Keep Your Powder Dry

The narrative unfolds during World War II, when the U.S. mobilized women into the Women’s Army Corps to support military efforts abroad. Training, discipline, and advancement through Officer’s Candidate School reflect the era’s push for women to assume professional roles. The plot also touches on husbands deployed overseas and the social dynamics of wartime service.

The primary setting is a Women’s Army Corps training camp near Des Moines, where Val, Leigh, and Ann undergo basic and specialized instruction. Barracks, drills, and the Motor Transport school form a tight, competitive environment that tests leadership and teamwork. A weekend escape to a Palm Beach hotel highlights the tension between wartime duty and social life. The film situates its action within the WWII-era U.S. home front and military training ecosystem.

🎓 Leadership

Val, Leigh, and Ann are pushed into positions of responsibility within a male-dominated environment. Their coursework, drills, and leadership trials reveal how empathy, decisiveness, and collaboration shape effective command. The trio’s progression to Officer’s Candidate School emphasizes leadership as a balance of strength and understanding. The depiction suggests leadership is earned through growth, not entitlement.

🤝 Friendship & Reconciliation

Initial rivalries between Val and Leigh threaten unit cohesion, while Ann provides mediating support. Through shared goals and mutual care for one another, they transform tension into solidarity. Their bond strengthens as they confront personal insecurities and social expectations. Ultimately, they reconcile and choose to continue serving together.

💼 Duty vs Inheritance

Val’s wealth and inheritance color her motivation to prove herself in uniform, highlighting how privilege shapes ambition. Leigh’s jealousy exposes the friction between personal longing and duty. The story explores balancing social status with service, suggesting true commitment comes from character and teamwork. The resolution affirms that duty to the WAC supersedes privilege.