Oral History Interview with Lauren K. Glass

[Interview Begins]

SPRAGUE: Today is April 7th, 2023. This is an interview with Lauren Kay Glass, who served in the United States Navy from September 1970 to October 1990. This interview is being conducted by Luke Sprague at the Veterans Home in Shorewood, Wisconsin, for the I Am Not Invisible Project for the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Oral History Program. No one else is present in the room. Okay. Lauren, could you tell us a little bit about where you grew up?

GLASS: Well, actually, I grew up all.

GLASS: Over the world because.

GLASS: My.

GLASS: Father was in the service.

GLASS: He spent 21 years in the Navy and then in the Army.

GLASS: And so the longest we ever lived any place was three years.

GLASS: And that was in the Panama Canal Zone. So we lived in Virginia and Japan, Panama Canal Zone.

GLASS: Missouri.

GLASS: Illinois. And then he retired out of Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

SPRAGUE: So what was that like growing up as a we used to call him colloquially a military brat.

GLASS: Yeah, well, I mean, we didn't know anything different and we were surrounded by people in the and kids in the same situation. So not until you got away from that. Did you even know that that was anything unusual. And my father, when he retired, the family.

GLASS: Moved. I was a.

GLASS: About to be a junior in high school, and the family.

GLASS: Moved to Racine, Wisconsin.

GLASS: Where my mother was from. And then so I went to June. I went to three high schools, and the third one was Washington Park in in Racine. And that's where I graduated from high school.

GLASS: But like I say, we.

GLASS: Didn't know any different.

SPRAGUE: And I have to ask, what was it like growing up all over everywhere around the world?

GLASS: Well, I mean, you you you got.

GLASS: Used to moving. You got used to new cultures, new traditions, and.

GLASS: You know, because you were with your family, then you had a consistent.

GLASS: You know, circle.

GLASS: Of people and you just.

GLASS: Got used to making friends in new places.

GLASS: And I can still.

GLASS: Remember some of the.

GLASS: People that we lived with in Panama that were our next door neighbors and stuff. My mother got a.

GLASS: Little tired of it, which is why.

GLASS: My father was.

GLASS: In World War Two and he was in the.

GLASS: Korean War and they wanted to send him to Vietnam, and that's.

GLASS: When he retired. They said two.

GLASS: Wars was enough.

SPRAGUE: And you had shared with us, if you would, you are you will later some pictures, some photographs of your.

GLASS: Yes.

SPRAGUE: And explain also, if you would, please, for the listener. Not only your father served, but the other family members who.

GLASS: Served as.

GLASS: Well. When you count up the.

GLASS: Years.

GLASS: Since. My father served for 21. I was in for 20.

GLASS: My older brother, David was.

GLASS: He graduated from Madison in 69, in June and was drafted in August and went to Vietnam.

GLASS: He spent two years in the service.

GLASS: And then my younger brother.

GLASS: Chris.

GLASS: He joined.

GLASS: The service.

GLASS: And he spent five years.

GLASS: In the service.

GLASS: And he was trained through the army to monitor.

GLASS: Monitor satellites.

GLASS: I and that provided with him when he got out quite a.

GLASS: Lucrative civilian career because he worked for.

GLASS: The big companies that.

GLASS: Launched the satellites.

GLASS: And helped monitor them around the.

GLASS: World.

SPRAGUE: And just for the record. Would you share with us your father's name?

GLASS: My father's name is William Albert Glass. And he he actually just passed.

GLASS: Away this past fall at the age.

GLASS: Of 96 and is buried at the.

GLASS: Southern Veterans Cemetery.

GLASS: And that's where I'll be buried. And that's where my younger.

GLASS: Brother will be buried. Also is at the Veterans Cemetery in Union Grove.

SPRAGUE: My condolences on his passing.

GLASS: Thank you.

SPRAGUE: So you graduate from Racine?

GLASS: Yes.

SPRAGUE: What do you what happens next?

GLASS: Well, I.

GLASS: I knew since I was in seventh or eighth grade, I wanted to be a nurse. And because, you know.

GLASS: We.

GLASS: Were had limited means.

GLASS: And then my I had to.

GLASS: Go to Racine, UW Racine, which was a center.

GLASS: At the time. It later became Parkside. And for my first.

GLASS: Year of classes.

GLASS: Now, my.

GLASS: Brothers went there for their first two years, but I couldn't get two years being in nursing.

GLASS: So I went to Madison.

GLASS: For my sophomore year.

GLASS: Started in Madison.

GLASS: At UW.

GLASS: And and actually.

GLASS: That's sort of.

GLASS: Why I got into the Navy, was that my father provided $100 a month and we all worked part time jobs and stuff. So financially, by the time I got to my senior year, I was getting a little low on money and Vietnam was going on. And both the Navy and the Army had scholarship.

GLASS: Programs for student nurses where they would fully support you for.

GLASS: Either one year.

GLASS: Or two years, and then you owed them either two years or three years.

GLASS: And so I ended up going into the Navy because my father said.

GLASS: If you're going.

GLASS: To do that, the Navy go in the Navy. The Navy treats the women better. And he had been in the.

GLASS: Navy for seven or.

GLASS: Eight years and then had gone to the Army.

GLASS: So he had experience with both of them.

GLASS: So so that's what I did. I in you go in as an enlisted in that program, and I went in as an.

GLASS: Enlisted.

GLASS: Like in August.

GLASS: And then I was.

GLASS: Commissioned in.

GLASS: I think it was.

GLASS: December of 1970.

GLASS: As an ensign.

GLASS: And then and finished my senior year in that way. And the.

GLASS: Scholarship.

GLASS: Provided.

GLASS: Tuition.

GLASS: And then $750.

GLASS: A month, I think it was for the living expenses and of course all your books and that stuff. So it was a very good deal.

GLASS: And my roommate.

GLASS: Did the same thing.

GLASS: With the Army and she had also that kind of an income.

GLASS: So if you think about.

GLASS: That, we had an income.

GLASS: As senior students.

GLASS: In 1977. You have one.

GLASS: Of almost.

GLASS: 1500 dollars a month and our rent for our apartment was $150.

GLASS: A month.

GLASS: So we were.

GLASS: Able to, you know, to save quite.

GLASS: A bit of money during that.

SPRAGUE: And I have to ask, what were things like at the University of Wisconsin Madison at that time?

GLASS: Well, they were pretty exciting because, you know.

GLASS: With the Vietnam War going on or conflict.

GLASS: As was called.

GLASS: We had all.

GLASS: Kinds of protests on campus. There was the Dow Chemical. There was the Kent State protest.

GLASS: Anti-Vietnam.

GLASS: And as nursing students, we became part of the first aid group. And so.

GLASS: We would be out involved in.

GLASS: The protests and stuff with.

GLASS: Backpacks that had big red crosses on them and would.

GLASS: Be prepared to attend.

GLASS: To any.

GLASS: Injuries or anything that occurred. Most of what occurred was tear gas.

GLASS: Burning eyes and that kind of stuff.

GLASS: But it was a pretty exciting place.

GLASS: To be between about 69 and 71.

GLASS: I think some was it.

GLASS: Might have been.

GLASS: 68, too, but 6971.

SPRAGUE: I've got to ask, was there any pushback from you being those midshipmen and doing those services and helping people out with First aid, or was that accepted or was that okay?

GLASS: No, that was okay because we were often asked, you know.

GLASS: If you don't support.

