1
100
3
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/1403c45135fd56f9d22d71c28a7853dc.jpg
221b13b3300a70279606f821ceed56db
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project Collection
Alternative Title
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project
Subject
Cemeteries--Europe
Veterans--Florida
World War II, 1939-1945
Army
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RICHES</a>.
<a href="https://projects.cah.ucf.edu/fl-francesoldierstories/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Florida-France Soldier Stories Project</a>.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial, Dinozé, France
Contributing Project
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project
Curator
Barnes, Mark
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://history.wisc.edu/epinal_project.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Epinal Project- by Students of History 357: The Second World War</a>." University of Wisconsin-Madison. http://history.wisc.edu/epinal_project.htm (accessed January 3, 2015).
Description
<p><span>The </span>Florida-France Soldier Stories<span>project seeks to tell the stories of the Florida soldiers buried in the American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries in France. Our goal is to honor and commemorate the brave individuals who gave their lives supporting the Allied forces, liberating France, and defeating Germany in the Second World War. Simultaneously, our goal is to teach the students who participate in this research project about the history of France and Florida during World War II, about the history of individual servicemen, and about how to implement historical research methods in their work.</span></p>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Fifteenth Census Population Schedule for Columbia, South Carolina
Alternative Title
Census Population Schedule for Columbia
Subject
Population--United States
Description
The census population schedule for Columbia, South Carolina, Florida, in 1930. Individuals are identified by name, titles and terms, gender, age, marital status, race, relationship to head of household, birthplace, birth year, the last place of residence, and occupation. A notable resident included in this record is Private James Robert Maddox (1924-1944), who was listed as Bobbie Maddox. In 1924, Maddox was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Claude Haskell Maddox, Sr. (b. 1895) and Nita P. Maddox (b. 1900). Maddox was the oldest of three with two brothers, William Maddox and Claude Haskell Maddox, Jr. The Maddox family moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Tallahassee, Florida, sometime between 1930 and 1940. On February 27, 1943, Maddox enlisted into the U.S. Army's 15th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division at Camp Blanding. This regiment served in Licata, Salerno, and Anzio, Italy, from 1943 to 1944. The regiment landed in southern France on August 15, 1944. Pvt. Maddox was Killed in Action (KIA) on October 9, 1944. He is buried at the Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in Dinozé, France.
Abstract
Type
Text
Source
Digital reproduction of original <a href="https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SPZC-N6W" target="_blank">handwritten census record</a> by J. M. Harding, April 7, 1930: Image Number 00792, Digital Folder Number 004953477, GS Film Number 2341944, Affiliate Film Number 2210, Affiliate Publication Number T626, <a href="http://www.archives.gov/" target="_blank">National Archives &
Records Administration</a>, Washington, D.C.
Is Version Of
Has Version
Is Replaced By
Replaces
Is Required By
Requires
Is Part Of
Digital Folder Number 004953477, GS Film Number 2341944, Affiliate Film Number 2210, Affiliate Publication Number T626, <a href="http://www.archives.gov/" target="_blank">National Archives &
Records Administration</a>, Washington, D.C.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/172" target="_blank">Epinal American Cemetery Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Has Part
Is Referenced By
References
Is Format Of
Has Format
Conforms To
Coverage
Columbia, South Carolina
Creator
Harding, J. M.
Publisher
<a href="http://www.census.gov/" target="_blank">Bureau of the Census</a>
Date Created
1930-04-07
Date Valid
Date Issued
Date Modified
Date Accepted
Date Copyrighted
Date Submitted
Format
image/jpg
Extent
Medium
1 handwritten census record
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by J. M. Harding and published by the <a href="http://www.census.gov/" target="_blank">Bureau of the Census</a>.
Rights Holder
This resource is not subject to copyright in the United States and there are no copyright restrictions on reproduction, derivative works, distribution, performance, or display of the work. Anyone may, without restriction under U.S. copyright laws:<ul class="one_column_bullet"><li>reproduce the work in print or digital form</li><li>create derivative works</li><li>perform the work publicly</li><li>display the work</li><li>distribute copies or digitally transfer the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending.</li></ul>This resource is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only. For more information on copyright, please refer to <a href="http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#105" target="_blank">Section 5</a> of <a href="http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html" target="_blank">Copyright Law of the United States of America and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code</a>.
Instructional Method
Accrual Method
Donation
Contributing Project
Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial Project
Curator
Stanley, Allison
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://familysearch.org/" target="_blank">FamilySearch</a>
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://www.archives.gov/" target="_blank">National Archives &
Records Administration</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&
GRid=56373914" target="_blank">Pvt James R Maddox</a>." Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&
GRid=56373914.
"<a href="https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SPZC-N6W" target="_blank">Bobbie Maddox</a>." FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SPZC-N6W.
"<a href="https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTCM-11F" target="_blank">J Robert Maddox</a>." FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTCM-11F.
External Reference Title
Agnes L. Latimer
Alexander Bollin
Anna Bryan
Bessie B. Alsobrooks
Bill Marion
Billy Maddox
Bobbie Maddox
census
Charles E. Ketchen
Charles E. Ketchen, Jr.
Charles E. Ketchen, Sr.
Claude Haskell Maddox
Claude Haskell Maddox, Sr.
Columbia, South Carolina
Dorothy Conyers
Edward Alsobrooks
Elizabeth Gaster
Elizabeth Ketchen
Elizabeth Latimer
Emily Roper
Frank Brennecke
Frank Brennecke, Jr.
Frank Brennecke, Sr.
Gertrude H. Ketchen
Irene Bryan
J. M. Harding
James Conyers
James Latimer
James Robert Maddox
John Austin Latimer
John Latimer
Kate Fickling
Katerine Ketchen
Louise Roper
Lucile Porter
Lula Brennecke
Margaret Marion
Marian Porter
Mary E. Gaster
Miriam E. Alsobrooks
Myra Brennecke
Nita P. Lowe
Nita P. Maddox
Nubye Roper
population
Ruby Wilham
Ruth Latimer
Ruth R. Latimer
Samuel Cox, Elizabeth S. Fickling
Sarah F. Fickling
Virginia Gaster
Walker Wilham
Wiebelle Bollin
William F. Roper
William Gaster
William Maddox
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/e979574868da94f6a20a3fa283e68f35.pdf
982bb5a46631a8d53dec5fa885f4f54e
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
UCF Community Veterans History Project Collection
Description
As part of RICHES of Central Florida, UCF intends to record, archive, and make accessible oral history interviews of Central Florida veterans. Diversity is a main focus for this project since there are many different subgroups under the group veterans, all with important stories. While the histories will be largely archived and made available through the UCF library, a portion will be contributed to the ongoing Veterans History Project based out of the Library of Congress.
Contributor
<a href="http://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/special-collections-university-archives/" target="_blank">Special Collections and University Archives</a>, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida
Alternative Title
CVHP Collection
Subject
Veterans--Florida
United States. Army
Army
United States. Navy
Navy
United States. Air Force
Air Force
United States. Marine Corps
Marine Corps
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Jacksonville, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Honolulu, Hawaii
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Great Lakes, Illinois
Long Island, New York
Newport, Rhode Island
Norfolk, Virginia
Germany
Qaasuitsup, Greenland
Keflavik, Southern Peninsula, Iceland
Azores Islands, Portugal
Mediterranean Sea
Contributing Project
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/veterans/" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, UCF Digital Collections, University of Central Florida
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, UCF Digital Collections, University of Central Florida
External Reference
"<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/veterans/" target="_blank">About the Project</a>." UCF Community Veterans History Project, RICHES of Central Florida, University of Central Florida. http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/veterans/.
Has Part
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/109" target="_blank">Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project Collection</a>, UCF Community Veterans History Project, RICHES of Central Florida.
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Oral History of Ray Sturm
Alternative Title
Oral History, Sturm
Subject
Veterans--Florida
Army
Description
An oral history interview of Ray Sturm (b. 1963), who served in the U.S. Army from 1983 to 1989. Sturm was born in Winter Park, Florida, on October 22, 1963. He enlisted in the Army in 1983 and completed his basic training and advanced training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina. Sturm then served at Herzo Base in Herzogenaurach, Germany. He served in the 210th Field Artillery Brigade and 34th Infantry Division, and achieved the rank of Sergeant.<br /><br />This interview was conducted by Katie Hollingsworth in Orlando, Florida, on November 13, 2014. Interview topics include basic training and advanced training at Fort Jackson, Herzo Base, his rank as Sergeant, Fort Stewart, the 24th Infantry Division, comradery, Sturm's interest in music, and his post-military life.
Table Of Contents
0:00:00 Introduction<br />0:00:31 Background<br />0:02:35 Enlistment<br />0:05:05 Basic training and advanced training <br />0:07:53 Herzo Base<br />0:16:58 Sergeant rank<br />0:22:00 Fort Stewart and the 24th Infantry Division<br />0:25:41 Comradery and music<br />0:28:26 Post-military education<br />0:30:44 Keeping in touch with other soldiers<br />0:33:05 Military's influence on life<br />0:35:35 Advice to current service members<br />0:37:07 Post-military hobbies<br />0:39:49 Closing remarks
Abstract
Oral history interview of Ray Sturm. Interview conducted by Katie Hollingsworth at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida on November 13, 2014.
