Oral history interview with Anna Jean Coomes Woods, 1999

Partial Transcript: Could you tell me something about your life before you joined the military?

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses her early life before she joined the military and her decision to join the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES).

Keywords: Navy--WAVES; World War II era (1940-1946); World War, 1939-1945

Partial Transcript: My orders came to report to Hunter College in New York for boot camp.

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses her time at basic training.

Keywords: Navy--WAVES; basic training

Partial Transcript: While I was in this outgoing unit, which lasted for two weeks, I was assigned to Shore Patrol.

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses her first assignment after her completion of boot camp.

Keywords: 1940s; General Dwight D. Eisenhower; Navy; Navy--WAVES; PAtriotism; World War II era (1940-1946); World War, 1939-1945

Partial Transcript: There were several other military bases near, Marines and some [U.S.] Army bases up in Maryland, and sometimes they would invite us.

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses women being bused to Fort Meade to dance with soldiers and her social life during her time in the military.

Keywords: World War II era (1940-1946)

Partial Transcript: Then finally the war ended.

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses her work after the end of World War II.

Partial Transcript: On the peninsula was a little tiny town called Saint Mary's. It only had a few thousand people there, if that, and we were really isolated.

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses her work at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station.

Keywords: Patuxent River Naval Air Station

Partial Transcript: Then it came time for me to be discharged, and they took us to Washington.

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses being discharged from the military.

Keywords: Navy; Navy--WAVES

Partial Transcript: Do you remember why you chose the WAVES as opposed to one of the other branches of the service to go into?

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses why she chose to go into the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES).

Keywords: Navy--WAVES

Partial Transcript: Do you remember anything about your first day in boot camp that sticks out in your mind?

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses her first days in basic training and her decision to not make the military a career.

Keywords: Navy; Navy--WAVES; basic training

Partial Transcript: Well, do you feel you made a positive contribution to the war effort in the line of work you did?

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses her contributions to the war effort.

Keywords: World War II era (1940-1946); World War, 1939-1945

Partial Transcript: Many of the recruiting posters at that time said that when a woman would join the service that it might free up a man for combat. Did you view your enlistment in this way at all?

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods answers questions about freeing a man to fight, working in communications, equality, discrimination, and the hardest physical and emotional things she had to do while in the service.

Keywords: Navy--WAVES; World War II era (1940-1946); World War, 1939-1945; equality

Partial Transcript: Did you ever meet any interesting people while you were on duty?

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses the interesting people she met while in the service.

Partial Transcript: Well, can you tell me something about your—I think you mentioned it a little bit earlier, but can you tell me some more about your social life and what you ladies did for fun when you weren't busy working?

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods continues her discussion on her social life during her time in the military.

Keywords: World War II era (1940-1946)

Partial Transcript: Was this the first time you had ever been away from home for any kind of extended period of time?

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses her thoughts on the Roosevelts, her heroes/heroines during the war, and her love of flying.

Keywords: 1940s; Eleanor Roosevelt; Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR); World War II era (1940-1946); World War, 1939-1945

Partial Transcript: Were you encouraged to return to the traditional female roles after you left the military?

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses her life after the military, her time in college, and career in teaching.

Keywords: Post World War II, Korea (1947-1963); equality

Partial Transcript: Do you think that being in the military had an impact on your life immediately after you got out?

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses how being in the military has impacted her life.

Partial Transcript: Do you consider yourself and other women who joined the military to have been the forerunners of what we today call the women's movement?

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses how she was a trailblazer during her time, equality, and her view of women in the military.

Keywords: equality; women's movement

Partial Transcript: I think you said that you went to college under the GI Bill.

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses her life in college after the war.

Keywords: GI Bill (Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944)

Partial Transcript: How do you feel about women in combat positions?

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses her thoughts on women in combat and the difference in patriotism between the 1940s and 1990s.

Keywords: Gulf War (1990-2000); World War II era (1940-1946); patriotism

Partial Transcript: Can you tell me something about your life since you left the military?

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses her teaching career.

Partial Transcript: Well, Mrs. Woods, I don't have any more questions for you.

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses the establishment of her scholarship at High Point University.

Partial Transcript: And I know you are very active in the local WAVES unit. Is that correct?

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Woods discusses her job in the local Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) unit and the memorial created for all military women located in Washington, D.C.

Keywords: Navy--WAVES