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Description
Oral history interview of Lesa Alexandra McComas. Interview conducted by Jessica Oldham via Zoom in Orlando, FL on October 18th, 2021.
Log
:35 Early life and family; 1:00 Family members in service; 1:48 Decision to seek out a commission with the Navy; 2:45 College degree; 2:52 Office Candidate School and Commission; 4:23 Acclimating to military life; 5:10 Standout memories from Officer Candidate School; 5:54 Shore tour in San Diego, CA; 7:25 Memorable experiences from San Diego, CA; 8:25 Surface Warfare Officer School; 9:20 Memories from Surface warfare officer school; 10:06 USS Hector - AR7; 11:05 Duties and responsibilities onboard USS Hector; 12:52 Experience with male senior chiefs; 13:30 On becoming First Lieutenant; 14:50 Tour to Western Pacific; 15:14 Standout ports during tour in Western Pacigfic; 16:00 On being a woman in leadership roles; 17:15 Graduate School - Operations research; 18:50 Recreation during Graduate School; 19:25 Thesis work; 21:00 Department Head School; 21:25 Transfer to Charleston/Experience on Submarine Tender; 22:15 Transfer to USS Sierra; 23:00 Duties of Operations Officer; 24:25 Standout memories from time in Charleston; 25:33 Shore duty tour - Washington, DC; 28:40 Standout memories from time in Washington, DC; 30:15 Transfer to Alameda, CA; 32:45 Standout memories from time at Alameda, CA; 34:30 Misconceptions about women in the Navy; 36:05 More on women in the Navy; 39:15 What her service meant personally; 40:15 On being a mentor to women in the Navy; 41:15 Admiral Staff Tour - Oakland, CA; 42:30 Standout memories from time in Oakland, CA; 43:50 Experience teaching Naval ROTC; 46:07 On becoming a Commander; 49:00 Standout memories from time in service; 51:10 Awards and Commendations received; 51:50 Professional Career after leaving the Navy; 53:40 Transition to civilian life; 54:45 Applying military training to civilian life; 55:38 On working with the DAR
Date of Birth
1958-03-14
Place of Birth
Maryland
Gender
Female
Race
White - Non Hispanic
Home State
Maryland
War or Conflict
Cold War Era
Status
Veteran
Type
Video; MovingImage
Entrance into Service
Commissioned
Branch of Service
U.S. Navy
Unit of Service
FCDSSA SD; USS Hector (AR-&); NPS Monterey; USS Frank Cable (AS-40); USS Sierra (AD-); BUPERS; USS Samuel Gompers; COMCOGGRU One; NROTC; UC Berkeley
Location of Service
San Francisco Bay; Charleston; Washington DC
Highest Rank
Commander
Prisoner of War
No
Service Related Injury
No
Medals
NAM; NCM; MCM; Sea Service
Achievements
SWO
City of Birth
Baltimore
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Jessica Oldham
Interview Date
10-2021
Location of Interview
Virtual using Zoom
Subjects
McComas, Lesa. Cold War Era, Personal Narratives. United States Navy.
Contributor Affiliation / Organization
RICHES University of Central Florida
Contributors
Jessica Oldham
Length of Interview
57:31:00
Accessibility Status
Closed captioning is available for the embedded video.
Publisher
Department of History, University of Central Florida
Type
Video; MovingImage
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, "McComas, Lesa Interview" (2021). Veterans Oral Histories. 709.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/709
Transcript - L. McComas