Type
Moving Image
Source
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/465/rec/1" target="_blank">Sturm, Ray</a>. Interviewed by Katie Hollingsworth, November 13, 2014. Audio/video record available. Item DP0016004, UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
Requires
<a href="http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/" target="_blank">Adobe Flash Player</a>
<a href="http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp" target="_blank">Java</a>
<a href="https://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/veterans/" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/24" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Has Format
26-page digital transcript of original 42-minute and 14-second oral history: <a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/465/rec/1" target="_blank">Sturm, Ray</a>. Interviewed by Katie Hollingsworth, November 13, 2014. Audio/video record available. Item DP0016004, UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
Conforms To
Standards established by the <a href="http://www.loc.gov/vets/" target="_blank">Veterans History Projects</a>, Library of Congress.
Coverage
Winter Park, Florida
Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina
Herzo Base, Herzogenaurach, Hesse, Germany
Fort Stewart, Georgia
University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Creator
Sturm, Ray
Hollingsworth, Katie
Publisher
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
Date Created
2014-11-13
Date Copyrighted
2014-11-13
Format
application/website
application/pdf
Extent
362 MB
228 KB
Medium
42-minute and 14-second Digital (DAT) audio/video recording
26-page digital transcript
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Katie Hollingsworth and Ray Sturm and published by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>.
Rights Holder
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
Accrual Method
Item Creation
Contributing Project
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/veterans/" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, UCF Digital Collections, University of Central Florida
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
Nelson, Harold W. <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank"><em>The Army</em></a>. Arlington, Va: Army Historical Foundation, 2001.
Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website)
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/465/rec/1" target="_blank">Sturm, Ray</a>
Transcript
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>And, by the way, I assume this is going to be edited?</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>No.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>No? Okay. Alright.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Okay. So Today—it is the 13<sup>th</sup> of November, 2014, and I am interviewing Dr. Ray Sturm, who served in the U.S. Army as a Sergeant in the 210<sup>th</sup> Field Artillery Brigade, 34<sup>th</sup> Infantry Division. I am interviewing Dr. Sturm as part of the UCF [University of Central Florida] Community Veterans History Project. We are recording this interview in Orlando, Florida.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>So when and where were you born?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm <br /></strong>Uh, I was born right here in Central Florida. I was born inWinter Park, uh, in [October 22,] 1963.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Okay, and, uh, what did your parents do for a living?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Uh, my dad was a CPA [Certified Public Accountant], and my mom was a homemaker.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Um, how big was your family?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Uh, just the three of us. Well, and…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Just the three of you?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>And my grandmother lived with us…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Uh, until I was about 10 years old.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>And, um, what do you remember mostly about your childhood?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, what do I remember mostly?</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] Mmhmm[?].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, having a lot of fun [<em>laughs</em>], and, uh, like—you know, like we, uh, had talked about earlier, uh, actually growing up near the Navy base. Uh, we were just two blocks from the Navy base there. Um, and that kind of impacted, uh—impacted our lives a little bit.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>And, uh, what kind of education did you receive?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Well, after high school, um, and after, uh, my military service, uh, I got my Bachelor’s, uh, [degree] and Master’s [degree] from University of Central Florida. So Bachelor’s in accounting, Master’s in taxation, um, and then I received a, uh, Doctorate [degree] in finance from Florida Atlantic University.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Okay, and, um, before you enlisted, what did you—what sort of things did you enjoy doing?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, I enjoyed surfing. I enjoyed surfing and I enjoyed, uh, exercising. I was a—I was always very physical. So I ran track all through high school and—and in junior high. Um, and, uh, anything that involved sports I was, uh—I was interested in doing.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Uh, were any of your other family members in the military?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yes. Uh, yeah. My grandfather, um, was in the Army Corps of Engineers. Um, I think he was—I think that was actually a civilian position, But he was working in that. My, uh, step grandfather was, um, actually drafted in—I believe it was the Army, and, uh, he was drafted at like 40 years old, uh, in World War II. He was not—not very happy about that, and, um, my dad was in the Air Force, Which is what brought us down here to Central Florida in the first place.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Ah, and, Um, how aware were you of the Cold War, before you enlisted?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, not very. Uh, you know, obviously, uh, I knew it was going on, but, uh, you know, I enlisted at 20 years old, so I wasn’t, uh—I wasn’t, uh, all that aware of, uh—of the Cold War. I was more aware of [the Invasion of] Grenada,<a title="">[1]</a> because I went in right a—a month after that happened. So[?]…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Yeah, uh, what influenced you to enlist?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, lots of things. Uh, at that time, um, uh, I was in, uh—I was in college, but I wasn’t really a student yet. So, um, you know, I was—I was still—still seeking, and really just everything, at that time, uh, uh, pointed towards the military. Um, one of the rea—one of the main reasons I did go in though was: I had always had an interest in the military. I mean, I could—I could remember, even back in elementary school, doing a book report on World War II. You know, so I had always had an interest in the, uh—in the military, um, and just kind of, you know, the, um, spirit of the American soldier, I guess you could say.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Hm, and, uh, why did you choose the Army?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, because I—when I went in, um, you know—like I said, I went in for a lot of reasons. uh, and I was actually very, uh—you know, I never planned on making it a career, but I did wanna do everything that I could do while I was in. um, and I figured that, uh, if—if I went in the Marines, uh, that I was going to have to be hardcore for three years, whether I liked it or not. Um, I didn’t want to go into the Navy, because the idea of being on a ship for nine months at a time didn’t appeal to me. Um, and I didn’t want to go into the Air Force, because I—I didn’t—I wasn’t aware of some of the, uh—some of the things that you could do in the Air Force, at that time. Um, but, uh, uh, I wanted to—I chose the Army, because I thought it was a good compromise between being, uh—uh, being very hardcore and not so much. So I went in that, uh, figuring that if I really liked it, then I could go that route. Uh, if I didn’t like it, I didn’t have to.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Okay, and, um, did your dad influence that decision at all?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm <br /></strong>Nope.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Since he was from the Air Force?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Nope.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Okay, but how did they react when you decided to enlist—your family?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Well, my dad being a veteran, um, I—I think they were happy about it. Of course, you know, they’re concerned. You know, a parent—a, uh—a child going in the military is always a concern to the parent, but, um, I think that they were, um—I think that they were happy about it, uh, for the exact reason that it turned out, as the military, uh, um, helps you mature a lot, and you—you grow up—you grow up pretty quick.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Okay, and, uh, what do you remember most—what do you most remember about basic training?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, boy, was it cold [<em>laughs</em>]. I went in—I was in, uh—uh, I went in November—November 9<sup>th</sup>[, 1983]. So, uh—so basic training was eight weeks, although we got, uh, Christmas exodus. So we got—I think we were out for like two weeks over Christmas, Which was very shocking to me, but, um—but it was cold. It was cold. Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>And why was it cold? Where were you?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Well, it was Fort Jackson[, Columbia], South Carolina, and, um, I did, uh, uh—I did both basic and, uh, AIT [Advanced Individual Training], uh, at Fort Jackson, uh, South Carolina. So I was there from November until probably about March [1984], I guess it would be, and, uh, you know, after I—after I went on from that, you know, I was—I was in Germany. You’ll probably be getting to that, but I was in Germany, uh, and we’d go to the field in the snow and all that kind of stuff, but the coldest day I’ve ever spent in my life was at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, um, out on the artillery range.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Did you receive any advanced training?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Uh, well, just from my job. Ju—just from my job. I—I had wanted to, um—I wanted to go into [Army] Special Forces. Uh, and, uh, kinda—I—I ran into a lot of red tape, uh, start—starting with the fact that, if I had gone that route, I wouldn’t have been able to enlist for another year, and I really couldn’t wait that long, so I went in hoping that I would get in that route. Um, Things didn’t work out like that, but, uh, um, so I just—the—the, uh—really, the only advanced training I had was from my job.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Can you tell me more about your job?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, I was in logistics. I was in supply, and, um, uh, so, you know, again, I took that at—at Fort Jackson, and, uh, one of the things that I—I learned about that in there is when you watch this—particularly like the old World War II movies—uh, you know, you see the stereotypical Supply Sergeant, you know, with the hat cocked back and the little, you know…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Cigar sticking out of their mouth[sic]. Um, and that’s not—that’s not the way it is. Um, and, especially these days, ‘cause, with computers, they have everything really, uh, locked down. Back then, uh, you could still do some wheeling and dealing, because things weren’t as, uh—as accountable as they are now. When I say “things,” I mean the supplies themselves. It wasn’t as easy to account for them then, but one of the things that—that, uh—that surprised me about that job is: eh, we took the, um—we took the, uh, combat role—not that we saw any combat—but we took that very seriously, because if you think about it, when the enemy attacks, what’s one of the first things they attack? It’s the supply line. So, go—you know, going into supplies sounds like, you know, I guess, wheel and deal…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>And smoke cigars, but it’s actually a little more—a little more serious than that. So…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>And, uh, what was it like going overseas? You mentioned Germany earlier.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yeah, yeah, and that was my—that was my first time overseas. Um, you know, again, I was 20 years old, at the time, uh, uh, but it was—it was a little overwhelming, and, uh, I remember, uh—I remember when I first got there, uh, I flew into Frankfurt[, Hesse, Germany], and I was stationed about two hours south of Frankfurt. So I think—I think there were about a half dozen of us or so that were in the van. Um, and as we made our way down there, they’d drop off one by one, and, of course, I was the last one.</p>
