Norma Petree Shaver Collection
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Oral history interview with Norma Petree Shaver
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Primarily documents Norma Petree Shaver's service in the WAC (Women's Army Corps) from 1943 to 1945. Shaver recalls the attack on Pearl Harbor, her brother being drafted into the service, working at R.H. Hanes Knitting Company, and the switch in their production to war materials. She also mentions her reasons for enlisting, and discusses attending a swearing in ceremony held for PR purposes. " Shaver shares details of her basic training at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, including her female instructors and learning rules and regulations. She also mentions working in the motor pool, and later the finance office, at Camp Upton, New York. Other topics from her time at Camp Upton include: traveling to New York City; her first Christmas in the service; working with servicemen; and volunteering for overseas duty. She briefly mentions returning to Oglethorpe for overseas training and traveling on the SS Lurline to Australia. Of her experiences overseas, Shaver describes responding to letters sent to General MacArthur in Brisbane; her brief time in Hollandia, New Guinea, and Tacloban, Philippines; and jungle rot, Atabrine, living in tents, listening to Tokyo Rose, and an attempted bombing of the WAC Headquarters while stationed in Manila. Other topics include the death of President Roosevelt, V-J Day, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. " Shaver discusses meeting and marrying her husband, Roy, continuing work at Hanes, and obtaining her commercial flying license through the GI Bill. The interview concludes with a discussion of Shaver's personal photos and papers from her service time.
