CAPT Georgia C. Sadler, USN Ret. Oral History

title:

CAPT Georgia C. Sadler, USN Ret. Oral History

creator:

Sadler, Georgia (Clark) (1941 February 17 - 2022 November 30)

subject:

Navy | US Naval Academy (USNA) | Women's Memorial Foundation | Women's Research and Education Institute (WREI)

description:

Part 1 of 2 (some audio loss at start of recording and some hiss throughout). Georgia Sadler (Clark) was born in Los Angeles, California on February 17, 1941. She grew up traveling with her family and attended high school in Beirut, Lebanon, graduating from the American Community School there in 1958. She then returned to the states for college, and got a Bachelors degree in education from Drury College in Springfield, Missouri in 1962. In September of 1962, Georgia joined the Navy and attended Women's Officer School in Newport, Rhode Island, graduating at the top of her class in March 1963. From 1963-1967, she served as a junior officer at sites including the US Naval Base in Washington, DC and Naval Air Base Station at Barbers Point, Hawaii. In 1967, she went to the Defense Intelligence School in DC, which was followed by a two-year assignment at the Defense Intelligence Agency analyzing naval capabilities of South Asian countries. In 1970, Georgia enrolled in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, where she was awarded a Masters in Public Administration in 1972. While attending the University of Washington, she was selected to be the first woman faculty at the US Naval Academy, where she taught American and comparative government and politics until 1975. She then returned to the Defense Intelligence Agency, where she was the first woman intelligence briefer to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1977, Georgia was reassigned to the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where she developed and coordinated US policies for US-Philippine base negotiations that a major amendment was made to, with her assistance, in December 1978. From 1979-1980, she attended the National War College in Washington, DC, focusing on the Middle East, and in July 1980 she reported to the Office of Chief Naval Operations as Head of Women's Programs. In this position, she developed and monitored all plans, programs, and policies regarding women in the Navy, especially a new program that assigned women to ships and aviation squadrons. From 1982-1985, Georgia returned to the Defense Intelligence Agency, first as a Duty Director for Intelligence and then as the Chief, Soviet/Warsaw Pact Division in the Directorate for Joint Chiefs of Staff Support. In August 1985, she reported to the US Commander in Chief Pacific Representative, Philippines as the Political Military Officer, and in January 1987 she was one of ten Navy officers selected as a Federal Executive Fellow in the State Department's Foreign Service Institute. In June 1988, she took on the position of Head, East Asia/Pacific Plans and Policy Branch in the Office of the Chief Naval Operations, a position she held until retiring in August 1991 with the rank of Captain. For her service, she was awarded the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, three Meritorious Service Medals, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Joint Meritorious Unite Award, Navy Unit Commendation, two National Defense Service Ribbons, and Overseas Service Ribbon. She has also written several articles for the US Naval Institute's professional journal "Proceedings" and chapters for multiple books, and is often consulted or quoted by media sources as an expert on military women's issues. After her retirement, she has also remained active in supporting military women, with efforts including directing the Women's Research and Education Center for three years, acting as a member of the Board of Directors and Education Committee at the Military Women's Memorial Foundation, and helping found the Alliance for National Defense. She passed away in November 2022. No transcript of this interview is currently available.

publisher:

Military Women's Memorial Foundation

contributor:

Fee, Robbie

date:

2011-04-07

type:

Moving Image

format:

Mini-DV

identifier:

1195.01; 2011.1195

source:

OHP

language:

English

relation:

079241

coverage:

1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | Vietnam War (1964-1975) | Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm—1990-1991 | 1962-1991

rights:

Unrestricted