<p>But, um, when—when he dropped me off—I’ll—I’ll never forget—When he dropped me off at my duty post, it was just a small air base. So you could walk from the front gate to the back gate in about five minutes, and, um, when he dropped me off, it was an overcast day, cold, and I had no idea where to go, and he spoke no English whatsoever [<em>laughs</em>]. So all he could do was point to this building, and, uh, so I walked in the building and just kind of found my way from there, but, um, uh, that was my initial, uh—initial experience going overseas. Uh, going overseas, uh, in some ways, really formed, uh, a lot of the values that I have today. So I don’t know how in depth, uh, you meant that question to be.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>No, that’s okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Tell me more about it.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yeah, um…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>How it impacts you today.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Well, you know, it was a completely different culture, you know? And I—I had, uh—I had never experienced anything like that before. Um, I remember when we were, uh, in process. Because when—when you get in country, uh, for, um—I think we went through two weeks of, um, kind of an indoctrination on the German culture, you know? And again, at that time, it was East [Germany] and West Germany. So we were in, we were—we were in West Germany.</p>
<p>Um, [<em>laughs</em>] they—they would actually hire a local. Uh, it was a German, uh—a Germany lady that came in, and she was just, you know, teaching us basic German phrases and things like that. Um, the very first thing she taught us was “Ein bier, bitte.” So “one beer, please,” of course, but one—one of the first things that really jumped out at me about being overseas was, uh, one of the military personnel’s telling us, uh, um, basically, to, uh, uh, be good boys while we were over there, because at—I don’t know if it’s still this way—but, at the time, there was no such thing as police brutality.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>So, uh, you know—so the <em>polizei</em> tell you to do something, you do it, ‘cause there is no police brutality over there [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>So, um, could you tell me more about what you did in Germany?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Uh, well, that’s when I was with the 210<sup>th</sup> Field Artillery Brigade. Um, I was working in the, uh—working in the, uh, supply area over there. So, um, We were stationed—I was stationed at a little place called Herzo Base, which is near Herz—Herzogenaurach[, Bavaria], Germany, which is near Nuremberg, which is where they had the war trials, uh—The German war trials. <a title="">[2]</a> Um, uh, and the air base that I was at was actually an old Luftwaffe, uh, base, and it was right on the hilltop, uh, and where we were stationed, uh, as it was told to me—it’s a pretty interesting story, because, you know, obviously, there’s a[sic] air field out there, but apparently, during World War II, it was a secret air base. So what they would do is: they would, uh—when they weren’t, uh, using it, they would flood the field. So from the air, it would just look like a lake, and then when they—when they wanted to, uh—when they wanted to, uh, use it, then they would drain it, of course, and take off, and land, and do whatever it is that they needed to do. Uh, but the one thing that was kind of, uh, eerie over there was that, um: we had, uh, lots of underground passages, and they were all padlocked shut, and, uh, the rumor was—I don’t—I don’t know if it was true or not—but the, uh—the rumor was that there was, um—actually, in some of them, uh, supposedly, there were some old World War II planes down there, but, uh, they were concerned that some things had been booby-trapped, so apparently, the—all of that was flooded.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Hm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>And, uh, of course, we, uh—we never went down there, but, um—but, like I say, I was there—I was there for 18 months, Uh, um, in the uh Headquarters. It’s called “Headquarters [and] Headquarters Battery.”</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Um, I read in your biographical data sheet that you would go on alert and get ready for battle. What was that like?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yeah, yeah, and that was something, uh—yeah. At that time, um, one-fifth of the entire Army was stationed in Germany. Um, and alerts were something that we did take seriously over there, and, um, uh, when we, uh—when we went on alert, then, within about two hours, uh, we had to be ready to go. So we were—where I was stationed, I believe it was—I believe we were only about like two hours from the Czech [Republic] border, um, but yeah. When we went on alert, we would have to be, uh, ready to go, and being in supply, we were in charge of all the, uh—all of the, uh, weapons. So we had to first issue everybody their weapons, and then all of the ammunition and everything. We had to pack up in the trucks, um, and be ready to go, and we went on alert probably about once a month or so. Sometimes, we would actually pull out and go somewhere, and sometimes it would just be a drill. We’d load up the trucks and then unload them, but yeah. That was something we took seriously over there.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Um, what do you remember most about your service in Germany?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, [<em>sniffs</em>], uh, a couple of things. One, uh—speaking of alerts, one was: we, uh—we had an incident—I believe it was with Libya—where we shot down a couple of, uh, Libyan jets. Um, and when that happened, everybody across the—across the globe went on—went on alert. So I remember that, and also, about a month before I left, there was a terrorist attack at the Frankfurt Airport.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Hm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>And, uh, they bombed the, uh—they bombed the Frankfurt Airport. Um, so, uh, uh, that and like, say, the alerts, and, uh, some concerts that I saw over there. I —n fact, I saw the very last concert of Van Halen with, uh, David Lee Roth.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Oh [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>That was their 1984—their 1984 tour [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Yeah[?]. Wow[?], that’s very lucky.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yep, I saw them [<em>coughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>How did you keep in contact with people back at home, while you were in Germany?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yeah, that’s not like it is today.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>I mean, that was, um—it was either mail or phone calls. Um, the mail would take probably a week, and I had a girlfriend back here, at the time, um, and, uh, uh, mail would take about a week, and phone calls were hard, because the only option really, um, was the payphone. So you had to really [inaudible]. I had to write, you know, and say “Hey. Next Sunday I’ll call you at three o’clock.” [<em>laughs</em>], and, uh, that’s pretty much, uh,—that’s pretty much, uh, how the communication went, so it was, uh—it was, uh, difficult. I did, uh—when I was in Germany, I did, uh, come home for a month on leave from over there, and that was actually part of the reason why.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Hm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>But—yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Um, could you tell me about a typical day in Germany for you?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, yeah, we’d get up, and, uh, you know—by the way, you were asking me about one of the, uh—one of my memories from Germany. Um, I was a Florida boy, so that was the first time I’d seen snow.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>And, um, what I—I—I remember two things about that. One was, um, uh, much to my surprise, it’s actually warmer when it snows…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Than when it doesn’t snow, and that was very surprising to me, ‘cause the coldest days over there was when it didn’t snow at all, but, um, another time, uh—another time, uh, uh, I was walking from—from supply—from where I worked over to the mess hall for lunch, which was only about, uh—I don’t know—about maybe 400 feet or—well, it was probably longer—probably about 200 yards. You know, it wasn’t that far away, but it was cold that day and I had on—I had on everything I owned</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>And by the time I got there, I was ready to get inside, but, um, uh, those were—those were two things, uh, that I remember from over there, but, typical day: we’d get up, um, we would have, um, uh, uh—we’d have PT—physical training—at six o’clock. So that’d be our—be our morning formation, uh, make sure everybody was there. Uh, we’d do our—we’d do our exercises, Go for a run, so forth and so on. Uh, and then come back, uh, go get something to eat, and then our next formation was at 8:30 or 8:45. Um, so we’d get our, you know, briefing for the day. Whatever it is that we were going to do, um, and then we’d go to work, uh, um, which, usually, at least one day a week for us involved going on a supply run down to Nuremberg. So I learned how to—how to drive a truck, how to back up a truck with just two side mirrors and towing a trailer.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>In a deuce and a half truck. Um, so, you know, we’d—we’d work all day, and then, uh, we’d have our, um, uh, evening formation. We’d have it about 5:45, and then they would lower the flag at five, and, uh, that was a—that was a typical day.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>The whole[?] day?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Um, could you tell me how—how you became a Sergeant?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Uh, well, I had some college when I went in, in the first place. Like I said, I was only in for three years, so when I enlisted, I was already a, uh, PFC [Private First Class]. So I—I went in as an E[nlisted Rank]-3.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, when I—after—After basic and AIT, when I was sent, uh, uh, to Germany, uh, as soon as I got there, the Sergeant, uh, immediately put me in for promotion to E4, uh—Spec[ialist] 4. So I was, uh—I don’t recall how long it took for that to go through. Probably a month or two. So I had a head start, because I had had some college.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>So they, uh—um, when I was back here at Fort Stewart, uh, for my last year, uh, they promoted me to Sergeant about six months before I got out.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>I think part of that—yeah. I think part of that plan was to try to get me to, uh, reenlist.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[inaudible] [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Which—yeah. It didn’t work.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>They do that.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Um, what did you do as a Sergeant?