CPhM Henrietta C. Lucke Oral History Tape 1, Side A

title:

CPhM Henrietta C. Lucke Oral History Tape 1, Side A

creator:

Lucke, Henrietta (Clodfelter) (1922 July 24 - )

subject:

Navy WAVES

description:

Tape 1 of 2, side 1 of 2. Henrietta Lucke (formerly Clodfelter) was born on July 24, 1922 in Lexington, North Carolina. She knew she wanted to join the military when it opened to women, so the day after graduating from college in June 1948 she enlisted in the Navy WAVES. She was hoping that she could see the world by joining. She was sworn in in her hometown and went to boot camp at Hunter College in New York. After a month of basic training, she was sent to Hospital Corps School at US Naval Hospital St. Albans, New York in July 1943. After 4-6 weeks of training, she was assigned to the labs at St. Albans because she had a degree in biology. She was happy to be stationed there for nine months, working around the clock and in every lab department in that time. While here, she was in a group selected to be in an exhibit at the Rockefeller Center to promote women in the service. In May 1944 she got orders to Camp Detrick, Maryland, visiting home on leave before making her way there by train. There, she wasn’t allowed to talk about her work with anyone, and still doesn’t as of this interview. There were also WACs at Dietrick, and she had to stay in Army barracks with them. While at Dietrick, she received orders to go overseas in August 1945, but when she got to Shoemaker, California her orders changed and she was assigned to Dispensary 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California. When the war ended on V-J Day, she did not have enough points to immediately get out from the service. She was then assigned to the US Navy Medical Center in Medical Research Unit 1 at the University of California: Berkeley. Here, she continued the secret work she had been doing at Fort Dietrick. She was discharged in April 1946, and used the GI Bill to become a registered medical technician at Iowa University and to get a masters degree in zoology. She then taught at a college in North Carolina. When she left the service Lucke had reached the rank of chief pharmacist’s mate, and for her service she was awarded an American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal. No transcript of this interview is currently available.

publisher:

Military Women's Memorial Foundation

contributor:

Driver, Wanda

date:

2005-05-17

type:

Audio

format:

Cassette

identifier:

585.01; 2005.585

source:

CLIR - Recordings at Risk

language:

English

relation:

518733

coverage:

World War II (1939-1945) | 1943-46

rights:

Unrestricted