GLASS: Vietnam, why are you joining the military? And our response was that, you know, the the men who are over in Vietnam and who are being drafted, they didn't ask.

GLASS: To go there. And they still deserve the best health care.

GLASS: And the.

GLASS: Best first aid.

GLASS: That they can get.

GLASS: And that was our responsibility.

GLASS: It had nothing to.

GLASS: Do about whether you.

GLASS: Believed in the war or not. It had to do with, you know, providing care for for the men that were fighting.

SPRAGUE: And then the related question is how how did how did the war going on affect your decision to join?

GLASS: Well, actually, I wanted to go on a hospital.

GLASS: Ship.

GLASS: And the.

GLASS: Hospital ships were stationed off the coast of.

GLASS: Vietnam.

GLASS: And so I thought, boy, that's really cool.

GLASS: You know, you don't get to do that every day. And so that that affected my, you know, wanting to join the Navy. Unfortunately for me, by the time I.

GLASS: Was ready.

GLASS: To go on active duty in September of 1971, the Navy had.

GLASS: Pulled their nurses.

GLASS: And their.

GLASS: Hospital ships.

GLASS: Out of Vietnam. And so I never I never got to my hospital ship.

SPRAGUE: Did you ever hear from your roommate who was with you at Madison? Of her experience in the Army News Corp? Oh, yeah.

GLASS: Yeah. And and she would have been involved in the I Am Not Invisible project and.

GLASS: May still be interested in.

GLASS: Doing an oral.

GLASS: History with you.

GLASS: But she's been traveling a bit. So, in fact, right now she's.

GLASS: On a cruise. She wasn't at.

GLASS: The event the other night.

GLASS: Because she's on a cruise.

GLASS: But oh, yeah, In fact, she stayed in longer night and she stayed. She did her active duty, which.

GLASS: Was two or three years. And then she stayed in the reserves for 26 years instead of the.

GLASS: 21 or 20.

GLASS: That I stayed in.

GLASS: In.

GLASS: The service where she.

GLASS: Lives here in.

GLASS: Mukwonago. So I see her.

SPRAGUE: Okay. So I assume you get commissioned first and then you go on to training?

GLASS: Yes. Yes. We in fact, we were commissioned while we were students. We were commissioned.

GLASS: In December of 1970 as as Ensigns, and we graduated in June of 71. And then you had to take your.

GLASS: State board exams before you could actually go to.

GLASS: Officer training. And that, I believe, happened in, I think, July. And I was assigned officer training at Newport, Rhode Island. And I believe I went there in late.

GLASS: August, early September.

GLASS: And that, I think.

GLASS: Was a.

GLASS: One month course.

SPRAGUE: Okay.

GLASS: Three weeks to four weeks and stuff.

GLASS: In Newport, Rhode Island.

GLASS: Great place to be.

SPRAGUE: Okay. What help me out here. What? Tell me about the training at Newport. What was that about?

GLASS: Well, it was truly officer training. It was not related to health care.

GLASS: Or medical personnel or anything.

GLASS: So that we.

GLASS: Learned naval history. We learned all about in different ships and how to tell the ships apart. We learned how to march. We learned naval history and, you know, naval etiquette. How did you leave your calling card.

GLASS: When you visited an officer of.

GLASS: Higher standing in.

GLASS: His home? We were issued our uniforms.

GLASS: We learned how to wear the uniforms and how to take care of them.

GLASS: And so it was it was all officer.

GLASS: Training and nothing to do with medical. And from there.

GLASS: We were all.

GLASS: Assigned to go.

GLASS: To our respective hospitals.

GLASS: And I went to the National Naval.

GLASS: Medical Center in Bethesda.

SPRAGUE: What do you remember about your initial arrival in Bethesda? What were your impressions?

GLASS: Well, it was a very large medical center. And since I had come from the University of Wisconsin, I was used to large medical centers. It was quite stately looking. It still is because it's still there.

GLASS: And.

GLASS: You know, it was a it was an adventure.

GLASS: I met other people at officer training that.

GLASS: Were also going to Bethesda.

GLASS: And in fact, four of us ended up in an apartment together.

GLASS: So we spent.

GLASS: A couple of months in the bachelor.

GLASS: Officer's quarters right there.

GLASS: Within walking distance of the hospital. And then we moved into an apartment in Adelphi, Maryland.

GLASS: So but it was and it was all new.

GLASS: I mean.

GLASS: You know, it was you're really paying attention because it was all new.

SPRAGUE: And when you left Newport, how did you get down to Bethesda? Drove. Drove?

GLASS: Yes. In fact, I was able my senior year in Madison.

GLASS: I was able to.

GLASS: You know, with the help of my grandmother by a car. And then so I drove out to.

GLASS: Newport from.

GLASS: Madison.

GLASS: With.

GLASS: My.

GLASS: Future sister in law.

GLASS: And she went with me. We had quite an adventure on our way out there and landed in Newport. And then she flew home. About then a number of.

GLASS: Us.

GLASS: Drove.

GLASS: Down to Bethesda.

SPRAGUE: What? What in terms of while you were at Bethesda, what did you do while you were there?

GLASS: Well, I was.

GLASS: Initially when they ask you, you know, in your intake.

GLASS: Interview what your specialty, as I said, pediatrics.

GLASS: And they said, no, I don't think so.

GLASS: Because in.

GLASS: At.

GLASS: Bethesda, they.

GLASS: Had a pediatrics.

GLASS: Ward, but only civilian nurses.

GLASS: Worked on it.

GLASS: And so I was assigned to orthopedics.

GLASS: And that's like, well, okay.

GLASS: And so the enlisted orthopedic ward was where I was assigned.

GLASS: And I learned a lot there. I had a.

GLASS: Charge nurse.

GLASS: Lieutenant Commander Kay Galoot Liuzzo.

GLASS: Who was a crusty old soul.

GLASS: And she.

GLASS: Had served on a hospital ship.

GLASS: In Vietnam. And word had it.

GLASS: That she had a Purple Heart.

GLASS: But you would never find that out from her. And I did find out later that she actually had a heart of gold. But we had a lot of direct.

GLASS: Patients that came through the Philippines.

GLASS: From Vietnam.

GLASS: Amputees, fractures, open fractures.

GLASS: And they couldn't they.

GLASS: Couldn't go to physical therapy unless they had shoes.

GLASS: And many of.

GLASS: Them, their possessions were who knows where. You know, their pay records.

GLASS: Were messed up. They didn't have any possessions when they arrived. All that, and they couldn't go to party. And so one day I was.

GLASS: In the Navy.

GLASS: Exchange. Tell me, what do I see about Lieutenant Commander Garland?

GLASS: So buying shoes.

GLASS: With their own money.

GLASS: For these guys so that they could go to physical.

GLASS: Therapy and therefore be rehabbed? You know, I often have to explain to my civilian friends that in that.

GLASS: Those days.

GLASS: In the military.

GLASS: You were as an injured sailor.

GLASS: Or Marine in the hospital.

GLASS: Until you could join your unit. There was no.

GLASS: In-between. Occasionally, someone would get sent home on leave.

GLASS: But for the most part, you were.

GLASS: There, assigned to the hospital, assigned to your unit.

GLASS: And so we.

GLASS: Had various levels of.

GLASS: Abilities for these guys. In fact.

GLASS: We had one.

GLASS: Ward that was just a rehab ward. And those guys were actually.

GLASS: Signed jobs and stuff on the in the hole on.

GLASS: Base.

GLASS: And they would do that during the day.