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, well, then, Uh, I—as a, um—as a private and as a specialist, you pulled a lot you know—you pulled a lot. You pulled the guard duty stuff, you pulled the, you know—the KP [kitchen patrol], uh, that kind of stuff. When I became a Sergeant, um, then I was on the other side of that. so I was, you know, instead of—instead of being on the guard duty, I’d, you know—once a month or so, I’d be the NCO [non-commissioned officer] in charge at the barracks, ‘cause—‘cause, at night, at five o’clock, when everybody gets off, um, you had to have a, uh, Sergeant and a, uh—and a, uh, non-NCO that[sic] would be on duty for the whole night, you know, in case something happened. So, uh, then I became more in the management…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>I guess you could say. Yeah. With, uh, zero leadership training, at the time [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Did that change overtime? Did you develop some sort of leadership, after a while?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Well, I—it was only six months. Like I said, I was promoted six months before I’d got out. So, um—yeah. You know, I learned a few things, But, uh, really the, eh—not ‘til later. Not ‘til after I got out and I reflected on, um,—I—I don’t want to say mistakes that I’ve made—just, um, inexperience, you know? And, uh, reflecting on them later is when they really paid dividends, but yeah. I really didn’t have enough time left in my enlistment to, uh…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Learn a lot of lessons. Although, they did—they did—they tried to, uh, get me to reenlist to go to Warrant Officer [Candidate] School.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Interesting[?].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>And, um, you said no. Why?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Uh, well, first of all, I had never, um—I, you know—I had never intended on making the military a career. Um, but also, you know, I was in a—in a, uh—in a really tough time, because I was in from 1983 to 1986. Um, and that was just, Uh, you know—that was just—what? Ten years after the end of the draft and eight years after the end of Vietnam [War], and I guess it would be three years after the failed, um, Iran hostage rescue.<a title="">[3]</a> So, you know, when I was in, you know, the, um, you know—the military was really beaten down. The, uh, bu—uh, a lot of the equipment we had was left over from Vietnam. Um, a lot of the good soldiers—particularly in the NCO ranks—a lot of the good soldiers, uh, had retired after Vietnam, and right in the, uh—at the end of the [19]70s, um, uh, you know, Cart—during the [James “Jimmy” Earl] Carter[, Jr.] administration, the—the—the defense budget had really been cut to almost nothing, you know? So the equipment wasn’t being updated, uh, you know, because of the budget cuts. The good soldiers were getting out. You know, they weren’t reenlisting. They weren’t able to attract good, uh, recruits, but then, you know, when [Ronald Wilson] Reagan came in in ‘80, he spent basically all of the ‘80s building all of this back up.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, but I was in kind of at the beginning of that, and, you know, in retrospect, I—I, you know—again, at 20 years old, I didn’t really understand this, at the time, but, um, you know, in retrospect, uh, what he was doing was he was putting a lot of his, uh—a lot of the, uh, defense budget money—particularly in the early years—into modernizing the equipment. You know…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>The Stealth Bomber,<a title="">[4]</a> the [M1] Abrams Tank, that kind of stuff. Um, so it wasn’t really going into training yet.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>And that didn’t really kick in, until later in the ‘80s, and, uh, it paid dividends, as we saw in [Operation] Desert Storm, you know, in—in ‘91—I guess it was—Or 1990—‘91.<a title="">[5]</a> Whatever that was. Uh, it paid dividends then. Um, So I just—I—I didn’t, um—uh, I didn’t, you know—I wanted to go in. Um, I—I wanted to, uh, you know, experience the lifestyle. I, you know—I—I had—I had, uh, um, you know, admired what the—what the American soldier stood for, you know? And I wanted to go and experience that, but I never intended on making it a career, and when I got in there, um, you know, we weren’t—we weren’t really doing a whole heck of a lot of training, at that time. So I just wanted to get out and move on.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>So…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Uh, so what did you do when you came back to Orlando?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, I went back to school.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yeah, I had had some, uh—uh, I had, uh, um, almost two years of college before I went in. Uh, I came back. I finished, uh—finished up my AA [Associate of Arts], um, and then got the Bachelor’s, uh got the CPA, uh, and, you know, so forth and so on.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>And, um, did you do any service in Orlando? Or was it straight from Germany back to—you were done, after Germany?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>No, no, after Germany—I spent, uh, 18 months in Germany.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm <br /></strong>A year and a half in Germany, and then, I was sent to Fort Stewart, Georgia, for my last year. So I spent my last year…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>In Fort Stewart, Georgia, um, which is where I was with the 24<sup>th</sup> Infantry Division.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Can you tell me more about…</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm <br /></strong>That would be [<em>laughs</em>]—yeah. Um, yeah. If I’d have known how good I had it in Germany…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm <br /></strong>I would have stayed there [<em>laughs</em>], because, uh, the—one of—one of the things that I didn’t appreciate is that, over in Germany, um, you know, we all wanted to travel, You know, which—by the way, is[sic] some other memories I have of Germany—is doing something with traveling over there. Um, but, you know, we all wanted to travel, including the Officers, you know?</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>So they wanted to get off on a Friday and, you know—and go travel, as well. Well, at Fort Stewart, Georgia, there’s not really a whole heck of a lot to see. So, uh, there wasn’t—wasn’t much to do, except sit on post and work [<em>laughs</em>], but, uh—but the thing about it: I was with the 24<sup>th</sup> Infantry—and this was actually, um, I believe, part of, uh, Reagan’s, uh modernization—is we were actually a rapid deployment force there.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>So we were, uh—we were, um, uh, trained so that, within two hours’ notice, uh, we could go anywhere in the world, uh, and be there within 24 hours, and ready to go. Um, one of the things that we did, uh—eh, even though there wasn’t a lot of training going on, at that time—One of the things we did do, um, was, every year, the unit would go out into the, uh, [Fort Irwin & the] National Training Center, out in the, uh, Mojave Desert and, uh, do desert training, which, uh, came into play in, uh, Oper—in, uh, Desert Storm.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Because, uh, when that kicked off, of course, in the deserts of, uh, Iraq and Kuwait, uh, the 24<sup>th</sup> Infantry Division—my old unit—was, uh—played a—played a pretty key role in that, uh—in that, uh, campaign. Uh, be—Again, because we had—we—we—we’d get a desert, every year. In fact, uh, when—the year I was in with them, we went to the Mojave, but the year before that, uh, they actually went to the Sahara Desert and trained for a month over there.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Were you happy you didn’t have to go anywhere near there?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yeah. I felt bad, uh…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>When—when we were in the—when we were in the Mojave, we were there from mid-July to mid-August.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>And, uh, unlike being cold in Germany, it was hot.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Oh[?].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Out there, and, uh, I really felt and I have a lot of respect for the soldiers, uh, in the, uh—in Desert Storm. Because, uh, they were, you know—that kicked off in January[, 17, 1991], and I—I can’t help but think that there was—the time of that was the cooler weather, but I remember seeing on TV. I remember seeing, uh, video of them training in the summer, and ‘cause one of the things they were worried about was the, uh—was gas attacks.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>And I remember seeing them in the summer, running around in the middle of the desert in full chemical suits, and I don’t know that I could have done that in my best day. I have a lot of respect for those guys, because we used wear those chemical suits. They have, uh, charcoal in them, and, um, uh, we used to wear those thing to stay warm in snow, and they were running around in those things in the summer, over in, uh—over in Kuwait, getting ready for that, and, uh—I don’t—I don’t—I do not know how they did it. So yes. I’m glad I—I’m glad I was not part of that [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] And, um, Between Germany and your service in Georgia and South Carolina, what was your, uh, most—most—most memorable about your time in the service? [<em>sniffs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Oh, my gosh. Um, I think the comradery, as—as cliché as that may sound.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>No.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm <br /></strong>It’s actually very true, because, uh, you know, especially in your training—and particularly, in basic and AIT—you know, there’s kind of an us-against-them, you know, mentality, because, you know, they’re, you know—part of basic training, uh, you know, as they tell you—which is true—is, you know, they gotta break you down to build you up, you know?</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm </strong>So, um, you know—so we were, you know—we were really banding together to survive, uh—to survive that, and then, you know, even in the units, uh, you know, you build up a comradery with, uh—with, you know, your friends, and they’re the people you work with, Um, and, uh, you know, which carries over into going out at night, you know?</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm </strong>You know, uh, Going out, you know, and, uh, doing your thing, but when you’re, you know—when you’re going out with, uh, you know, 12 brothers, you know, and you would trust any of them with your life, um, that’s—that’s, uh—That’s a rare connection, and that’s what—that’s what I miss the most and that’s—that—and that’s what I remember. That’s what I remember the most.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm. You remember the people.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yeah, yeah. Like I say, uh—like I say, the, uh—comradery.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Ah [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Um, what did you do during your free time?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, well…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Travel?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm <br /></strong>Did some—no. I did some growing up.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Ah.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /> </strong>I did some growing up. I, um—‘cause I was, uh—when I went in, you know, I was in my party phase.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>And, uh, you know, especially, when I hit[?] to Germany. Uh, Oktoberfest [<em>laughs</em>], uh “Ein bier, bitte?” Uh…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>You know, that whole thing. Um, my first—my first six months in Germany, when I wasn’t, uh—when I wasn’t working, I was, uh, trying to sample every beer that, uh, Germany ever made.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, and after about six months, you know, I—I woke up, uh—I woke up one day, and realized that I had been there six months, and I had nothing to show for it, you know? And about that same time—I’d, uh—I’d—I had been a musician my whole life—and about that time, I kinda was, uh, re—uh, uh, re-interested in music, and, um, I actually, uh, started, uh—started playing music again. So I started—I kinda[?]