TSgt Bernadine Juanita McIntyre Oral History Side A

title:

TSgt Bernadine Juanita McIntyre Oral History Side A

creator:

McIntyre, Bernadine Juanita (Meyer)

subject:

Women's Air Force (WAF)

description:

Side 1 of 2. Bernadine Juanita McIntyre (formerly Meyer) was born in Lexington, Illinois. She graduated high school during World War II and wanted to leave home, so she joined a program that gave her special training to learn how to fix aircraft gyroscopes in Chicago, Illinois. She worked at Wright-Patterson Air Base until the end of the war. They were sent to take apart carburetors after the war ended, and she stayed there briefly before going to Washington, D.C. where she worked in the payroll department of the national headquarters of the American Red Cross. In D.C. she contracted pneumonia and returned home to where her family was living in Marshfield, Wisconsin. In January 1949, when she was 23, she joined the Army Air Force. She attended basic training at Lackland Air Force Base and was sent to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska upon finishing basic. When the Korean War broke out, she worked on payroll cards and eventually volunteered to go to Japan. She was stationed at Nagoya, Japan at an office in town where she did accounting work. After 18 months in Nagoya, she and all the other women were sent back to the United States, and upon her return she was sent to March Air Force Base in California. Her first enlistment ended in 1952 when she re-enlisted for 6 years. She was stationed at March AFB, California from 1954 to1958. Bernadine married in 1954, and her husband was a career Air Force man who worked in computers. Bernadine and her husband went to the Philippines, him in 1957 and her in 1958, where they were stationed at Clark Air Force Base outside of Manila. Bernadine contracted health problems when the climate aggravated her asthma and left the Philippines after around a year and a half. She reported to Colorado Springs and was there for only around 3 months until she was hospitalized for her recurring medical issues, receiving a medical discharge in 1960. After leaving the service she went to night school on the G.I. Bill and did bookkeeping for an international corporation. Her and her husband divorced and had no children. When she left the service McIntyre had reached the rank of tech sergeant, and for her service she was awarded a Good Conduct Medal and National Defense Service Medal. A transcript of this interview is available.

publisher:

Military Women's Memorial Foundation

contributor:

Binker, Mary Jo

date:

2001-02-20

type:

Audio

format:

Cassette

identifier:

629; 2001.629

source:

CLIR - Recordings at Risk

language:

English

relation:

061005

coverage:

Korean War (1950-1953) | 1950s | 1949-60

rights:

Unrestricted