GLASS: And so it was, you know.

GLASS: Important for them to be able.

GLASS: To get back to their units as soon as they could. And so they.

GLASS: Needed to be.

GLASS: In their physical therapy.

SPRAGUE: Could you help me out with that cake, our loser. How do you spell her name?

GLASS: J.R. Elliot.

SPRAGUE: Zeo Mucho.

GLASS: Galoot. So. Yes.

GLASS: And. And after I spent a year on the orthopedic.

GLASS: Ward.

GLASS: And during the.

GLASS: Days we.

GLASS: We were on one ward, during the evenings.

GLASS: We covered three wards.

GLASS: And at nights we covered five wards. You never rode the elevator at night.

GLASS: Because you were the only.

GLASS: Nurse for five.

GLASS: Wards. And if you got stuck in the elevator, there wasn't a good thing.

GLASS: About it.

GLASS: For nursing. What This also.

GLASS: Meant that when I got report on nights, I got a five by seven card for each unit, each ward, and it told me exactly the patients I needed to pay attention to. So I'd have these cards and that I knew during the night.

GLASS: As I went because the wards were.

GLASS: Three in one building and two on another.

GLASS: As I went from place to.

GLASS: Place, I knew who I needed to look in on and what I needed to do. Now each ward had one or two corpsman on it.

GLASS: You know, so the patients were covered. But for nursing.

GLASS: That's what we had to do.

SPRAGUE: That seems like a lot.

GLASS: Well, it was.

GLASS: Overwhelming in the beginning.

GLASS: But pretty soon you got used to it because you come from a system where, you know, of course, you've got three nurses and because you got these 35.

GLASS: Patients.

GLASS: And you know.

GLASS: You have to look at them. But but when you realize, again, going back to you were in the hospital until you could.

GLASS: Go to your unit, we had such varying levels of care that that's why the card.

GLASS: Had the acute people on it. And I needed to pay attention.

GLASS: To those in the open wards. It was also.

GLASS: Not unusual.

GLASS: For the patients to help each other.

GLASS: The the ones that were more mobile would, you know, take the dinner trays and deliver them.

GLASS: Sometimes if somebody.

GLASS: Needed to be fed, one of.

GLASS: Their neighbors would feed them and stuff. It's it's it's very different than the civilian world. And actually it was it was.

GLASS: I liked it a lot. And even with the open.

GLASS: Wards, people say, oh, that's terrible. You have 35.

GLASS: Beds lined up on two rows.

GLASS: And say.

GLASS: No, actually you can see everybody all the time. So, you know, you don't have to.

GLASS: Worry about missing something because you can see them.

GLASS: And one of the.

GLASS: Funny things that used to happen.

GLASS: On nights with the.

GLASS: Was the snoring. So there'd be a certain rhythm that develops on the ward of 35 beds with the guy snoring. And then all of a sudden one of them would stop.

GLASS: And you're like, Okay, what happened?

GLASS: Are they still breathing? You know? And we used to laugh about that. They were they were fine. But it was just such a.

GLASS: Got your attention really fast.

GLASS: So hot. And after orthopedics, I was there for a year. I got transferred to the emergency room and in the emergency room.

GLASS: They didn't have a nurse on nights.

GLASS: But of course, in all.

GLASS: Fairness, you had to do nights. So I did my night duty on the open heart.

GLASS: Ward where there were patients. You know, 12 months old.

GLASS: 85. The saving grace on that for me.

GLASS: Was the resident slept in the back room. So if there was any issues.

GLASS: With them.

GLASS: There was a doctor right there to get you. So the emergency room.

GLASS: Had its own adventures. I was in.

GLASS: The emergency room.

GLASS: In 1973. Spring, I believe. Yes. We just had the anniversary when the P.O.W. came home and the P.O.W.s were picked up by helicopter.

GLASS: At the airport in D.C., helicoptered to Bethesda, which had a heliport.

GLASS: And came in.

GLASS: Through the emergency room.

GLASS: All the Navy and Marine Corps P.O.W.s. And they had prepared. We had a big tower. They had prepared two.

GLASS: Floors in the.

GLASS: Tower.

GLASS: For.

GLASS: These men who, I might add, came in looking rather gaunt.

GLASS: But perfectly dressed in dress uniforms.

GLASS: And while their families were up in the tower.

GLASS: And those two floors.

GLASS: And we had, of course, national media.

GLASS: You know, there was a there's a picture on the cover. I think it's.

GLASS: Time.

GLASS: Magazine taken that was taken in our emergency room.

GLASS: But the national.

GLASS: Media was there because it was a big to do.

GLASS: And.

GLASS: It was quite exciting and quite touching.

GLASS: And that's the one thing that I still remember.

GLASS: Vividly, was being.

GLASS: There behind the desk and the guys coming in, you know, through there and being taken up to.

GLASS: The tower. Some of the very the.

GLASS: Ambulatory.

GLASS: Ones came in first and then the ones that were on stretchers and stuff in perfect uniforms.

GLASS: Came in.

GLASS: At the very end and stuff. It was quite the to do. I was also there when President Nixon was in the hospital.

GLASS: And I, I believe in the the.

GLASS: Lady nurse article that I gave you. There's a description.

GLASS: Of what happened when.

GLASS: The president gets admitted to your hospital because everybody comes with him. The Secret Service.

GLASS: And the.

GLASS: Communication staff took over the switchboard and it was it was.

GLASS: Pretty entertaining.

GLASS: The biggest injuries we.

GLASS: Had during that point in.

GLASS: Time was the Secret Service guys balancing.

GLASS: On the.

GLASS: Back of their chair legs and falling over backwards smack of their heads.

GLASS: And then we would be in the cafeteria at lunchtime and stuff.

GLASS: And all of a sudden all these guys.

GLASS: Would stand up and then they'd.

GLASS: Leave. Well, it was all the Secret Service that in their.

GLASS: Earphones had gotten some kind of message.

GLASS: But it was almost like it was choreographed because they'd all stand up.

GLASS: From Iraq March how it was. There was some entertaining times.

SPRAGUE: So do you got backing up a little bit with the the Vietnam P.O.W.s coming back? Are there any veterans you remember in particular?

GLASS: No. You know, at that point in time.

GLASS: There was there was so many.

GLASS: And and we had all been involved with, you.

GLASS: Know, the wearing of the silver bracelet for the ones that were.

GLASS: Missing in action and.

GLASS: And stuff. So, no, I don't remember any of the names.

SPRAGUE: What were some of the if you could share generally, what were some of the treatments that care that they received.

GLASS: That they received? Yeah. Well, most of.

GLASS: Them were malnourished and some of them had.

GLASS: Wounds that or injuries that.

GLASS: Had not healed.

GLASS: Properly. So they.

GLASS: Had to, you know, have like.

GLASS: Bones reset.

GLASS: A lot of.

GLASS: Gastrointestinal problems because of the environment that they were kept in with, you know, parasites and and things like that. For the most part, they were.

GLASS: You know, in pretty.

GLASS: Good.

GLASS: Shape.

GLASS: And my recollection is most of them were walking, which is good.

SPRAGUE: Yeah. You mentioned Nixon in the article and then did anything else interesting happen in terms of the Secret Service agents falling over?

GLASS: Well, you know, it.

GLASS: Was part of it was also that communication staff took over the switchboard.

GLASS: You know, And.

GLASS: In those days, we're talking.

GLASS: 1973.

GLASS: The calls came.