—I really, you know—I quit the partying, um, and I would spend a lot of time playing music. In fact, uh, the first band I ever played in my life was over there</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Was over there,in German, Which would be—qualify as another memory from over there [<em>laughs</em>]. Um, uh, But I—but that’s what I did. I kinda, you know, like I said, grew up a little bit, uh, got over the partying thing, and started, uh, laying the groundwork for the future.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>There you go, and, um, when you came back—right when your service ended—what was it like?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Uh, it was a tremendous sense of freedom.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>]. I bet.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Uh, well, you know, when you’re a soldier, uh, the government owns you 24-7, 365, and, um, uh, you know, when, you know, we—Up in Fort Stewart—and Germany, for that matter, but, uh—you know, in Fort Stewart, uh, you know, we’d go to the field a month at a time, so you—I mean, you’re there for a month, you know? Um, and it—It was the freedom getting out, and, uh, you know, I was—I was used to, you know—for three years, I had—I had woken up every morning at 5:30 or so, and exercised at six, and, uh, I, you know—I was determined to continue doing that, which lasted about two weeks [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>But, uh, big, big, big sense of freedom</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Ah.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yep.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>And [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>And pride.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Oh, yeah. I was proud of what I did, um, Even though, you know, at that time, uh, you know—at that time, we really weren’t heralded, uh, as heroes, like the soldiers are now, and rightfully so, ‘cause like, you know—like I say, it was, you know—it was only about 10 years after Vietnam</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>And everybody was kind of over the military. They—they were—they were tired of hearing about it, and they really, you know—They just really didn’t want to have anything to do with it. Yep.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Oh. When you left the military, did you—I know you went back and did your education—but did you work at all, while you were doing that? Or did you just go straight into school?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Uh, no, ‘cause I got out, uh—I got out in November, so I got out November 8<sup>th</sup>[, 1989], um, and I enrolled for the, uh—for the spring semester the following January [1990].</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, so yeah. I did, you know—I did work, but my main focus was on school.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>School?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yeah, and that was—that was part of the growing up—‘cause that’s part of the growing up in the military, but also, when I was in, I—I had the, um—I had the, uh, v[eterans’] benefits, which was the—the successor to the G.I. Bill.<a title="">[6]</a> So I actually, um—I actually earned college money…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>That, uh—while I was in there—while I was there. Yeah. When—when I was in Germany, I tried to take a college class over there. That didn’t work out too well.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Right[?].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>But—no. So when—when I got out, I was—I was, uh—I was pretty head strong on going back to finishing school.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>That’s good.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Um, did you keep in touch with any of the people you served with?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>I did not, until, um, uh, really, just a couple years ago, and it was, uh, primarily, uh, thanks to Facebook, but, um, I’ve, uh—I’ve actually only, uh—well, I take that back, because there was one guy down in Tampa. Uh, uh, my roommates in, uh—in, uh, Fort Stewart—one of them lived in Tampa, the other was from Virginia, and I did—right after I got out, I kept—kept in touch with them a little bit, but, um, I actually really didn’t keep in touch with anybody, until, uh, one of my best friends from Germany, um—we had a, uh—we had a reunion, uh—uh, I guess it was—eight—nine months ago. Him[sic] and his family were coming through town here to go on a cruise, and, uh, that was the first time I had seen him in, uh—in 20 years, and, uh—and, uh, we had a—we had a good chat about the—about those times, and It was interesting to me, becau—because, it was, you know—I had my perspective, but it was interesting to me to get someone else’s perspective on the same experiences, uh, from—from 20 years prior.</p>
<p>So—yeah, and I did—now that I think about it, I did, um—oh gosh. This was probably a good 10 years—No. it’s more than that. Probably a good 15 years ago, uh, My Sergeant from—from, uh—from Germany, uh,—I did go and see him. He was—he lived up in Atlanta[, Georgia], and I did go and see him one weekend, and, uh, it was—it was kinda—it was interesting, you know, because, when you’re, you know—when he’s your Sergeant, you have one relationship, But when you’re both civilians, you know, 20 years later, uh, you can talk a little more freely, I guess you could say, and he was a good guy. That was another, um—you’d asked me earlier about, uh, influences and memories and stuff, and he was—he was, uh—he was a big influence on me. Sergeant Jones—he was, uh—he was a big influence—Sergeant Wilson Jones. Uh, He was a, uh, big influence on me. He was one of the best bosses that[sic] I ever had in my life, and, uh, I learned a lot about, um—I learned a lot about initiative and perseverance, uh, from working under him. He was—he was a good guy, and he’s still alive, to my knowledge.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>To my knowledge, he is.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>And, uh, so maturing, growing up, and, uh, Sergeant Jones. Was there anything else, with your time in the military, uh, service—or, military service, that influenced your life since leaving?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Oh, gosh. Yeah, you know, uh, you know the—I learned the military changes ya, and, you know, whether it changes you for the good or the bad, I think it kind of depends on the individual, and the experiences that you have in there. Um, you know, Like I say, uh, I was fortunate enough, where we didn’t have any conflicts, um, going on, at the time. So, uh, you know, while—while I was standing on the wall, wolf—the wolf never came, and I’m happy about that.</p>
<p>But—no. The—the military changes you, and, you know, you—my maturation process, in that, you know, I learned a lot about, uh, you know, initiative, a lot about perseverance…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, self-esteem. In fact, you know, uh, Sergeant Jones—I reminded him of this story: when I—when I saw him, uh—it’s probably been a good 15 years ago, but, um, uh, you know, one time—and again, you know, 20 year old kid, you know? I don’t remember what exactly the details were, but he had sent me back to the supply room to find something. You know, so I went back there, and I looked around, and I didn’t found[sic]—find it. So I came back, and told him—I said “Hey, Sergeant,” You know, “I couldn’t find it.” and he said “Well, then you didn’t look.” And I said, you know— I was like, “What are you talking about? I just—I just got back from there. I couldn’t find it.” He said “No, if you had looked, you would have found it. Now go back there and find it.” And He was right. You know, it was back there, I just didn’t look hard enough.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>And that, you know—that’s one of the—I, you know—I could sit here the rest of the day, telling stories like that, but, um, you know, that’s something that’s carried with me through—really, through today. Um, you know, when I was working, I remember a, uh—a colleague of mine, when I was earning my PhD—um, I was, uh, uh, uh, you know—PhD is a stressful, stressful thing to go through, and I was—something was going on, and I was wound up about it, and I remember him saying, you know, “Hey,” you know, “Don’t worry about it, ‘cause you’re a warrior,” You know? You’re—Even though this is going on now, you’ll still be okay, because—and That’s directly rooted back into—into my military experience, in that, you know—in that perse—that perseverance.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, so—yeah. All sorts of, you know—all sorts of, uh, uh, values, um, you know, that I—that I learned, and, you know, some of them were good. Um, uh, some of them were good. You know, I saw some, uh—uh, some experiences—not—I saw some things that I—that set a bad example for me, uh, which served me well, because I didn’t want anything to do with that. You know, so—yeah. Lots of—lots of things.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>So what advice would you give today’s military members?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, phew. That’s a tough one, uh, you know, because we’ve got some conflicts going on in the world right now.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Also, when you enlist right now, uh, it’s quite possible you might end up in a combat situation.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Uh, so I would, you know—I—I would measure my words carefully, but, uh, you know, barring the combat part of it, um, you know, I would say—I would say to enjoy the time, and, uh—especially if you get sent overseas. Um, uh, uh, do some traveling. That was one regret that I have about my time in Germany is that I didn’t do a lot of traveling. We did some, uh, traveling. You know, Spain and France.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>We—we did some traveling, but, um, uh, I would like to have done a lot more traveling, in retrospect. Um, uh, and serve with honor. You know, that was One of the things that, uh—that attracted me to the military in the first place, uh—was, you know, uh, I saw examples of soldiers, and, they’re, you know—they’re people that[sic] are, um, uh, you know—that[sic] are serving something greater than themselves. You know, they’re making a sacrifice that’s not, uh, you know—they’re not just in there for self-serving reasons. They’re serving, you know, the freedom of the country, um, and, you know, again, that comradery. They’re just, you know—in short, they’re just something greater than—than themselves, and, you know, my advice would be, uh, to enjoy that, because, uh, it may end, when you get out of the, uh—when you get out of the military.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Alright. So, uh, what do you do in your free time now?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Uh, surf [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>You still surf?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yeah, yeah, I surf. I, you know, spend as much time with my daughter as I can.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, You know, still, uh—still working out. Uh, I have all sorts of hobbies. I like to cook. Uh, I fly radio-controlled airplanes. In fact, one of my recent hobbies—as of about two years ago, um—is, uh—is shooting. Uh, when I—When I went into the military, you know, I was a city boy.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm <br /></strong>So I never grew up around guns or anything. Uh, And when I went in the military, uh, obviously, we shot. Uh, you know, I—I had, uh, a lot—we—we—I had some fun experiences on the range, shooting some, uh—some of the automatic weapons, and, uh, there was—there was a lot of those fun experiences in there, but I never really thought much about it, you know? It was just something we did.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>And when we went to the range, I always enjoyed it</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Uh,but I never really—never really thought much about it. So, when I got out, um, you know, I never owned a gun. I was never around a gun. I just never thought about it. About probably three years ago now, a friend of mine, um, who was into guns, you know, said “Hey. You wanna come out to the range with me one day?” And I said, “Alright. Yeah. I haven’t shot, you know, in 25 years”—or however long it’s been. So I went out with him, and, uh, you know, what I was trained on was the M16 [rifle].</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>And the civilian version of that is AR-15.