alice Freeman Palmer Memorial Institute in Sedalia, North Carolina. She also studied music and cosmetology. Stroud joined the Women's Army Corps (WAC) in 1943. She was a saxophonist in in the all-African American Women 404th Armed Service Forces (ASF) band at Fort Des Moines, Iowa and was part of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, whose members were women of color, primarily African American. She served at various installations in the United States and Europe over the course of her career in the army, including three tours in Germany. She frequently served as the organist for post chapels . Stroud was discharged in 1969. Stroud lived in Washington, D.C., and Greensboro, North Carolina, after her military service. She continued her education at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro and continued to play music at the Bethel AME Church. Stroud died on 21 November 1994.