GLASS: Into the hospital and had to had to be, you know, connected to and directed to telephones that were in.

GLASS: Patients rooms, that were in nursing, you know, centers and stuff.

GLASS: And a lot of that got a little.

GLASS: Confusing until.

GLASS: They they mastered.

GLASS: The system.

GLASS: But the in my recollection.

GLASS: Was that.

GLASS: The.

GLASS: Regular communication.

GLASS: Staff from the hospital.

GLASS: Also was right there. They didn't go anywhere. They were there, but it was sort of a joint effort then at that time.

SPRAGUE: Mm hmm. And what? Can you give me a sense of what what the work, what the work environment was like there in general.

GLASS: In the emergency room, orthopedics or in Bethesda?

SPRAGUE: Let's go with the emergency room.

GLASS: Well, the emergency room, one of the things is in the service, it's very.

GLASS: Different because you have the rank issue and.

GLASS: You also have.

GLASS: The freedom.

GLASS: Nurses in the military do a lot more than civilian nurses.

GLASS: And so.

GLASS: We were.

GLASS: Doing things like I could send if someone came in, had fallen down, thought they broke their arm, I could send them to.

GLASS: X-ray before the doctor ever saw.

GLASS: Them. That would never happen.

GLASS: In a civilian emergency room.

GLASS: At one point we.

GLASS: Were taught how to suture.

GLASS: And we never.

GLASS: Sutured.

GLASS: On dependance.

GLASS: We only sutured.

GLASS: On the.

GLASS: Military enlisted.

GLASS: Or any of the military.

GLASS: And we never sutured on the face. So if you last had a laceration on your arm and stuff, then a nurse could suture your, you know, we could order physical therapy, we could order lab work. We could do things that would set it up. So it was already for the physicians. The physicians were great. They're really good physicians.

GLASS: In fact, a couple.

GLASS: Of the physicians that.

GLASS: They got out of the Navy at the same time I did came back here to Milwaukee to practice and have done very well in in their.

GLASS: Actual civilian practices.

GLASS: But and we had a great.

GLASS: Nurse physician relationship, which you don't always see.

GLASS: And if you.

GLASS: If the I mean, the physicians knew that they needed the nurses. There was a lot more respect, I would say, between the physicians and the nurses working together.

GLASS: And we then also had the corpsman and the corpsman, very highly trained, went to work in the in.

GLASS: The emergency room.

GLASS: Even on the unit. They could do a lot also.

GLASS: And there was.

GLASS: Quite a camaraderie among everybody. I don't recall that we had, you know, major conflicts.

GLASS: Those got resolved real fast because it was pretty clear you had to work as a team.

GLASS: And that that needed to be. I do have a picture here of.

GLASS: This was me.

GLASS: In the.

GLASS: Emergency room.

GLASS: In.

GLASS: 1972.

GLASS: And one of the things that's significant about this is I'm wearing a pantsuit, and that was when the.

GLASS: Pantsuit became authorized as a uniform.

GLASS: In the Navy.

GLASS: And I was the first.

GLASS: One.

GLASS: To order one.

GLASS: And have one and.

GLASS: Take our loot. So all we've spoken of before, she was just she was.

GLASS: Not happy.

GLASS: With the pantsuits. She kept going around.

GLASS: Saying everybody looks like they're wearing their pajamas because at that time they were made out of a polyester knit, you know, and stuff. And I don't know why.

GLASS: Anybody wants to wear their pajamas. And so she got used to it eventually.

GLASS: But that's one of my.

GLASS: Claims to fame is I had the was the first nurse at Bethesda.

GLASS: To have a pantsuit.

SPRAGUE: Yeah. I was going to ask you what what had been the uniform before that?

GLASS: Well, it was I don't think I have. I it was a white a white dress.

GLASS: And.

GLASS: Issue, you know, dress and.

GLASS: Caps the cap that I'm wearing there. And your rank is on your cap.

GLASS: Which is different.

GLASS: Than many.

GLASS: Of the services.

GLASS: How many stripes you have on the cap.

GLASS: Is your rank. So I can look at this picture.

GLASS: Not quite as.

GLASS: Probably an answer. G but you can see the gold and velvet.

GLASS: Caps.

GLASS: Stripes that go on the.

GLASS: Cap and that you got a new band every time you got.

GLASS: Promoted. So but it was a white nursing uniform.

GLASS: White nylons, white shoes.

SPRAGUE: Mm hmm.

GLASS: And that stayed with the pantsuit. Also, you had white, white shoes and stuff. So and then also, while I was at Bethesda, we had big to do's because of.

GLASS: Being in.

GLASS: Bethesda.

GLASS: Being the Mecca for.

GLASS: The health care and stuff. And so the nurse Corps birthday party and now this is a picture of us in our dress whites.

GLASS: And we are it's.

GLASS: Lieutenant G's.

GLASS: Here. And it's actually.

GLASS: Mostly of.

GLASS: The.

GLASS: Arrow points to me.

GLASS: But then my.

GLASS: Roommates are.

GLASS: There and also my.

GLASS: Roommate husband is the gentleman.

GLASS: In the picture. And we met at Newport.

GLASS: But this is a picture from that. We're in our dress whites.

SPRAGUE: Okay.

GLASS: So I left.

GLASS: There in 1973.

SPRAGUE: What were just a little bit more on Bethesda? What given that the Vietnam War was running down, that you were on the Navy base, what were the were there any tensions or any. At Bethesda itself or in terms of that that time frame?

GLASS: No.

GLASS: No.

GLASS: Bethesda is located out of the city. You know, it is.

GLASS: Located at that time as.

GLASS: More.

GLASS: Buildup now around it.

GLASS: But it was sort of located.

GLASS: On the.

GLASS: On the edge of the city. So there wasn't a big populace out there.

GLASS: It wasn't gated at that time.

SPRAGUE: Any issues in terms of. Racial issues in terms of segregation or. No, no, no.

GLASS: We had everybody working together. I don't know that people even mentioned.

GLASS: There wasn't the.

GLASS: Emphasis.

GLASS: As you see.

GLASS: Now in.

GLASS: Regards to the black white issues. You were what? You you were a corpsman. You were a nurse, you're a physician. And sort of went by that.

GLASS: And I grew up that way.

GLASS: Because.

GLASS: In the military, in the in my growing up with my father in the Army, we never.

GLASS: Were exposed to any.

GLASS: Of that.

GLASS: Because it just didn't.

GLASS: Come up. I mean, my.

GLASS: Father worked with.

GLASS: A lot of African-Americans.

GLASS: A lot of Asians, and since he was married.

GLASS: And had a place to go, oftentimes the.

GLASS: Single guys.

GLASS: Came to our.

GLASS: House for Easter dinner, Thanksgiving.

GLASS: Dinner and of.

GLASS: All colors.

GLASS: And we never paid attention. My mother, the family next door.

GLASS: To us.

GLASS: And my mother's best friend in Panama was African-American. And, you know, never I never dawned on us.

GLASS: That there was anything different. We were just always all mixed up.

GLASS: And not until we hit South Carolina when we.

GLASS: Were in lived.

GLASS: In.

GLASS: My father was at Fort Jackson for one year. This would have.

GLASS: Been.

GLASS: 1965, 1965. Well, he retired was 1964 to 1965.

GLASS: We lived off.

GLASS: Base in Dansville, South.

GLASS: Carolina. And my brother and I.

GLASS: Went to a high school that was integrated.

GLASS: That year.

