MSgt Janie May Sheppard, USMC Ret. Oral History Side 2

title:

MSgt Janie May Sheppard, USMC Ret. Oral History Side 2

creator:

Sheppard, Janie May (1922 April 23 - )

subject:

Marine Corps Women's Reserve | Marine Corps Reserve

description:

Side 2 of 2. Janie May Sheppard was born on April 23, 1922 in Midlothian, Texas. She had three brothers who were in the Army and Air Force, so she chose to enlist in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve in April 1943 to be different from them. She went to Hunter College, New York for basic training alongside Navy WAVES and Coast Guard SPARS. After basic training, she was sent to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina for six weeks of advanced training to become an electrician. After completing advanced training, she was stationed at Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia. She worked there mostly as an electrician, but she would also help another woman there run films at night, learning how to clean film, cut and stitch it, and run the projectors. Because no Marines were overseas in Europe, all of the films they cut were from the South Pacific, to the point that the European front felt like an entirely different war. Because she was stationed so close to Washington, DC and Arlington National Cemetery, she marched in President Roosevelt’s funeral platoon. When World War II ended Women Marines were given the option of staying in one more year, which she elected to do. She returned home in August 1946 and went to Texas Christian University, getting a bachelor’s and master’s degree in four years. She joined the Marine Corps Reserve after her discharge from active duty, reaching 32 years total in the service. She worked primarily as a teacher, but also had several other part-time jobs and played softball and basketball with commercial teams. When she left the service Sheppard had reached the rank of master sergeant, and for her service she was awarded an American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal. A mostly complete transcript of this interview is available.

publisher:

Military Women's Memorial Foundation

contributor:

Weigand, Cindy

date:

2002-08-05

type:

Audio

format:

Cassette

identifier:

839; 2003.839

source:

CLIR - Recordings at Risk

language:

English

relation:

082809

coverage:

World War II (1939-1945) | Korean War (1950-1953) | Vietnam War (1964-1975) | 1943-46 | 1949-82

rights:

Unrestricted