Sgt Vera M. Crawford Oral History Side A

title:

Sgt Vera M. Crawford Oral History Side A

creator:

Crawford, Vera "Dee" (Dietel) (1918 May 19 - 2012 March 31)

subject:

Marine Corps Women's Reserve

description:

Side 1 of 2. Vera “Dee” Crawford (formerly Dietel) was born on May 19, 1918 in Nebish, Minnesota. She grew up with two older brothers who, when World War II began, were both too old to join and held jobs that were considered essential, so she felt she had to enlist to represent her family in the military. She was already a Civil Service employee at the time, so she felt confident she could pass required tests and would enlist in the first branch that accepted her. This turned out to be the Marine Corps. She waited about three months and hen went to basic training at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina in 1943. The days were so long while at boot camp that, once she hit her mattress each night, she couldn’t get herself back up. After basic, she was selected to go to parachute rigger school, so she spent a month on mess duty at Cherry Point, North Carolina to wait for the next session of that school to start. From there, she was sent to Lakehurst, New Jersey to attend parachute rigging school, which she found very interesting. After finishing that program, she and six other Marine women were stationed in Quantico, Virginia. One day while she was stationed there, she was helping a crew ensure they had all the parachutes and knowledge they needed when the radio operator introduced himself and asked to walk her home. They ended up dating for six or seven weeks before he was sent overseas. From there, they were forced to correspond through letters until he returned to the United States in 1946, and they married in 1947. Her last station was at a parachute loft at El Toro, California. The parachutes that they packed were used both for testing and training stateside, and were sent overseas in combat zones. Crawford was discharged in California in 1946. She then worked as a clerk typist and, after getting a degree, as an Environmental Information Specialist with the EPA, which was her last government job. When she left the service, Crawford had reached the rank of sergeant, and for her service she was awarded an American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal. Crawford passed away in March of 2012. A transcript of this interview is available.

publisher:

Military Women's Memorial Foundation

contributor:

Weigand, Cindy

date:

2003-08-04

type:

Audio

format:

Cassette

identifier:

198; 2003.198

source:

Weigand | CLIR - Recordings at Risk

language:

English

relation:

020501

coverage:

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

rights:

Unrestricted