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Description
Oral History interview of Martha Blair. Interview conducted by Kelly, Karen; Ortiz, Andrew at Orlando, FL.
Log
0:35 Birth place, year born, where she was raised; 0:50 Education; 1:10 Parents occupation: Mother; 1:38 Siblings, Father's occupation; 1:55 Family that served in the military; 2:17 Age she joined the Navy; 2:19 Reasons for enlisting, conversation with parents about joining; 2:55 Impact of Vietnam War for joining; 3:24 Reasons for joining Navy, compared to other branches; 3:45 Joining the Navy as a woman, Men's acceptance of women; 4:53 One regret: Education; 5:30 Expectation of going into the Navy, First time leaving Texas, her job; 6:51 Expectations about Recruit Training and Etiquette training; 8:30 Preparing for RT, didn't know how to swim; 9:22 Reactions coming to Orlando; 9:53 Reactions coming to Orlando again since RT; 11:32 Experience with RT and thoughts on new generation; 13:13 Views affected by the military, what she did after retiring; 14:24 First week in RT; 15:56 Difficulty in the first week, adjusting to eating; 17:03 Daily routines at RTC: studying; 18:21 Type of food served not for women, weight problems and being pregnant; 20:50 Maternity a problem for a lot of women; 23:07 What inspections were like while pregnant; 24:06 Sleeping arrangements at RTC; 25:02 Adjusting to living in a barracks; 25:50 Grinder at RTC; 26:21 The USS Bluejacket; 26:52 Free time at RTC, Disney; 27:55 Things to do for fun, learning from other recruits; 29:37 Fellow trainees she remembers; 30:19 Missing Graduation, coming home and being different from friends/family; 31:52 Thoughts on people training her; 33:38 The Midwatch; 34:42 What she learned from recruit training; 36:13 X Division; 36:30 How RTC prepared her to do things on her own; 37:20 Stationed in Iceland, "stork liners" and life long friendship; 38:41 Most memorable assignment: Iceland and Hawaii (met her husband); 39:42 Moving to exotic places, excitement and fear; 40:32 Time with an air crew; 42:00 Difference between marrying another Navy person and not a civilian; 43:55 Changes for women in the Navy during her lifetime; 45:00 Breaking a concrete ceiling for other women; 46:40 Relationships with other women, sense of "sisterhood", always helping; 48:24 How her family felt about her time in the service; 49:20 Adjusting to civilian life; 50:14 Working with Seabees; 50:38 Years in the service, reasons for retiring; 51:16 Reactions to reunion and talking to other Navy women; 52:30 Time at Recruiting Command; 53:50 END OF INTERVIEW.
Date of Birth
1954-06-06
Place of Birth
Port Arthur (Tex.)
Gender
Female
Race
Unknown
Home State
Texas
War or Conflict
Vietnam Era
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1973-07-27
Type
Video; MovingImage
1988-10-01
Entrance into Service
Enlisted
Branch of Service
U.S. Navy
Unit of Service
RTC Orlando; Comtac sup wing one; NAVCAMS EASTPAC, Wahiawa; Personnel support activity detachment Wahiawa; Recruit training command; Personnel support activity us naval academy in Annapolis; COMFAIRKEF; Seabee U-403 Naval Station Annapolis
Location of Service
Iceland; Hawaii
Highest Rank
Yoeman; YN
Prisoner of War
No
Service Related Injury
Unspecified
Battles
Unspecified
Medals
Expert Rifleman Badge; National Defense Medal; Good Conduct Medal
Achievements
Allowed to stay in the Navy while pregnant; Security Manager in Keslavek; Flew in air crew (not air crew designated).
Note
Worked on the first word processer.
City of Birth
Port Arthur
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Ortiz, Andrew; Kelly, Karen
Interview Date
Fall 10-13-2016
Location of Interview
Orlando, FL.
Subjects
Blair, Martha S.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives; Women and the military -- United States; United States. Navy
Collection Description
Contains logs, audio and video recordings of interviews with Central Florida's veterans as part of a history class project for the students at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The UCF Community Veterans History Project(CVHP) started in fall 2010. It collects, preserves, and makes accessible to the public the experiences of Central Florida's veterans so that future generations will better understand the realities of conflict. It is a collaborative endeavor supported by multiple departments and offices at UCF. The veterans' histories are archived and made digitally available through the UCF library and selected materials are contributed to the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress.
Contributor Affiliation / Organization
RICHES; University of Central Florida
Contributors
Kelly, Karen; Ortiz, Andrew
Length of Interview
55 Minutes
Publisher
Department of History, University of Central Florida
Type
video
Rights
All rights are held by the respective holding institution. This material is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. For permission to reproduce and/or for copyright information contact Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, (407) 823-2576. http://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/special-collections-university-archives/
Repository
University of Central Florida Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives
Contributing Project
UCF Community Veterans History Project
Document Type
Interview
Semester
Fall
Recommended Citation
Central Florida, RICHES of, "Blair, Martha S. interview" (2016). Veterans Oral Histories. 524.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/524