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Description
Oral history interview of Melissa Pena. Interview conducted by Jessica Oldham via Zoom in Orlando, FL on October 5th, 2021.
Log
:38 Early life and family; 3:00 Family members in the service; 3:30 Jobs prior to enlisting in the Army; 4:05 Enlisting in the Army; 4:15 Becoming a Sergeant; 6:30 Basic Training; 9:47 AIT Training; 12:14 Acclimating to Military life; 13:14 Experience being stationed in Germany; 14:42 Duties and responsibilities while in Germany; 17:05 Traveling while stationed in Germany; 17:36 Experience being pregnant while on Active Duty; 19:00 Standout memories from time in Germany; 20:17 Experience being stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; 23:14 Duties and responsibilities at Fort Campbell; 24:30 Standout memories from time at Fort Campbell; 25:38 Experience being stationed at Fort Drum; 27:50 Experience being pregnant at Fort Drum; 28:25 Duties and responsibilities at Fort Drum; 29:37 Favorite and least favorite jobs; 31:27 Standout memories from time at Fort Drum; 32:17 Service related injuries; 33:30 Experience being a female in a combat unit; 35:10 Most memorable station; 35:40 Awards and commendations; 37:10 Returning to school and professional careers in civilian life; 38:20 Re-acclimating to civilian life; 39:17 Experience with Daughters of the American Revolution; 40:15 Contact with fellow service members; 40:35 Applying military training in civilian life; 41:00 Advice to future Army members
Date of Birth
1979-08-18
Place of Birth
Germany
Gender
Female
Home State
Heidelberg
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
2006
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
2014
Type
Video; MovingImage
Entrance into Service
Enlisted
Branch of Service
U.S. Army
Unit of Service
3-75 Cav; 63rd Chem, CBRN
Location of Service
Graffenwohr, Germany; Fort Campbell, KY; Fort Drum, NY
Prisoner of War
No
Service Related Injury
Yes
Achievements
This veteran was one of the first female SGT's to be assigned to a combat unit.
City of Birth
Heidelberg
Country of Birth
Germany
Interviewer
Jessica Oldham
Interview Date
10-5-2021
Location of Interview
Virtual using Zoom
Subjects
Pena, Melissa. Personal Narratives. United States Army.
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
Jessica Oldham.
Length of Interview
41:45:00
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
Recommended Citation
Central Florida, RICHES of, "Melissa Pena interview" (2021). Veterans Oral Histories. 710.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/710
Transcript - M. Pena