Document Type

Oral History

Paula Pietrowski, interviewed by Annie Howley

Interviewee name

Paula K. Pietrowski

Interviewer

Annie Howley

Interview date

4-21-2003

Interview location

Old Town, Maine

Files

Abstract

Paula Pietrowski, interviewed by Annie Howley, April 21, 2003. Pietrowski, age 36-37, talks about her decision to join the Coast Guard; her family and boyfriend’s reaction to her enlistment; her basic training experiences; returning to Maine for assignment; male vs. female commanding officers; tension between men and women and between women; minorities in the Coast Guard; sexual harassment; whether women should be included in the next draft; how she spent her leisure time; her discharge and transition to civilian life; rising through the ranks; gays and lesbians in the military; whether she would do it all over again; her most positive experience in the Coast Guard; her biggest struggle in the Coast Guard; and her advice for people, particularly women, joining the military. Text: 20 pp. transcript. Recording: No recording. Photograph: p14500, detail p14501.

Disciplines

Military History | Oral History | United States History | Women's History

Birth date

1966

Location

Old Town, Penobscot County, Maine

Nation of origin

United States

Home state/Territory

Maine

Gender

Female

Ethnicity

European-American

Ethnic group

Polish

Branch of service

U.S. Coast Guard

Dates of service

1989-1993 [?]

Date of entry

1989

Service entry

Enlisted

Location of Service

Marine Safety Unit, Portland, Maine; U.S. Coast Guard Station, Southwest Harbor, Maine

Names

Rick Pietrowski

Locations

Old Town, Maine; French Island, Old Town, Maine; Vietnam; Portland, Maine; Puerto Rico; Alabama; Iraq

Headings

Women in the Military; Sexism in the Military; Sexual harassment; Interpersonal relationships; Substance abuse; Racism

Collection name

Women in the Military

Collection number

MF144

Item number

NA4198

Recommended Citation

Pietrowski, Paula K., "Paula Pietrowski, interviewed by Annie Howley" (2023). MF144 Women in the Military. 88.
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mf144/88

Rights and Access Note

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