MF144 Women in the Military

Document Type

Oral History

Interviewee name

Barbara Ann Kasnic Beal

Interviewer

Amy L. Stevens

Interview date

5-1-2003

Interview location

Ellsworth, Maine

Files

Download

Download Full Text (25.0 MB)

Abstract

Barbara Beal, interviewed by Amy L. Stevens, May 1, 2003, in Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth, Maine. Beal, age 56, talks about her service as an Army nurse in the Vietnam War; her family and friends’ reaction to her deployment; her anxiety prior to deployment; her training experiences; her preconceptions of the war vs. the reality; her emotional experience of the war; her typical day at the medevac hospital; the dangers of the job; her leisure time; socialization between men and women; her most important relationships during the war; her reception upon returning as a veteran; whether the war changed her; continuing her nursing career as a civilian; moving to Maine from Pittsburgh; whether she would do it all over again; her family history; the ethnic and gender makeup of her coworkers during the war; her experience of sexism in the military; her positive memories of the war; male soldiers’ visitation of prostitutes; and wartime pregnancies. Text: 21 pp. transcript. Recording: No recording.

Disciplines

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

Birth date

August 5, 1946

Location

Sewickley, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Nation of origin

United States

Home state/Territory

Pennsylvania

Gender

Female

Ethnicity

European-American

Occupation

Nurse

Branch of service

U.S. Army

Service Unit

Women's Army Corps.

Dates of service

September 1970-September 1971

Date of entry

September 1, 1970

Service entry

Commissioned

Location of Service

91st Evac Hospital, Chu Lai, Vietnam; 71st Evac Hospital, Pleiku, Vietnam

Wars & Conflicts

Vietnam War

Entry Rank

O-1 2nd Lieutenant

Highest Rank

O-2 1st Lieutenant

Exit Rank

O-2 1st Lieutenant

Names

Anna Kasnic; George Kasnic

Locations

Sewickley, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii; Vietnam; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Chu Lai, Vietnam; South China Sea; Da Nang, Vietnam; Pleiku, Vietnam; Saigon; Iraq; Guam; Hong Kong; San Francisco; Seattle; Bath, Maine; East Sullivan, Maine; Ellsworth, Maine; Orono, Maine; New Jersey; NOrth Carolina; Bethesda, Maryland; Yugoslavia

Headings

Women in the Military; Mass Casualty Triage; Military casualties; Pacific Exchange Catalog; Sex Workers

Collection name

Women in the Military

Collection number

MF144

Item number

NA4193

Rights and Access Note

This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. In addition, no permission is required from the rights-holder(s) for non-commercial uses. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). For more information, contact Special Collections.

Barbara Beal, interviewed by Amy L. Stevens

Share

 

Rights Statement

In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted