TECH4 Helen Leone Bourrie Oral History

title:

TECH4 Helen Leone Bourrie Oral History

creator:

Bourrie, Helen Leone (Atkins) (1917 November 16 - 2005 April 5)

subject:

Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) | Women's Army Corps (WAC)

description:

Helen Leone Bourrie (formerly Atkins) was born in Gallatin Gateway, Montana (formerly Salesville, Montana) on November 16, 1917. She graduated from high school in 1934 at the age of 16, attending the Kinman Business University in Spokane, Washington. From business school, Helen returned to her hometown and worked for a big cattle company where she helped combine their catalogue of sales. Helen left the cattle company and took a job with Loveless Motor Supply, working there as a stenographer and taking care of inventory for the main store and two of their branch stores. While working there, World War II broke out. Helen and her best friend, Minnie Barkley, joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in 1943 with the hope of seeing more of the country. Although they enlisted together with the hope of training and being stationed together, that was not the case. Bourrie went to basic training at Daytona Beach, Florida, where she attended administration school. Helen was assigned to the 162nd HQ Company in Camp Polk, Louisiana. Orders transferred Bourrie to Fort Devins, Massachusetts where she was issued overseas equipment. Her company was meant to be sent over to Algiers with the 160th and 161st WAAC Companies but were left off the travel orders. After waiting, they ended up getting orders to Italy, where she was stationed at the University of Naples in the salvage department. While there, the WAACs were required to go to USO dances with men who were in Italy on R&R, which she found both rewarding and sad knowing those men would be returning to the front lines. Bourrie was there when Mt. Vesuvius erupted and watched the lava run down the mountainside into the Bay of Naples. A poignant memory of Helen's was on Christmas Eve when she attended a Christmas service in a bombed church and could look up into the sky and see the stars as the Christmas story was given. She also remembers seeing the body of Mussolini hanging from a tree and swinging in the breeze. After the war ended in Europe, Bourrie returned to the States and was sent to several different states before being discharged in California in September 1945. Upon her discharge, Bourrie’s rank was TECH4; and she was awarded the Women's Army Corps Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and World War II Victory Medal. She passed away on April 5, 2005. A transcript of this interview is available.

publisher:

Military Women's Memorial Foundation

contributor:

Scott, Kate M.

date:

2004-06-15

type:

Audio

format:

CD

identifier:

096; 2004.096

source:

CLIR - Recordings at Risk

language:

English

relation:

010568

coverage:

World War II (1939-1945) | 1942-45

rights:

Unrestricted