GLASS: So two.

GLASS: Young women, African-American women, were.

GLASS: Brought to school.

GLASS: And picked up every day by the county sheriff.

GLASS: And this was totally strange to us because we'd never.

GLASS: Seen anything like this. One time I got on the bus and sat in the back of the bus, and I.

GLASS: Got chastised by some people on the bus. We'd never been exposed to any of this. Absolutely shocked to see.

GLASS: Water fountains.

GLASS: Labeled colored.

GLASS: And white.

GLASS: So.

GLASS: You know, my.

GLASS: Experience with that.

GLASS: With any kind of racial issues, not until, you know, I don't know.

GLASS: Probably more.

GLASS: After even college in the Navy.

GLASS: It just it was never a thing.

SPRAGUE: So you get done with your tours at Bethesda. What happens next?

GLASS: Well, I would have stayed in.

GLASS: But I wanted a.

GLASS: Transfer out of Bethesda. And the the chief nurse was retiring.

GLASS: And the one.

GLASS: That was going to take her position was someone.

GLASS: That I didn't really get along with, and I wanted to be transferred.

GLASS: And I said, if they would transfer me, I would I would retire. And they said, You re-up.

GLASS: And then we'll think about it.

GLASS: And I said, no.

GLASS: So I. I left.

GLASS: Bethesda.

GLASS: In September of 73. I went to the.

GLASS: University of Minnesota.

GLASS: In Minneapolis to work on my master's. And I stayed in.

GLASS: The reserves because as a graduate student, of course.

GLASS: You need money and I could make as much money in working one weekend a month in.

GLASS: The reserves as I could, working two days a week for four weeks as a nurse. And so it was it was good money.

GLASS: So I ended up assigned to a naval air unit. I spent a year in Minneapolis drilling. And then.

GLASS: As the Navy Reserve is always moving.

GLASS: Things around.

GLASS: A whole bunch of us, about 35, 40 of us.

GLASS: Got assigned to.

GLASS: Units in Detroit.

SPRAGUE: Could you help me out here with your your unit in Minneapolis? You wrote and that's why I'm asking for your help that you wrote down today of why one. Could you help me out with that Naval.

GLASS: Air Reserve division?

GLASS: Okay. And then our number.

GLASS: Would be one. Okay. And so if that was the actual.

GLASS: Unit name and then the next.

GLASS: One, it is an ace is right. Naval Air Station, Detroit.

SPRAGUE: And Naval Air Station. 14, 16 years out.

GLASS: What's that?

SPRAGUE: That's what's written down.

GLASS: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's. That would be the Naval Reserve unit. The unit name.

SPRAGUE: Okay.

GLASS: And it drilled out of.

GLASS: Oh, a small town in Michigan. Wasn't really Detroit that we were.

GLASS: We were in.

GLASS: But they actually flew us everywhere every month. They flew us all 40 of us.

GLASS: To Detroit we left on. Friday when people got off work. We left like Friday night, 7:00, and then we were flown back on Sunday.

GLASS: And there was a whole group of us that.

GLASS: Did that from Minneapolis.

GLASS: For a year.

GLASS: Wow. And that.

GLASS: Was okay until.

GLASS: You ran.

GLASS: Into snow storms.

GLASS: Or mechanical.

GLASS: Troubles. And I can pretty vividly.

GLASS: Remember a 3 a.m. arrival back in many Minneapolis.

GLASS: We would usually leave after the workday, you know, 530, 6:00.

GLASS: And but that time.

GLASS: Snowstorm, we couldn't.

GLASS: We had to let it pass. We got back into Minneapolis at 3 a.m. in the morning.

GLASS: And then, of course, people have to go to their jobs. I was a.

GLASS: Student and I had to, you know.

GLASS: Go to school and stuff in your cars in the parking lot covered with snow and stuff. But that was quite an adventure.

SPRAGUE: A couple of quick follow on questions you have listed here, either at or thereabouts. In 1975, you have Nas Lamar. So it's oh.

GLASS: That's on the bottom section there. That's when I did my my two weeks.

GLASS: Yeah. And Lamar is in California.

SPRAGUE: Okay. So we'll get to that. So while you were first at the aviation unit, what what was your backing up here? What was your unit in that aviation unit while you were drilling? Other than I'm. Yeah.

GLASS: Well, see, it's. It wasn't a naval hospital. It was.

GLASS: It was an air unit. Okay, So that means the medical staff was assigned to that unit.

GLASS: So there was probably a physician and there was a nurse.

GLASS: And then there.

GLASS: Probably was a corpsman or two.

GLASS: And during our drill weekends, what we did.

GLASS: Is we there was a clinic and we worked in.

GLASS: The clinic or I.

GLASS: As a nurse, did corpsman.

GLASS: Training. And that would be.

GLASS: True for.

GLASS: Both Minneapolis and.

GLASS: Detroit.

SPRAGUE: And what were you going to get your master's degree for?

GLASS: Nursing, Nursing.

GLASS: Education and.

GLASS: Medical. Surgical nursing.

SPRAGUE: Okay. And then so they would fly you from Minneapolis to Detroit for a drill. And there were 40 of you.

GLASS: It was 35 or.

SPRAGUE: 45 or 40. You know.

GLASS: That way.

GLASS: The pilots also got.

GLASS: In their training.

GLASS: Because the pilots had to have a certain amount.

GLASS: Of from the air unit, had to have a certain amount of, you know, hours.

GLASS: And training, too.

GLASS: So they would get that by flying us.

SPRAGUE: Wow. Okay. So, okay, back it up to the if you could any Asilomar in 75, your annual training in California. Could you tell me a little bit about that or.

GLASS: Well, we could apply.

GLASS: Where, you know, for our training and.

GLASS: Sometimes we could pick from a list and stuff. And it was a small naval hospital. It was fascinating. It was like a 30 bed hospital in a very small town.

GLASS: And so I worked well. I worked in the hospital.

GLASS: It wasn't necessarily.

GLASS: A lot of, you know.

GLASS: Units or anything. It was just a small hospital was great.

GLASS: So I had that experience.

SPRAGUE: Okay. And moving ahead to while you were living in Minneapolis and drilling in Detroit, you then while you were drilling in Michigan, what where was that drill held out again?

GLASS: I'm trying to remember. It'll come.

GLASS: To me. It was a small it's a naval air station.

GLASS: The Naval air station near Detroit.

GLASS: It was Mt. Pleasant.

SPRAGUE: Or.

GLASS: Pleasant, Michigan. Oak is where it actually is located, but was a naval air station. Naval Reserve. Air station.

GLASS: Much like they have a.

GLASS: Naval reserve.

GLASS: Here in Madison and one here in Milwaukee.

SPRAGUE: Okay.

GLASS: So I guess it's Air Force that they have here.

GLASS: Like if you.

SPRAGUE: Then you it looks like you then come back to it looks like a unit in Milwaukee and 7576 Gen 715. I are you.

GLASS: Oh that's the individual reserve unit.

GLASS: Yes.

GLASS: When I moved here to Milwaukee to teach at the university, I was able to transfer my reserve position.

GLASS: To Milwaukee, but they did not have.

GLASS: A nurse billet nurse position.

GLASS: At the, at the.

GLASS: Hospital or.

GLASS: The clinic unit.

GLASS: And so there's individual reserve units.

GLASS: Or generalized.

GLASS: Reserve units that you could get into.

GLASS: Sometimes it was non pay, but I wasn't in non pay for very long.

