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Amber Murray Mathwig Collection

 Collection
Identifier: WV 0568

Dates

  • 2002-2003, 2010-2011, 2014

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information. Please see our Sensitive Materials Statement.

Biographical / Historical

Amber Murray Mathwig (b. 1982), of Arlington, Minnestota, served as a master-at-arms in the United States Navy from 2002-2012.

Amber Murray Mathwig was born 12 April 1982 in Arlington, Minnesota. In high school she considered joining the military and took Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), but it wasn't until after the September 11 attacks in 2001 that she decided to enlist. She filled out an online recruiting form and six weeks later she was contacted by a United States Navy recruiter.

At the Military Entrance Processing Station in St. Paul, Minnesota, Mathwig chose law enforcement as her Naval Enlistment Classification (NEC), and left for Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, on 20 May 2002. From July to October of 2002, Mathwig attended Master-At-Arms school at Lackland Air Force Base San Antonio, Texas, for specialized law enforcement duty and weapons training. In November 2002, Mathwig was deployed to United States Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan, where she worked twelve hour shifts, fifteen days a month, standing post and calling dispatch.

After about a year in Japan, the Navy Medical Corps sent Mathwig to rehabilitation for alcohol abuse at Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan. When she adamantly denied having an alcohol problem, Mathwig was asked to leave the facility, which she knew meant that she would be processed for separation from the U.S. Navy.

When Mathwig returned to Sasebo, she requested a Captain's Mast (non-judicial punishment disciplinary hearing) to inquire about obtaining a recommendation to remain in the military despite her rehabilitation failure, but was approved for separation in February 2005. When she met with her Command Master Chief, he assisted in attaining a waiver for her to be able to stay in the U.S. Navy.

Mathwig then received orders to Naval Base San Diego, California, where she worked in the training department enforcing regulations and also attended firearm instructor school. She was selected as an Individual Augmentee for temporary duty assignment, and attended pre-deployment training in South Carolina.

In October 2008, Mathwig deployed to Task Force 134 at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq, where she mainly performed administrative work. After Iraq, Mathwig returned to Lackland Air Force Base for brigade school training. By this time she had decided to become a limited duty officer, and chose a sea duty billet.

In June 2009, she arrived at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, and was certified as an official instructor. In May 2010, Mathwig attended a training exercise to prepare for the deployment of the USS Kearsarge in August. For the first year of deployment, as part of law enforcement, Mathwig felt the need to remain separate from the other crew, all the while becoming increasingly frustrated with the long work hours and the amount of pressure being put on her. She was prescribed antidepressants, but was no longer allowed to carry firearms and was subsequently relieved from her security position in December of 2010.

She then began work in the legal department. In 2011, Mathwig submitted forms to remain in the U.S. Navy, but she was denied the opportunity. In 2018, Mathwig earned a graduate degree in Women and Gender Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Extent

0.21 Linear Feet (Oral History Recording, 11 photographs.)

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

  • License: This record is made available under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Creative Commons license.

Condition Description

Entirely digital.

Offensive Language Statement

The UNC Greensboro University Libraries collects, preserves, and makes accessible unique and historical materials for learning and research. The nature of historical materials is such that some material may represent positions, norms, and values that are offensive and objectionable. These materials represent the opinions and actions of their creators. By providing access to these records in our reading room and through our digital collections, we recognize that archives and rare books can play a vital role in holding those creators accountable and in helping us learn from the past.

Our finding aids and other collection descriptions may occasionally re-use language provided by creators or former holders of the materials, but we strive to place outdated or offensive terminology in context. That said, we recognize that we may not always make the right decision and welcome feedback from all sources so we can learn and adjust our practices. Please contact us at scua@uncg.edu if you encounter problematic language in our finding aids or other collection description. We will review the language and, as appropriate, update it in a way that balances preservation of the original context with our ongoing commitment to describing materials with respectful and inclusive language.

Processing Information

Processed by Victoria Hinshaw.

Title
Amber Murray Mathwig Collection
Status
Completed
Author
Victoria Hinshaw
Date
2023 January
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
eng

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