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>So he had an AR-15. Um, you know, when I went out—when I took basic training, it was cold—we went out on a cold day, and, uh, I went out there, and, uh, you know, he gave his AR-15, and I did all that I knew to do, which was, you know, the way that I was trained in the military. So, you know, I got down into my prone position on the ground, and, you know, I put about six rounds in about, you know—about an inch in the target, and was thinking, <em>Man, maybe I missed my calling in life here</em>.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br />‘</strong>Cause I hadn’t shot, you know—I hadn’t even picked up a weapon in 25 years, but being out there in the cold, um, you know, and the smell of the gun powder when you shoot it, and then—and then, remembering how to shoot, uh, you know, was muscle memory, um, and it all came back to me, and that was a, uh—that was a pleasant memory, because I—I remembered, uh, you know, those—those were always good times in the military, going out in the range, and that’s actually become, uh, one of my hobbies.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>So, you know, I own—I own several guns now. We go out—we go out shooting, about every Saturday morning, uh, on the range. Um, and that’s, uh—that’s a—that’s kinda reminiscing</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Over the, uh, uh—from the, uh—from the military days, but…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Do you ever take your daughter with you?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Uh, I took her once. She’s, uh—she’s not real, uh, uh, interested in guns, But I did, uh—I did take her out there once, just to show her that there was nothing to be scared of. Um, so, you know, she’s not—she’s not scared of them, but she respects them and stays away from them [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm <br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Um, is there anything else you would like to talk about?</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Uh, oh, my gosh. Um, [<em>sighs</em>] probably—I mean, uh, you know—I’m—I’m—I’m glad I went in. I mean, it—Like I say, it really shaped a lot of the values that I have, uh, these days. Uh, And, you know, it—sometimes—sometimes that’s not always good, because, uh, you know, when I’m, uh—when I’m in, uh—when I’m in, uh, a task mode, then I kind of have a flashback, you know, to the—to the military days, Like with, you know—like with Sergeant Jones. Like, hey, if you got something to do, get it done.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>You know, I don’t want to hear any excuses. Get it done, but, um, no. I was—I was glad I went in. I did, uh—I did a lot of growing up, when I was in there, and, you know, uh, like I said, before I went in, I was not a student. Uh, when I came out, I was a student, and, uh, my—my GPA [grade point average], uh—I don’t know remember exactly what it was—but I got very few grades less than a[sic]—less than an A, uh, when I came out.</p>
<p>So, uh—so no. It was a—it was a good experience. Um, I’m glad I did it. Uh, you know, I respect the, uh—the guys that are going in now, and women—the people that are going in, uh, now, because you gotta—now, um, you know—I—I haven’t looked at the enlistment standards. I’ve never compared them across time, but I, you know—I think you’ve got to be smarter to go in now, because they have all this high-tech equipment…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Um, and they’re doing things now that we didn’t do, uh—that we didn’t do back then. So I really—I really have a lot of respect for the people going in these days. In addition to the fact that, when you go in now, you may wind [<em>yawns</em>] —you may wind up in a combat zone very easily, in the middle of the desert somewhere. Well, um—so yeah. I could, uh—I could, uh—I could probably sit here all afternoon…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>If you gave me the opportunity, but I don’t think you have enough tape to do that [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Hm, alright. Well, thank you very much, Dr. Sturm…</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>You’re welcome.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>For your time. It was an honor to be able to interview you</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>My pleasure.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>And I very much appreciate you for your time and service.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>I…</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Veterans’ Day just passed. So we’ll be in touch again, and we’ll have a copy of your interview for you.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Okay. [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>And I’ll bring it to you on the [UCF] Lake Mary campus…</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Very good.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>Because I want to see it.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Oh, okay. Very good.</p>
<p><strong>Hollingsworth<br /></strong>That’s it.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Very good.</p>
<p><strong>Unidentified<br /></strong>42 minutes.</p>
<p><strong>Sturm<br /></strong>Yeah. There are probably more things I could have thought up. I didn’t know how much tape I…</p>
<div><br /><div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a> Officially Operation Urgent Fury.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[2]</a> Correction: Nuremberg Trials.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[3]</a> Officially Operation Eagle Claw, or Operation Evening Light, or Operation Rice Bowl.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[4]</a> Officially the Northrop B-2 Spirit.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[5]</a> January 17, 1991 – February 28, 1991.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[6]</a> Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944.</p>
</div>
</div>
210th Field Artillery Brigade
34th Infantry Division
accountants
Advanced Individual Training
advanced training
AIT
alcohol
alcoholic beverages
alerts
AR-15
Army Special Forces
basic training
beers
budget cuts
cold war
colleges
Columbia, South Carolina
Community Veterans History Project
comradery
CVHP
David Lee Roth
defense
defense budgets
Desert Storm
desert training
E-3
E-4
education
Enlisted Rank 3
Enlisted Rank 4
enlistment
Federal Republic of Germany
firearms
First Gulf War
First Iraq War
Fort Irwin & the National Training Center
Fort Jackson
Fort Stewart
Frankfurt Airport
Frankfurt, Germany
FRG
Georgia
German Air Force
Germans
Germany
Gulf War
Gulf War I
guns
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
Herzo Base
Herzogenaurach, Germany
HHB
higher education
Iraq
Iraq War
James Earl Carter, Jr.
Jimmy Carter
Katie Hollingsworth
Kuwait
Kuwait War
law enforcement
Luftwaffe
M16 rifles
military training
Mojave Desert
music
musicians
National Training Center
NCO
non-commissioned officers
Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg, Germany
Operation Desert Storm
orlando
Persian Gulf War
PFC
police
police brutality
polizei
Private First Class
range shooting
rapid deployment forces
Ray Sturm
Republic of Iraq
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan
sergeants
shooting
shooting ranges
soldiers
Special Forces
Specialist 4
State of Kuwait
supply
terrorism
terrorists
Thirty-Fourth Infantry Division
training
Two Hundred and Tenth Field Artillery Brigade
U.S. Army
U.S. Army Special Forces
UCF
University of Central Florida
Van Halen
veterans
veterans' benefits
Warrior Thunder
weapons
weather
West Germany
Wilson Jones
Winter Park
World War II
WWII
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/99f982aa4276b0be0b4f9b69c9e7085a.pdf
3533161dc69dab00593f352cd8d77806
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
UCF Community Veterans History Project Collection
Description
As part of RICHES of Central Florida, UCF intends to record, archive, and make accessible oral history interviews of Central Florida veterans. Diversity is a main focus for this project since there are many different subgroups under the group veterans, all with important stories. While the histories will be largely archived and made available through the UCF library, a portion will be contributed to the ongoing Veterans History Project based out of the Library of Congress.
Contributor
<a href="http://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/special-collections-university-archives/" target="_blank">Special Collections and University Archives</a>, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida
Alternative Title
CVHP Collection
Subject
Veterans--Florida
United States. Army
Army
United States. Navy
Navy
United States. Air Force
Air Force
United States. Marine Corps
Marine Corps
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Jacksonville, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Honolulu, Hawaii
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Great Lakes, Illinois
Long Island, New York
Newport, Rhode Island
Norfolk, Virginia
Germany
Qaasuitsup, Greenland
Keflavik, Southern Peninsula, Iceland
Azores Islands, Portugal
Mediterranean Sea
Contributing Project
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/veterans/" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, UCF Digital Collections, University of Central Florida
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, UCF Digital Collections, University of Central Florida
External Reference
"<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/veterans/" target="_blank">About the Project</a>." UCF Community Veterans History Project, RICHES of Central Florida, University of Central Florida. http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/veterans/.
Has Part
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/109" target="_blank">Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project Collection</a>, UCF Community Veterans History Project, RICHES of Central Florida.
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
McKinney, Roy
Interviewee
Ekern, Sharon
Location
Orlando, Florida
Original Format
1 Digital (DAT) audio/video recording
Duration
20 minutes and 14 seconds
Bit Rate/Frequency
64kbps
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Oral History of Sharon L. Ekern
Alternative Title
Oral History, Ekern
Subject
Veterans--Florida
Marine Corps
Description
An oral history interview of Sharon Ekern, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) from 1981 to1990 and now works at the University of Central Florida (UCF) with the Student Development and Enrollment Service. This interview was conducted by Roy McKinney at UCF on November 13, 2014. Interview topics include Ekern's family life, her education, enlistment in the Marines, boot camp, advanced training, her first duty station, the San Diego Recruit Depot, Parris Island, the Cold War, being assigned to Orlando, serving as a female Marine, the Tailhook Scandal, Camp Smith, her awards and medals, life after service, her employment at UCF, and being an expert markswoman.
Table Of Contents
0:00:00 Introduction<br />0:00:40 Family life<br />0:01:05 Family in the Military<br />0:01:19 Education before joining the Marine Corps<br />0:01:45 Reason for enlistment in the Marines <br />0:02:30 Family reaction to enlistment<br />0:02:49 Boot camp<br />0:03:42 View of instructors - then and now<br />0:04:26 Most memorable experience in boot camp<br />0:04:59 Being a woman in boot camp<br />0:05:20 Advanced training<br />0:06:01 First duty station<br />0:06:24 Role at first duty station<br />0:06:37 Typical day at first duty station<br />0:07:20 Life at San Diego Recruit Depot<br />0:08:00 How Parris Island compared to San Diego<br />0:08:20 Cold War's effect on Military life<br />0:08:59 Entertainment in the Military<br />0:09:55 Assignment in Orlando<br />0:11:10 Being a woman in the Marine Corps/ "Tailhook"<br />0:12:55 Memorable moments at Camp Smith<br />0:14:07 Leaving the Military<br />0:14:58 Reason for leaving the Marines rather than applying to Officer Program<br />0:15:31 Highest rank in the Marines<br />0:15:51 Awards and medals<br />0:16:33 Life after the Marines<br />0:17:04 Joining UCF<br />0:17:04 Contracting and purchasing<br />0:17:50 Contact with Marines<br />0:18:06 Military influence on life<br />0:18:37 Utilizing military experience with UCF<br />0:19:15 Expert marksmanship
Abstract
Oral history interview of Sharon Ekern. Interview conducted by Roy McKinney in Orlando, Florida.