GLASS: Because I got a pay position. But if you wish to keep up with your.

GLASS: Points in your time, sometimes you have to take non pay and stuff.

GLASS: So that was the individual reserve unit before I went into the hospital and wait for a position on the Naval Reserve. One thing that was really consistent in my 20 years was the Naval Reserve was forever reorganizing.

GLASS: And and for the medical.

GLASS: People we were reclassified.

GLASS: From.

GLASS: Naval hospitals to marine support to all kinds of different labels.

SPRAGUE: Was it? And I've got to ask in general, covering this time and forward, you had listed in the pre-interview, and it may have been during your annual training serving with Marine units.

GLASS: Yes. Because at one point in time, the Naval Reserve hospitals were.

GLASS: All assigned as Marine battalion.

GLASS: Support units. And so.

GLASS: When I.

GLASS: Was here in Milwaukee drilling.

GLASS: We were Fox Company.

GLASS: We were assigned to support Fox Company.

GLASS: And so that means that when you do.

GLASS: Your two weeks every year, you go with the Marines.

GLASS: Because you got your Marines you got to take care of.

GLASS: And it was three or four years.

GLASS: That we did that. And one year we went to Indiantown Gap with the Marines, and another year we did a mock war, which I think the name is down there, where we.

GLASS: Did our that we did our.

GLASS: Training in Virginia. And then we they landed on the beach at Camp Lejeune. And the women at that time.

GLASS: Were restricted and we could not go on the ships. And so what they did was they flew us by.

GLASS: Helicopter from where we had done the training in Virginia all the way to.

GLASS: Camp Lejeune.

GLASS: And we landed in Camp Lejeune. And then.

GLASS: We were issued our trucks and our medical units and stuff right there.

GLASS: And waited for the.

GLASS: Guys to.

GLASS: Land on the beach. And that was a mock war. There's a funny story with that. And actually, I have a picture of me and my Marine nowadays.

GLASS: Everybody in the Navy and stuff wears.

GLASS: Camouflage.

GLASS: Utilities, as they are called.

GLASS: Well, back then, as Marine.

GLASS: Unit support, we were issued them, but regular Navy people did not wear them. And so here is.

GLASS: Me in my my Marine outfit with my backpack and everything.

GLASS: My stuff. So anyway.

GLASS: A funny thing about landing on the beach at Camp Lejeune.

GLASS: And stuff.

GLASS: And well, we got lost the medical.

GLASS: Unit and their truck with all their supplies.

GLASS: We had the doctor, the dentist, me couple, probably another nurse, a couple of corpsman.

GLASS: And stuff.

GLASS: In this truck in the.

GLASS: We called it the jungle.

GLASS: Of North Carolina. And we're.

GLASS: Lost.

GLASS: And we can't figure out where we are now.

GLASS: Mind you, this is the day before, day and days before the. It's just late seventies, early eighties, no GPS and no cell phones. And so we're just driving.

GLASS: Around in.

GLASS: This truck.

GLASS: And trying to.

GLASS: Figure out where we're supposed to be to set up the aid station.

GLASS: And all of a sudden.

GLASS: As we're on this road.

GLASS: These guys jump.

GLASS: Out of this.

GLASS: The foliage on the sides, they jump out, they've got.

GLASS: Their guns.

GLASS: And everything, and they're pointed at us.

GLASS: And.

GLASS: Stuff.

GLASS: And we said, we're the medical unit. We're the medical.

GLASS: Unit. And they're like, Oh, my goodness, we've been looking for you. And they thought we were the enemy, that we were from the other.

GLASS: Side because they'd been.

GLASS: Split into, you know, the allies and the enemy and.

GLASS: And stuff that we've been looking for you.

GLASS: We thought you were the enemy. And then they.

GLASS: Got us to where we.

GLASS: Belong, where our.

GLASS: Tent was, our clinic and stuff was aid station.

GLASS: Was set up.

GLASS: But it was really funny because we were so lost.

GLASS: And stuff and then they just jump out, you know, when they find out.

SPRAGUE: Oh.

GLASS: That was pretty funny.

GLASS: And then the last one we went.

GLASS: To was.

GLASS: Mountain Warfare training in California.

GLASS: The redwoods of.

GLASS: California. And and that.

GLASS: Was really interesting.

GLASS: I also on that particular trip.

GLASS: I was the senior.

GLASS: Woman.

GLASS: Officer as a senior.

GLASS: Woman. And so in addition to being a nurse.

GLASS: With the aid station, I was in charge of all.

GLASS: The women that were there on.

GLASS: That exercise. And there was a couple of thousand.

GLASS: People on that.

GLASS: Exercise.

GLASS: Women wise, I think we had about 30.

GLASS: And so that was kind of interesting because it was not just the the Navy women. I was in charge of the Marine women also as the senior officer. But that's also and.

GLASS: That was one of our.

GLASS: Active duties.

GLASS: When we did not do.

GLASS: Simulated injuries because we had so.

GLASS: Many real injuries that we.

GLASS: Never did simulated ones.

GLASS: We we made a couple of mountain.

GLASS: Rescues where people.

GLASS: Fell in the in the mountains and had to be brought down by stretcher. We went up looking for them and got them and brought them.

GLASS: Down and stuff.

GLASS: So that was probably really the Marine stuff was absolutely fascinating and the Marines like it.

GLASS: If their support people do what they do.

GLASS: And so we did what they did. I mean, I.

GLASS: Did the obstacle course where you.

GLASS: Have to go over the law where they tell.

GLASS: You there's snakes.

GLASS: And alligators down.

GLASS: Below. There wasn't.

GLASS: We climb up.

GLASS: Over the walls.

GLASS: With rappelling, having gone down upside down. The first time, I convinced them that.

GLASS: It wasn't.

GLASS: Smart to have all their medical people up on the top of the tower and that some medical people should be down on the ground. And I got.

GLASS: Myself assigned down on the ground so I didn't have to do.

GLASS: It again. But they and they love that. And the Marines take care of their.

GLASS: Their support people. You know, Marines are part of the.

GLASS: Navy and they love their medical people.

GLASS: So it was a good experience for the Marines always.

GLASS: Even I mean, for the women, they really.

GLASS: Protected.

GLASS: The women. When we went on.

GLASS: For the weekend.

GLASS: In some.

GLASS: Of these, you got to go.

GLASS: Like when we were in California, I think we went.

GLASS: To either Lake Tahoe or Vegas or somewhere. But they're very protective.

SPRAGUE: What I'm curious about the the amphibious assault with.

GLASS: Yes.

SPRAGUE: Tell me more about that, if you can.

GLASS: Well, I mean, I don't remember a lot of the training that we went through. I do remember when they landed on the beach and we had the mock war.

GLASS: Because we lost the war and stuff. So you always remember that.

GLASS: But we spent.

GLASS: It with the aid station was.

GLASS: In the woods.

GLASS: You know, with the moss on the trees.

GLASS: And all that kind of stuff that you have in that area, the swampy kind of area. And we had to.

GLASS: Use mechanisms where we couldn't.

GLASS: Show any.

GLASS: Light, so we had to improvise.

GLASS: And so like, we had a light bulb, but we had to have a cover around it. We had to make one out of cardboard.

GLASS: So we learned a.

GLASS: Lot of.

GLASS: Sort.

GLASS: Of real time.

GLASS: Things we needed to do.

GLASS: Should you actually be in a war? So we didn't have as many.

GLASS: Most of the injuries.

