MF144 Women in the Military
Document Type
Oral History
Interviewer
Sarah Beazley
Interview date
4-15-2003
Interview location
Brewer, Maine
Files
Download Full Text (20.5 MB)
Abstract
Deborah Smith, interviewed by Sarah Beazley, April 15, 2003, in her home in Brewer, Maine. Smith, age 42-43, talks about her decision to join the Air National Guard; rising through the ranks; her family and friends’ reaction to her enlistment; her current duties in the Air National Guard; her basic training experiences; how basic training affected her self-image; the bonds she formed with other female enlistees; discrimination in the military; changes in the role of women in the military; nursing as a historic profession for women in the military; women organizations in the military; her leisure time; meeting her husband in the military; dating within the military; her various overseas deployments; coping with stress; how her service has shaped her life; whether she would do it all over again; whether she encouraged her daughters to enlist; why she would not recommend women join the Army; lesbians in the military; and following orders against one’s conscience. Text: 17 pp. transcript. Recording: No recording.
Disciplines
Military History | Oral History | United States History | Women's History
Birth date
1960
Location
Brooklyn, New York City, New York
Nation of origin
United States
Home state/Territory
New York
Gender
Female
Occupation
Medic
Branch of service
Air National Guard
Service Unit
143rd Rhode Island Air National Guard; 101st Air Refueling Wing, Maine Air National Guard
Dates of service
1979-2009
Date of entry
1979
Service entry
Enlisted
Location of Service
Maryland; Rhode Island; Bangor, Maine
Entry Rank
E-1 Airman Basic
Highest Rank
E-9 Chief Master Sergeant
Exit Rank
E-9 Chief Master Sergeant
Names
Terry Schultz; Mary Schultz; Denis Smith
Locations
Brooklyn, New York; Vietnam; Baghdad; Iraq; Maine; Texas; Malcolm Grow Medical Center, Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland; Rhode Island; Honduras; Azores, Portugal; Mexico; Italy; France; Germany; England; Saudi Arabia
Headings
Women in the Military; Sexism in the Military; Gender equity; Physical training; Military families
Collection name
Women in the Military
Collection number
MF144
Item number
NA4199
Recommended Citation
Schultz Smith, Deborah, "Deborah Smith, interviewed by Sarah Beazley" (2023). MF144 Women in the Military. 87.
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mf144/87
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