Type
Moving Image
Source
<a href="http://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/324/" target="_blank">Ekern, Sharon L.</a> Interviewed by Roy McKinney. Audio/video record available. <a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, RICHES of Central Florida, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Requires
Multimedia software, such as <a href="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/" target="_blank"> QuickTime</a>.
<a href="https://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, RICHES of Central Florida, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/24" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Has Format
Digital transcript of original 20-minute and 14-second oral history: <a href="http://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/324/" target="_blank">Ekern, Sharon L.</a> Interviewed by Roy McKinney. Audio/video record available. <a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, RICHES of Central Florida, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Conforms To
Standards established by the <a href="http://www.loc.gov/vets/" target="_blank">Veterans History Projects</a>, Library of Congress.
Coverage
Albany, Georgia
Camp H. M. Smith, Aiea, Hawaii
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, North Carolina
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, San Diego, California
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, Port Royal, South Carolina
University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Creator
Ekern, Sharon L.
McKinney, Roy
Publisher
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
Date Created
2014-11-13
Date Copyrighted
2014-11-13
Format
application/pdf
Extent
599 MB
164 KB
Medium
20-minute and 14-second Digital (DAT) audio/video recording
13-page digital transcript
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Economics Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Roy McKinney and Sharon L. Ekern and published by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>.
Rights Holder
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
Accrual Method
Item Creation
Contributing Project
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/veterans/" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>
Curator
Cravero, Geoffrey
Digital Collection
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, UCF Digital Collections, University of Central Florida
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
Pawelczyk, J. 2014. "<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/5611524379" target="_blank">Constructing American Female War Veterans' Military Identity in the Context of Interviews</a>." <em>Women and Language</em>: WL. 37, no. 1: 87-112.
Chema, J. Richard. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/227212744" target="_blank"><em>Arresting Tailhook The Prosecution of Sexual Harassment in the Military</em></a><em>. Thesis (LL. M.)--Judge Advocate General's School, United States Army, 1993, 1993.</em>
Browne, Kingsley R. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/795374552" target="_blank"><em>Military Sex Scandals from Tailhook to the Present: The Cure Can Be Worse than the Disease</em></a>. Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy. Duke University School of Law, 2007.
Biank, Tanya. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/795168521" target="_blank"><em>Undaunted: The Real Story of America's Servicewomen in Today's Military</em></a>. New York, N.Y.: NAL Caliber, 2013.
Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website)
<a href="http://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/324/" target="_blank">Ekern, Sharon L.</a>
Transcript
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Today is the 13<sup>th</sup> of November, 2014. My name is Roy McKinney and we are interviewing Dr. Sharon [L.] Ekern. She served in the United States Marine Corps from 1981 to1990 and now works at the University of Central Florida with the Student Development and Enrollment Service. I am interviewing Dr. Sharon Ekern as part of the University of Central Florida’s Community Veterans History Project. This interview is being conducted in Orlando, Florida.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney</strong> <br />Where and when were you born?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Union, South Carolina. September 18<sup>th,</sup> 1962.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>What did you parents do for a living?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>My dad retired from AT&T, and my mom, um, who has been passed away for—gosh—uh, 28 years today, as a matter of fact. She worked for the attorney general of South Carolina.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>How big was your family growing up?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>It was my parents and two sisters.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Were any of your family members in the Military?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Yes. Um, my stepfather was full time National Guard. My uncle is a retired Navy captain, and I have a couple other uncles who served in the Air Force and Navy.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>What type of education did you have before entering the Marine Corps?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Uh, I went to a small, um, junior college, right out of high school, and was there for two semesters. So I had basically one year of college.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Was there any focus of your studies while there?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>No, not really.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Uh, why did you decide to enlist in the Marines?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Uh, I had decided during that second semester that I wasn’t ready for college at that time, and I had moved to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where my grandparents had retired, and there was an Air Force Base there. Uh, so I had met some Air Force friends and decided at that point that I would join the Air Force. And then when I went to MEPs [United States Military Entrance Processing Command] to do my processing, they couldn’t take me until like maybe the following year. It was maybe nine months, and I wanted to leave in the fall when my friends would be going back to school. So, um, I basically—when I got—when I was there at MEPs, I told them to take me to see the Marines. That—I didn’t want to go in the Army. I didn’t like the uniform that the Navy wore. So...</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>How did your family relac—react to you enlisting?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Eh, well, they had just got used to the idea of me joining the Air Force, so when I came home and told them I was going in to the Marines, Um, it took a little while, especially for my mother and grandmother to get used to that idea.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>And where did you go to boot camp?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Parris Island, South Carolina.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>How did you feel when you entered boot camp and the whole process of going through—just getting there and your first reactions?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>I was scared to death. Um, my processing station MEPs was in Colombia, South Carolina. And it wasn’t that—maybe two hours or so. We shipped out on a bus to Parris Island, and I was the only female on the bus. and, um, the person at MEPs had, um, gi—given my package to somebody, uh—to one of the guys that was also, uh, sh—shipping out that day, and he got off the bus with my information with this drill instructor just, you know—he came on the bus and was yelling at them get on the yellow footprints. And then I had to get off the bus and go—and go tell him, you know, that somebody had my package. So I was scared to death.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>How did you feel about you instructors?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern</strong> <br />Um, how I felt about them now and how I felt about them then is probably different. Um…</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>How about both?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Yeah. I was—they kind of played different roles. There was one who was more like the motherly type, and one who was just downright mean, and the other one, who was kind of in between. Um, I was really scared of the one that was just mean, you know? I—I’ve actually been in contact recently with our senior drill instructor on Facebook, so it has been kind of nice, um, you know, touching base with her again. She retired—gosh—after—I don’t know—maybe 25 years in the Marine Corps, there at Parris Island. So…</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>So what was your most memorable experience at boot camp?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>At boot camp? Gosh. Um, probably the physical training. I, you know—I’ve always been, um—well, probably, more so since. I’ve gotten out. I’ve been athletic, but I don’t know that I was totally prepared when I went in, so that was difficult—the ph—the physical training. So that was probably one of my more memorable.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>How did being a woman affect you in boot camp?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern</strong> <br />Well, in the Marines, we’re totally separate. I know in some of the, um—maybe all of the other branches—they train together, but we don’t. We’re a separate battalion and, uh, we have no contact with the men. So we were all just together.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Did you receive any advanced training?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Yeah. I went to several schools. Um, I went to a school right out of boot camp in Albany, Georgia. Um, then I went to my first duty station in San Diego. And, I believe, it was after—yeah. It was—it was after I—no. Maybe it wasn’t San Diego—where I went to another, um, supply school at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. And then after I came to Orlando, I went into the contracting and purchasing field and went to several schools. They were at Lowry Air Force Base, because, at the time, the Marines didn’t have a contracting school so we went to the Air—Air Force schools.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>So where were you stationed after you were done with training?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>My first duty station was the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. And then, from there I came here to Orlando to the, uh, recruiting headquarters. I was not a recruiter. I did supply, but I—I was at headquarters. And then from there, I went to Camp [H. M.] Smith in [Aiea,] Hawaii.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>What was your assignment or job while you were there?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Uh, I started out in supply and, like I said at some point, uh, in my career, I changed to contracts and purchasing.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney</strong> <br />And, uh, what was a typical day like for you?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>We usually got—usually PT [physical training] was, you know, the first thing we did at least three days a week, if not more. Um, you know, we’d have—PT was around six A.M. and then have to be at work at 7:30. Most days were like typical work day. You know, you went to work, you had your lunch—you know, you got off at a certain time. There were other days when there might be inspections or parades or, you know, other things that might be going on. But ordinarily it was like a typical work day.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Can you describe what it was like working at the Marine—Marine Corps Recruitment Depot at Parris Island?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Well, I didn’t work there. That’s where—that’s where I received recruit training.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Okay. Can you describe what it was like working at San Dieg—the depot in San Diego?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Yeah. It was—I mean—San Diego, of course, is beautiful. And, um, it was good. Um, out there they only trained male Marines. They don’t—they don’t train any women Marines out there, but, um, it was, uh—I think it was a—you know, it was a good first duty station, uh, working with all of the recruits and, um, doing the different, you know, jobs that were assigned to me at the time. And then I worked for a colonel, just in his office, for a good bit of my time there.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>How did the environments of Parris Island and San Diego compare?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Um, well, I mean—it was two totally different experiences. At Parris Island, I was a recruit, you know. I was going through recruit training and at MCRD [Marine Corps Recruit Depot]. I was—I was basically working there. I was a Marine at that point. So totally different experiences.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>How did the Cold War affect everyday life in the Military?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Um, hmm. I would say, at least for me and my job, um, you know, it di—didn’t have a big effect. We basically did what we were, you know, assigned to do at, um—at the recruit depot. It was training Marines at the, uh, MCRD—I mean, at, um, the recruiting headquarters here, it was enlisting Marines. So, um, in my everyday job, I wouldn’t say it had a big effect.