GLASS: We had on that.

GLASS: Trip, I think, were blisters.

GLASS: We didn't have.

GLASS: The injuries.

GLASS: We had with mountain climbing.

SPRAGUE: So you said in general, the treatment by the Marines was really good?

GLASS: Yes. Yes, very good.

SPRAGUE: Was it about this time in about roughly 1975 that you started working at the University of Milwaukee University, Wisconsin-Milwaukee?

GLASS: Yes. During those experiences I was just telling you about, we're in the late seventies, early eighties, but I started to work. I came to Milwaukee to work at UW and.

GLASS: Then I worked there. I'm in my.

GLASS: 47th, 48th year.

SPRAGUE: And what was that position initially you took?

GLASS: I was.

GLASS: An.

GLASS: Instructor.

GLASS: And then, you know, eventually.

GLASS: Through the years was promoted all the way to professor. Okay, so, Professor, I'm a professor emerita.

SPRAGUE: Okay. And 1976, 77, you wrote this and you're going to have to help me out with a couple of these. And in reading your record, it reflects the changes that you were talking about that the Navy was making continually to the names and the structures.

GLASS: Yeah.

SPRAGUE: The first one here from 76 to 77 was a Neve Reg Med Center. A21300. Are you Milwaukee.

GLASS: Naval Regional Medical Center.

SPRAGUE: Okay.

GLASS: What the number is and. Oh, are you Milwaukee.

GLASS: Oh, that would.

GLASS: Be the fact that that was see there was a lot of, there'd be like Naval Regional Medical Center and when that was really Great Lakes. And then there's all these little satellites from the reserves. Should there.

GLASS: Be an.

GLASS: Activation and stop those reserves from these various places would go to Great Lakes. So there's a.

GLASS: Unit in Madison, there's a unit in Milwaukee, there's a unit in Green Bay.

GLASS: There is the regional part.

GLASS: It was Michigan, Illinois, Indiana.

GLASS: Wisconsin. That was the regional aspect. So all of those there.

GLASS: Might be ten.

GLASS: Units all.

GLASS: Assigned to the.

GLASS: Regional medical center.

GLASS: And and.

GLASS: So should there be a need.

GLASS: For activation.

GLASS: Everybody would go to that regional medical center because the Great Lakes was.

GLASS: A thousand bed hospital and it was as Vietnam wound down, a lot of it was mothballed.

GLASS: So that.

GLASS: Then, you know, gradually it came down and now it's been combined with the.

GLASS: VA.

GLASS: So a lot of change. But when we were.

GLASS: A naval hospital unit, which you have there too.

GLASS: And H.

GLASS: And stuff, we were still too or is still.

GLASS: Assigned regionally. Naval Hospital 1113.

GLASS: Is that what it is there one year was it 1013 and 1130? Team. One was marquee.

GLASS: One was Madison Square.

SPRAGUE: Garden, an 8 to 13 out of Milwaukee, a 113 out of Milwaukee later. And then the one unit in Madison that you're talking about later on is. 1013.

GLASS: Yeah. When Madison was 1013, Milwaukee became 1113. Again, they changed all the numbers. You know, the bottom line was you were a medical unit assigned to somebody.

SPRAGUE: Mm hmm.

GLASS: And stuff. So.

GLASS: You know, and because.

GLASS: We're at our closest to Great Lakes, we were most of time assigned to Great Lakes as a there's a connection.

SPRAGUE: And it's not really super important, but what does are you stand for?

GLASS: No idea. Okay. I don't remember.

SPRAGUE: Don't worry.

GLASS: Reserve unit R us. Probably.

SPRAGUE: Reserve Unit. Okay. It looks like in 77 you were doing your annual drill, maybe at the Naval Hospital in Key West.

GLASS: Yes.

SPRAGUE: What was that like?

GLASS: Oh, that was a lot of fun. Again, that's when you had choices.

GLASS: But pretty soon as you'll notice on the list, there is you got kept closer to home.

GLASS: They didn't want to send you around initially.

GLASS: You could even go to overseas.

GLASS: Key West, again, this small hospital. But of course, you can imagine.

GLASS: In Key West, there's the atmosphere and the culture. And I worked in the hospital. I don't remember what ward, but there was a couple other people that were also there as reservists for their two weeks.

GLASS: And lived in the bachelor.

GLASS: Officer's quarters.

GLASS: I remember going down and watching the fishermen come in with their catch and, you know, being out and about after.

GLASS: Hours because most of the reservists, they because you're only there for two weeks, they put you on the day shift because there's a.

GLASS: Lot of training that has to be done for the evening and the night shift.

GLASS: So they don't they just put you on the day shift. So.

GLASS: You know, 4:00 in the afternoon.

GLASS: You were free to go and explore Key West.

GLASS: So I do remember getting to Key West. I flew into.

GLASS: Somewhere in Florida.

GLASS: And then you take a small plane from that place in.

GLASS: Florida to Key.

GLASS: West. And the plane, when you went to get on, it.

GLASS: Was tilted.

GLASS: Like this.

GLASS: It was one where this is the.

GLASS: Tail end and this is the pilot.

GLASS: Up here. It's tilted. So you have to go up the stairs and then you have to.

GLASS: Walk up and.

GLASS: The windows opened and were open.

GLASS: And after we were in the air, the the copilot came around with like a six.

GLASS: Pack of Coca-Cola.

GLASS: And he handed out the coke to anybody.

GLASS: That wanted something to.

GLASS: Drink on the plane.

GLASS: It was hilarious.

GLASS: You know, And I had been on plenty of big planes, but and.

GLASS: The windows being open, you could just I mean, it.

GLASS: Was the kind that, you know, slid out.

GLASS: You could just look all around and everything.

GLASS: So we didn't even get high enough that they had to have.

GLASS: A secure cabin.

SPRAGUE: So later on, 77, 78, 79, looks like a major Marine Division medical.

GLASS: Yeah.

GLASS: That's what we were with the Marines.

SPRAGUE: You know, in out of Milwaukee.

GLASS: Yeah.

SPRAGUE: It also looks like 79. You went to Indiantown Gap. That was the. Yeah. Was that the mountain warfare? That was.

GLASS: The funny thing about that is that.

GLASS: What we discovered a little bit too late was.

GLASS: Indiantown Gap had.

GLASS: The facility the the base there had been used for refugees.

GLASS: From.

GLASS: Vietnamese refugees. Anyway, the place was.

GLASS: Contaminated with.

GLASS: Lice.

GLASS: And we find.

GLASS: That out until too late.

GLASS: And we.

GLASS: Have pictures.

GLASS: Of.

GLASS: Us having secured some really.

GLASS: Big like barrels and boiling.

GLASS: All kinds of stuff with big wooden spatulas, trying to, you know, get rid of it. That was an adventure there.

GLASS: Again, when we went on that.

GLASS: When we would be setting up.

GLASS: Our own clinic and working out of our own clinic as.

GLASS: Opposed to being assigned.

GLASS: To one, like.

GLASS: When you got assigned to the hospital to great lengths, I mean, everything's there, you just another person coming in.

GLASS: But when we went out on some of these.

GLASS: We had to set up our own clinic, our.

GLASS: Own.

GLASS: Aid station. Yeah. Yes.

GLASS: And then you consolidated at Indiantown Gap. I remember there was a lot of other.

GLASS: Doctors and nurses and corpsman from lots of different units. It wasn't just us. These were the Marines as big battalion exercises. And so.

GLASS: You have the other.

