Linda Sue Swisher
91 Charlie WAC Medic
Veterans For Peace - Rachel Corrie Chapter 109

In September of 1972, I had been out of work except for occasional minimum wage or under the table less than minimum (80 cents an hour!) wages. I was very upset at political fools who were not drafting women and I still believe that if there has to be a draft then every-person who can read, write, and march should have their number in the bucket men/women, college/no college, rich and poor no way out but BASIC training. My family, especially my mom, wanted me to be sooo... proud that my friend Merlin DEROS'ed in a casket 3 days short and, except for the guy who went to the Air Force Academy, almost the entire class of '66 Mercer Island High School skipped all military service. 

So, I called all of the recruiters in town; found out only the Army would takes me the next day and reported to the AFES center for my ASVAB and physical. September 17, 1972.  I had a contract for enlistment as a 91Bravo basic medic and a 4-year term. There were 2 other women in the room, full of 100-120 men, when I raised my right hand to swear to uphold the constitution and my country.  Both of the other women were joining the Marines.  Basic for women then was only at Ft McClellan, Alabama.

The most dangerous object I had to deal with was my iron and the 39 other iron wielding women with only 4 ironing boards to share with each other.  I was abducted by an angry taxi cab driver who had been barred from post, but picked me and 3 other trainees up for a ride to the nearest shoe store to buy black patent leather pumps so we could graduate in our dress greens.  I had a clue some thing was really wrong after he ran the second stop light and past the sign for the shoe store.  The rest of the ride was really crazy, up on the side walk when he was boxed in at a stop light, weaving into on-coming traffic. Three screaming hysterical 18 year olds and me trying to figure away out of the cab before we crashed. Finally, he was trapped at a stoplight and because the front passenger door was grazing a phone pole I shoved the back door open and with the help of an other woman in the back seat dragged the woman stuck in the front seat over the seat and out of the cab.

What a start to an 8-year term of service that ended on another low note.  I was pregnant, very ill with super high blood pressure and needed a C-Section.  Only the Army anesthesiologist forgot to give me a complete spinal block!  I had half of my abdomen cut open without benefit of anesthesia.  Welcome to my first truly major trauma wound! In the OR, what a brainless careless twit I had putting me to sleep.  At least the cabbie was brought up on charges.  All that happened to the doctor was Oh! my gosh I got to hear him complain that I was making him late to lunch. There is more junk in between, the special nightmares of having to declare people expectant (to die) at the scene of traffic accidents, silly notions like drugs for use in peace time should not be expired when you use them on soldiers and dependents.  I can not write more at this time as it hurts too much to think of what a woman in peace time marched through.  Oh! God I pray for my Sisters-in Arms.   We also served who only stood in waiting; for the balloon to go up and the Russians pour through Fulda Gap.