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Audio recording (original)

 Item — Box: WV-ACO 03
Identifier: WV 0098- Series 3- Item Item 1

Scope and Contents

From the Series:

Primarily documents Gretchen Davis's experiences at the Woman's College (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro) and in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) and U.S. Army from 1973 to 1993. Davis details her parents' education and careers; her high school activities; her reaction when the Woman's College (WC) went co-ed in 1964; WC rules and traditions, including house mothers and Rat Day; President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963; the influence of her trips to Germany to visit a friend whose husband was in the military; and concern about the Vietnam War, especially after her brother joined the military. Much of the interview details Davis' twenty year career in the Army. Topics include her parents' reactions when she joined the WAC; her original plan to only stay for one tour of duty; quotas for women recruits in the army; classes, discipline, and regulations during basic training; meeting Vietnam veterans at Fort Benning; her opinion of the integration of the WAC into the U.S. Army; her experiences in Korea, as they relate to the TV show M.A.S.H.; duties, recreation, danger, and weather in Korea; and attitudes of Koreans toward military women. Topics related to her last 15 years in the Army include harassment and discrimination toward women; specialties and career advancement in the army; being on medical hold and deciding to stay in the army despite having cancer; her experience in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm, including her logistics work, wearing chemical protective suits, sightseeing, civilian knowledge of military operations, and medical problems resulting from Desert Storm, including Gulf War Syndrome; her opinion of women in the military and in combat positions; and ways in which the military changed her attitude and personality.

Dates

  • 1999 June 15

Creator

Access Restriction

Original is restricted. Researchers may use listening copy.

Extent

From the Collection: 9.00 boxes (Box, Oversized box,Textile box)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Extent

2 audio cassette tapes, 110 minutes.

Repository Details

Part of the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives Repository

Contact:
P.O. Box 26170
320 College Ave.
Greensboro NC 27402-6170 US
336-334-5246