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S1C Dolores R. Fiala Oral History
Publication date: 18 July 2024
File metadata
Dublin Core Metadata
title:
S1C Dolores R. Fiala Oral History
creator:
Fiala, Dolores R. (Henstock) (1924 May 1 - 2010 July 10)
subject:
Navy WAVES
description:
Dolores R. Fiala (formerly Henstock) was born on May 1, 1924 in Detroit, Michigan. She was working as a long-distance telephone operator during World War II and, partially because she loved to travel, she thought it would be good to join the Navy WAVES. After the war labor board released her from her job, she went to basic training in 1944 at Hunter College in New York. After finishing basic, her first assignment was at a Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida where she worked in the chow hall. She was only at the chow hall for a week before being moved to a radio tower to direct planes. She didn’t like this position either, and was transferred to tracking pilots’ flight hours for sea planes. Her final assignment was at a separation center as a typist, and she left the service after her husband returned from the Pacific and they married in 1945. She thought of enlisting after finishing high school, but couldn’t join until she was 20 years old. She also considered joining the Coast Guard at first, but her mother pointed out her brother was also in the Navy so she decided on the WAVES instead. Her favorite thing about being in the WAVES was the camaraderie she and all the other women from different walks of life shared. When she left the service, Fiala had reached the rank of seaman first class, and for her service she was awarded an American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal. Fiala passed away in July 2010. A transcript of this interview is available.
publisher:
Military Women's Memorial Foundation
contributor:
Sparkman, Sandy
date:
2007-06-26
type:
Audio
format:
CD
identifier:
1179; 2007.1179
source:
VHP | CLIR - Recordings at Risk
language:
English
relation:
029939
coverage:
World War II (1939-1945) | 1944-45
rights:
Unrestricted