Narrator: Anne Krizanauskas Interviewer: Andrew Ward    AW: Is there anything you would like to add?  AK: Well, about the only thing I would say, after they integrated the women into the men's unit, the women lost a lot because they lost the camaraderie and the confidence we got from living together. The result was that women are always the minority anywhere they go now. And this has resulted in some cases in harrassment and the women  have no where to go. The [women's] organizations before the complete integration had a WAC officer, a WAC sergeant, and WAC company clerk. The WAC organization oversaw quarters, rations, and administration...This worked out well because women reprimanded other women. It was difficult for the men to reprimand the women. We women knew we could depend on each other...Today when women veterans from the Gulf War find out there is a WAC organization, it is such a relief for them. They can tell somebody the experiences of the way it was and the way it is. The service will never admit they made a mistake and go back to a different type of administration. If the service would recognize men and women are equal but we are different [things would be much better]...We didn't have rape or sexual harrassment [like today] because when you have a woman as commander, the woman spoke to it, so we didn't have those problems.       Narrator: Eileen Guthrie Black   Interviewer: Brittany Marlow    BM: Is there anything else you would like to add that we have not covered in this interview? Is there anything that you would like to share that you remember from that time frame?  EB: It is just interesting to look back and see that… there was price control back then of course and once the price controls were taken off everything seemed to cost an awful lot more money that they did 50 years ago. I tell my daughter that we never had a house payment that was more than fifty dollars and she says "Mom, don't say that you will make me sick!" So things are different. Some things are better. BM: Some things are worse!  EB: Some things are not much better. BM: Are there any stories that you would like to share?  EB: [Um] there were lots of things done to entertain the service men. When I was in my late teens, I could go to a dance on Tuesday night on the basketball court behind Mesa Second Ward. On Wednesday night, I could go with Mrs. Robinson, who lived across the street, to the Episcopal Church where she was a chaperon for a dance for British cadets from Falcon Field.  On Thursday night there was a dance at the USO Hospitality House in downtown Mesa, and on Friday night I could go with girl friends to the Mezona on Main Street in Mesa and dance with servicemen to a live band. In fact I was introduced to my husband there. Nobody thought there was anything wrong or bad about  girls going to these dances unescorted. We were made to feel that it was a sort of a patriotic duty! We were always treated with respect. And we had good times. And even though there was sugar rationing, you could always get a root beer at the A&W stand next to the Mezona.  It was a good time. There were jukeboxes, and people danced in restaurants and cafes. Besides the fact that there was a war going on, and you knew it was awful, and you had friends in harm's way, the dances kept your mind off it sort of, some of the times. We had some good associations and good times.     Narrator: Helen Brenaman   Interviewer: Kristin Sowden    KS: Is there anything else you'd like to add that we have not covered in this interview?  HB: No, I'm glad I went and we had a 1940's party recently and I've also had other interviews, like you're doing now for Washington, DC, and the only comment I hear when I walk in is, "Ahhhhh it still fits!" [Both laugh]. KS: It is very impressive. HB: Well, thank you. KS: Did you want to talk about you're volunteering for the Israeli Army?  HB: Oh yes, you gathered from my background that I am of Jewish decent, but that isn't necessary to go help out Israel. What we did was relieve the soldiers so that they could go to active duty, which is really what I did in the WAVES; we enlisted the women to let the men go to active duty. We had the office jobs primarily, and it was such a fascinating experience. We did have to wear the uniforms including the Army boots; we slept in barracks, which brought me back to my Navy days. We had to have, they called her a "Madrachat," this is a young girl that stays with us with a gun everywhere we went, and we had to be covered by someone with a gun. When we went into town, we did not have to wear our uniform, only on the base. I worked in a warehouse, where we dusted parts, parts of guns, parts of automobiles, parts of tanks, If there was rust we had to pull out the steel wool and clean them off. One week I worked in the dining hall. I had nothing to do with the cooking, they had their Army cook, but we set up the tables, we cleaned up after wards. I enjoyed every minute of it; it was called work but it really wasn't. We bonded. There was a group of twelve of us, there were five women and seven men and we're still in touch. I e-mail with some of the group. I am so emotionally charged with it I plan on going back in March.   Narrator: JP Interviewer: Marianna McLean    MM: How did your service experiences affect your life?  JP: I'm stronger, I'm stronger. I think anybody that goes into the service today, well right now it's difficult with the war, but I think the service does good for people, I really do. I think it gives them a good foundation, getting the experience of growing up with people. I believe in the service.