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>How would you entertain yourselves, uh, during your service?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Well, um, hmm. Let me think back on that. Uh, like I said, it was—since I wasn’t a—a grunt, per se, you know, um, I left and I went home most days, unless there was something special going on, or we were out in the field, or had some special training. So, you know, I think we did pretty much what everybody would do. When I was in, um—here at the recruit station, I had a child. So, you know, I had a family just like most people and I did live in base housing. So it was—it’s a different community, Um—a different culture. But I would say we did what most people would do.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Why were you assigned to the recruitment headquarters in Orlando?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>I’m not exactly sure. Uh—we have what’s called a “monitor” in the Marines, and they decide where you’re going to be—be stationed. And, um, they just decide based on when it’s time for you to depart a duty station and what the needs are. Um, you can put in for several different things, um—several different duty stations. And this was just one that I had, you know, put in for that needed a supply person at the time. So I was fortunate enough to, you know, be stationed here.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Where else did you, um, apply for a duty station at?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Gosh, you know, I really don’t remember. Um, I know one of them was in Georgia, because I’m in South Carolina. And I can’t recall now where—oh, Macon, Georgia, I believe it was, because it had a recruiting headquarters there. Um, I thought it’d be nice to be somewhat close to home. Um, but besides that, I really don’t recall.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Were you excited when you were assigned to Orlando? Or how did—how did you feel about the…</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Yeah. I was excited. Um, I was excited about the job. I mean it is a bit different being in a recruiting headquarters with maybe 15 Marines ver—versus being on a base full of Marines. Uh, so it was going to be something different. And yeah. I was excited about coming to Florida.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>What was it like being a woman in the Marine Corps?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Um, hmm [<em>laughs</em>]. It could be different at times. Um, the period that I was in was before Tailhook [Scandal]—if you’ve ever even heard of “Tailhook.” No?</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>No.</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>It was a big sexual harassment scandal, uh, that occurred soon after I got out of the Marine Corps. But when I was in, um, basically, sexual harassment—it was—it wasn’t something that you heard about. So—and women at that time, um, depending on where you were and who you worked with—most men—I won’t say most. Some men made it very clear that didn’t think women should be in their Marine Corps. And so it was—it could be difficult at times. I feel like you always had to, um, you know—you had to be the one to give 110 percent, you know, if you were out on runs or just in your everyday job just to prove yourself.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney</strong> <br />Was there any time that you felt that you had to prove yourself to someone that was—that looked down on you as a woman in the Marine Corps?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern</strong> <br />Oh, yeah. Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Is there any—any example that you can—you can tell us?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Um, hmm. I don’t know that I can think of just something—like a particular example. It was more the comments—the everyday comments. Um, it was the things—when we did have to go out on marches or runs, and there were women who couldn’t keep up and, you know, there were women who made up excuses<strong>. </strong>And, you know, that—I think that made it harder for the rest of us, but…</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Are there any specific events during your service that stand out in your memory?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern</strong> Events such as?</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Um, anything. Um, s—something that you enjoyed, or something that you didn’t enjoy, or just something that sticks out in your memory?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Yeah. At Camp Smith—Camp Smith is built on like the side of a big—I guess you’d call it a mountain. Um, so everything we did was either going up or going down. So anytime we PT’d, we were either running up or we were running down. And we would go on like these marches with, you know, the packs and the Kevlar helmets. And along the side of this mountain—and you’d look down and there wouldn’t be much over there. So that has always stuck out in my mind a lot.</p>
<p>But it was also beautiful there, which, um—I mean, I will definitely have to say I really enjoyed probably being in Hawaii the most, where we were at Camp Smith. Um, with it being on the side of a mountain, you know, we’d look out one side of where we worked and you’d see, um, Diamond Head and look out the other side and there was Pearl Harbor. I mean, it was—it was just a beautiful place to be.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>And when did you leave the Military?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>1990.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>What was your last day like in the Marine Corps?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Sad. Yeah. Really sad. Um, you know, it—even though it was my choice to leave, uh, I had just kind of come to a point where I had to decide. I had finished my bachelor degree and I had to decide if I wanted to, um, try to get into an officer program or, you know, or to get out. And I had made that decision at that point to get out. And, uh, even though I had, you know—it was still difficult to do. You know, I had done this for nine years, and I really, um—I really liked what I did. I felt proud of what I did and I still do. So it was hard going from that to the unknown, you know.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>What motivated you to decide to leave the Marines and not go into an officer program?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Well, an officer program isn’t a guarantee. So if I had signed another enlistment, you know, for three to four years, there’s no guarantee that I would have gotten an officer program. And at the time, I had a three year old son, um, and was a single parent. So that had a lot to do with it.</p>
<p>Um, [Operation] Desert Storm<a title="">[1]</a> was right on the horizon. That started like three months after I got out. So at that point, I did feel like I had, you know, made the right decision. But…<strong><br /></strong></p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>What was the—your highest rank, uh, at the time you left the Marines?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>I was an E[nlisted Rank]-5 Sergeant, but I was a Staff Sergeant Selectee. Meaning: I had been selected for the next rank. Um, but you just have to wait for a certain date. Um, so I was a Staff Sergeant Selectee.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Were you awarded any, uh—any awards or medals or citations?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Yeah. There were several things, like good conduct medals, national, uh—no. meritorious, um—oh gosh. I had it on my, um, commendation medals, meritorious. Uh, can I look at my DD [Form] 214 [Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty]? I’ve got it with me.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>‘Cause I thought I might not remember something [<em>laughs</em>]. Let’s see. Meritorious unit commendations, um, certificate of commendations, good conduct medals, meritorious mast, certificate of appreciations, letter of commendations and recognition. So those kinds of things.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>What did you do after you left the Marines?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Uh, I decided to come back here to Orlando. Um, I didn’t have a job, at the time, lined up, but, um, I had real—I liked Orlando when I was here, uh—when I had been stationed here. And Orlando was sort of close enough to home, but not, you know, too close. So, uh—and I still had some friends here. So I decided to come back to Orlando. I had a job. I had a civilian job, um, for about six months before I started work here at UCF [University of Central Florida].</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>How did you come—how did you come—become involved with UCF?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Well, when I—I—like I had said, I was a contract—I did contracts and purchasing when I was in the Marines. And, um, the job opening here was for the assistant director of purchasing. So I had applied for that and got that job. So that was my—my first position here. So my training in the Marine Corps had, you know, a direct effect on what I do now.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>I know this is kind of late but what does contracting and purchasing entail?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Um, basically we purchased anything that, you know, was needed there on the base. So, it’s—yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Is there anyone you still keep in contact with from the Marines?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Mmhmm. Mostly on Facebook. So that’s been a—yeah—a good way to connect with people. And then, um, I went to my first Marine Corps ball in like 25 years this past weekend. So that was—that was really nice. Brought back a lot of good memories.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Do you feel your Military experience changed you?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Oh, yes. Definitely. Yeah. Um, like I—like I said, it’s—it’s such a different culture. It’s—it’s even hard to explain, you know? It’s—it’s like I had a 100,000 big brothers and they could pick on me, but nobody else could. And, you know, the—the skills and the leadership, and the, um—they’re just all things that I don’t think I could have learned anywhere else.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Did you find it easy incorporating that into—your Military experience into your career here at UCF?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong> I think it was difficult in the beginning, because the Military is very, you know, black and white. Um, and coming here wasn’t exactly that way. So, even in purchasing, now there are a lot of rules and regulations, uh, in the field of purchasing with the State [of Florida]. It’s still very different than, um, being in the Military. But I think my work ethic, my discipline, um, you know, leadership—I think all of those skills were definitely transferable to what I do here.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Is there anything else you would like to talk about with us today?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Hmm. I can’t really think of anything at this time.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>I noticed that you had, uh—you were an expert marks[wo]man in the M16-A1…</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Yeah. Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>How was, uh—do you still shoot?</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>No. I don’t. I did it with my son a couple of times, but it’s been awhile. Um, as a matter of fact, when I first went into the Marine Corps, women did not even qualify with the rifle, which they all do now. But, um—so, in San Diego, that was the first time I’d had to do rifle qualifications, and I was actually second on the—on the, uh—uh, at the range that week. So…</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>Yeah. I noticed it said you were “expert marksman.” That’s very impressive.</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>Yeah. Yeah. Expert with the rifle. Only a marksmen with the, uh, pistol. But yeah, I was a good shot [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McKinney<br /></strong>I’d like to thank you for joining us here today, for helping us out with the Community, uh, Veterans [History] Project and thank you for your service.</p>
<p><strong>Ekern<br /></strong>You’re welcome.</p>
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<p><a title="">[1]</a> First Persian Gulf War.</p>
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A1
advanced training
Albany, Georgia
assistant director of purchasing
basic training
boot campRemoves
Camp H. M. Smith
Camp Lejeune
cold war
Columbia, South Carolina
Community Veterans History Project
contracting and purchasing
CVHP
Denver, Colorado
Desert Storm
E-5
Ekern, Sharon L.
Enlisted Rank 5
expert marksman
expert marksmen
First Persian Gulf War
Hawaii
Jacksonville, North Carolina
Lowry AFB
Lowry Air Force Base
M16
Marine Corps Ball
Marine Corps Recruit Depot
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
marines
McKinney, Roy
MCRD
MCRD Parris Island
MCRD San Diego
MEPs
Military Entrance Processing Command
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Operation Desert Storm
orlando
Parris Island, South Carolina
physical training
PT
Roy McKinney
San Diego, California
Seargant
servicewoman
sexual harassment
sexual misconduct
Sharon L. Ekern
Staff Sergeant Selectee
Student Development and Enrollment Service
Tailhook Scandal
U.S. Air Force
U.S. Marine Corps
UCF
University of Central Florida
USAF
USMC
veteran
veterans
woman
women