Megan Leighann Mead Collection
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Oral History Interview with Megan Leighann Mead
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Primarily documents the life of Megan Leighann Mead and her service with the United States Army. Mead recalls how everyone in basic training had their strengths and weaknesses, and how they had to come together in order to get things accomplished. She also recalls feeling discriminated against as a woman, and having to deal with men who, because of her small stature, thought she needed their help. Mead expresses her gratitude for the time others invested to build her up in various ways as a soldier, and her appreciation for what the army has made of her, but she also recalls her belief that when she was prevented from having the opportunities to learn new skills, it hindered her ability to move forward in her position. Personal topics include the resentment Mead felt the male soldiers had toward her during her pregnancy, as they thought it was just to get out of work or deployment, and the difficulty of having to leave her infant son when she was deployed to Afghanistan, but at the same time feeling the need to internalize her feelings so they didn't interfere with the mission.
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Photograph of Megan Mead
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Photograph of Megan Mead. Photography by Martin W. Kane, University Communications, UNC Greensboro.
