In the interview, Lorrie Lamphier describes her background of where she was born and grew up, and the years of enlistment and her branch. Lamphier also discusses the reasons she enjoyed basic training, and comments on her role as a guide on bearer (or guidon bearer), which helps lead the troops in formation. She shares details on where she was…
In this interview, Carol Trainer details her life before joining the Air Force and her subsequent time in the military. Trainer shares details on her "normal" childhood and how a John F. Kennedy quote motivated her to join the military to prevent war. She comments on her time in bootcamp, the procedures that occurred after she got off the plane,…
Deborah Mills discusses her time in the military. Mills comments on her favorite aspects of military life, the exercises she participated in, and her interactions with male service members. She shares a story about a fight that she got into with another soldier while on the phone with her mother and the disciplinary actions she received as a result…
This interview provides a first hand account of the pre-service and military service record of Staff Sergeant Howard Denham. Denham explains his role in the Korean War as well as his general worldview and outlook on topics beyond the war. He also talks about the impacts the service had on him.
In this interview, Harold Broughton discusses his service in the Kentucky Army National Guard, beginning with his initial enlistment in 2002. He talks about the experiences he had while in basic training as well as job training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. We also covered the different experiences he had throughout his service including several…
Joe Bowman comments on his experiences in basic training and his deployment to Midway Island, where he repaired airplanes. Bowman also talks about his placement in Texas and Germany. In Germany, Mr. Bowman’s mission was transportation for high ranking officials and plane repair. He also talked about how the men would “play” battlefield for…
Penny Bowling-Messer served in the Army, from 1992-1998, first as a medic and later as an oral technician. Bowling-Messer describes her experience in the US Army, including the good times she had and the memories and friends made.
Christopher Martin Hickey discusses influences in his life and his reasons for choosing the military for his career. Hickey also comments on his multiple deployments and how he saw it affect the people around him. The interview ended with him considering the VTS 200 class’ question of if there should be a mandatory military or at least a National…
Josh Alexander shares details on his time in the military. He provides motivations for joining the United States Army, the training he received, and his early experiences in the Army before proceeding into his experiences from being deployed to the Middle East during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Interview topics also include reintegration after his…
This interview covers Ken Dryer's reasons for joining the military, his experiences as a soldier at home and while deployed, and his response to several different areas of his time in the Army. Dryer moved a lot as a child but knew at an early age that he wanted to serve his country and add his name to a family history of soldiers. During his…
