Sp(Y)2 Sara Elizabeth Steensland Oral History Side A

title:

Sp(Y)2 Sara Elizabeth Steensland Oral History Side A

creator:

Steensland, Sara Elizabeth (Cole) (1920 July 17 - )

subject:

Navy WAVES

description:

Side 1 of 2. Sara Steensland (formerly Cole) was born on July 17, 1920 in Hundred, West Virginia. She lived there with her twin sister, younger sister, and younger brother until her father moved the family to Big Timber, Montana in 1936 to escape the depression in West Virginia coal mines. She and her twin sister graduated from high school and both attended Montana State College, and she majored in physical education. After graduating she began working as a physical education teacher, but decided to use the semester break in January 1943 to enlist in the Navy WAVES. She remained in Montana through the end of the school year to help out her school’s principal, then went to Hunter College, New York for basic training. Because of her job as a physical education teacher, she was made a platoon leader at basic. She asked for an assignment related to aircrafts, and was happy to be assigned to aircraft control tower school after basic training. She was put in charge of getting herself and 35 other WAVES from New York City down to Atlanta, Georgia for this advanced training. After completing training, she was stationed in Hutchinson, Kansas. There, they met the men they would be replacing. The men were not happy to see them, they had been hoping to stay in Kansas for the entirety of the war. The first Navy Chief they worked under refused to give the WAVES important assignments, but after he was replaced they were treated more fairly and enjoyed their work. Since this station was important for training Navy pilots, the WAVES assigned there were refused transfers, remaining in Kansas for two and a half years. She received her discharge in December 1945 and returned home. She married a man she had dated in high school, and they moved to Seattle, Washington since he had gotten a fellowship to attend to University of Washington Law School. They both studied at the University of Washington, and after he finished law school they moved to another Washington town. She couldn’t find a physical education job, but instead worked managing a high school cafeteria. This marriage didn’t last, and she returned to Montana. She finished her masters degree at Montana State College and taught at Eastern Washington University, the University of Minnesota, Beirut College for Women, and the University of Montana for decades, retiring in Montana. When she left the service Steensland had reached the rank of specialist (control tower operator) 2nd class, 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:

Bellafaire, Judy

date:

2003-05-24

type:

Audio

format:

Cassette

identifier:

888; 2003.888

source:

CLIR - Recordings at Risk

language:

English

relation:

140824

coverage:

World War II (1939-1945) | 1943-45

rights:

Unrestricted