GLASS: Mardi of hospital units.

GLASS: From all around. I remember one of our my old roommate from.

GLASS: Bethesda showed up because she was in.

GLASS: A unit in Chicago about all of the.

GLASS: Hospital units that support.

GLASS: That Marine division come together.

GLASS: So you.

GLASS: May have from your unit, you know, three doctors, two.

GLASS: Nurses and.

GLASS: Equipment, and you may end up with ten.

GLASS: Doctors, 15 nurses and stuff because everybody comes together for this big exercise.

GLASS: And then you have to.

GLASS: Work out essentially your organizational system, you know, who is going to do what, where.

SPRAGUE: That's going to be a little bit difficult trying to figure that out on the fly.

GLASS: Well, it was I mean, normally these were 14 to 17 day exercises.

GLASS: And, you know, you pretty much fell into the.

GLASS: Doctors would figure out who was going to do what you and the nurses would figure out, and the nurses supervise the equipment.

GLASS: And you would, you know, come.

GLASS: Up with a system. And there was I don't.

GLASS: Remember there not being enough work to be done. And sometimes we had two staff aid stations someplace else. You know, like when we did.

GLASS: The the exercise for Camp Lejeune and stuff, there was other aid stations we had all been assigned. You go here, you go here, you go there kind of thing. They were huge exercises.

SPRAGUE: So during this time when you're not drilling as a reservist, you are back at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Yes.

GLASS: I mean, my full time paid.

GLASS: Job was.

GLASS: At UW. Yes. And how that ended up as I never intended to stay in the Navy.

GLASS: For 20 years.

GLASS: However, as I mentioned in graduate.

GLASS: School, it was good.

GLASS: Money.

GLASS: For a couple of days when I left graduate.

GLASS: School and came to UW and I had no.

GLASS: Savings because I'd spent it to go to school. So I used it as sort of.

GLASS: Extra money.

GLASS: And pretty soon I had more than ten years.

GLASS: And when you've got more than ten years in, you have to think about whether or not.

GLASS: You want to stay for the retirement. And so.

GLASS: Than I did.

GLASS: I just stayed.

GLASS: And and actually I did my.

GLASS: Two weeks during the summer, which worked out because I wasn't employed at UW. And during the summer.

GLASS: We didn't have classes at that time.

GLASS: During the summer. And so I.

GLASS: Would do my two.

GLASS: Weeks, you know, during the summer itself. And it was and again, it was also it was really interesting, you know, and it was fun to have something else to do that was different than your regular job.

GLASS: And that was a lot of people that was it. You know, that that what they did in the.

GLASS: Navy was different than what they did in their civilian.

GLASS: Job.

GLASS: And that was part of the motivation to keep going was because it was so different.

SPRAGUE: Yeah. 79 to 83. Naval Reserve Med C.R. U 1113 out of Milwaukee. And also looks like Naval Reserve and AMC Northeast regular 1113. Sounds like a ringing any bells.

GLASS: Yeah yeah. I mean.

GLASS: Those are just.

GLASS: Not nothing changed.

SPRAGUE: Okay.

GLASS: I'm working with the same 20 to 30 people in the OC in the clinic are at the reserve.

GLASS: Center down here, but nothing J That didn't change.

GLASS: But that's just.

GLASS: The way the Navy.

GLASS: Reorganized things. Yeah. So I saved.

GLASS: The arm on.

GLASS: Some of those is would be.

GLASS: Marine. The marine affiliation. Yeah. The Naval Regional.

GLASS: Medical Center.

GLASS: In our emcee. That would be.

GLASS: Relationship to Great Lakes. Okay.

SPRAGUE: Okay.

GLASS: And you have in the Navy and the Naval hospital again.

GLASS: It was a.

GLASS: And H was Naval hospital and then Naval Regional.

GLASS: Medical Center would be where we.

GLASS: Were assigned.

SPRAGUE: Okay. You had mentioned with this one in particular, and I'm curious, you had listed XO or. Executive Officer. Yes. Tell me about that a little bit and some of the leadership challenges. And in this case, you're the XO, but you may still be leading it, leading in some way.

GLASS: Well, you're still a nurse corps officer.

GLASS: That's primary. But then within each of the.

GLASS: The Naval Reserve units, you have your positions, you have your training officer, Navy executive officer, you have a commanding officer.

GLASS: And the commanding.

GLASS: Officer usually appoints the executive officer and the training officer.

GLASS: And then within.

GLASS: Each of those you have specific duties.

GLASS: That you.

GLASS: Need to do during your two weeks. You know, So as executive officer, I probably was keeping.

GLASS: Tabs on the people that were in the unit.

GLASS: You know, the emergency call list, adding new people to the unit were positions that we.

GLASS: Have that needed.

GLASS: To be filled and whatever.

GLASS: Else the commanding officer told me to do, attending various meetings every weekend, the.

GLASS: The reserve center as a whole.

GLASS: Has their meetings.

GLASS: Because they.

GLASS: Have maybe eight units.

GLASS: That drill there. And so all.

GLASS: The commanding.

GLASS: Officers come together.

GLASS: For.

GLASS: Meetings, all the executive officers come together. We also.

GLASS: Get instructions and mandates from the Regional.

GLASS: Medical Center, which we would be attached to, and certain things that had to be.

GLASS: Done from from that.

GLASS: Standpoint because.

GLASS: They again govern all the.

GLASS: Reserve units. So it would be things like that. When I was the training officer, which I was a number of times also, you have to take care.

GLASS: Of the training for the corpsman.

GLASS: And so you come up with lesson plans and with different topics. You have to schedule the CPR training every year.

GLASS: When I was.

GLASS: The training officer.

GLASS: And probably when.

GLASS: I was the executive officer.

GLASS: Here in Milwaukee.

GLASS: We used the.

GLASS: UW M.

GLASS: Nursing school.

GLASS: Labs.

GLASS: In regards to teaching various things, how to start IVs, how to do the CPR.

GLASS: They have a simulation.

GLASS: Laboratories, they're called these days.

GLASS: Where.

GLASS: They you can train people. And so the reserve unit would we would drill there in order to do that, at least the corpsman and the nurses and stuff so we could do the.

GLASS: Training of the corpsman.

SPRAGUE: Could you tell me. Yeah. He had also listen listed sorry, training officer as well. Yeah. So can you tell me a little bit more and maybe flush out a little bit better because I don't understand it, but that relationship between a nurse and training those corpsman and you've talked about it quite a lot, but what about that relationship?

GLASS: Well, the corpsman come.

GLASS: In with just their basic corpsman.

GLASS: Training, and there.

GLASS: Are things that health care people need to be certified.

GLASS: In every.

GLASS: Year, every other year, one of them being CPR.

GLASS: One of them being.

GLASS: Ethics and privacy.

GLASS: And stuff.

GLASS: And the corpsman, because they're drilling just like you are.

GLASS: One weekend a month here.

GLASS: Have to have access to.

GLASS: That kind of training because they can only get so much. They go for their two.

GLASS: Weeks.

GLASS: And depending on where they go, like many times, our corpsman went with the.

GLASS: Marines, regardless of whether or not.

GLASS: We were a marine unit, their active duty, they would be assigned to go with the Marines. Well, they might be on their own.

GLASS: With not a physician. And so.

GLASS: They have.

GLASS: To have a certain number of skills. In order to be able to do the job.

GLASS: And that's what the major.

GLASS: Part of our reserve weekends were. When you're in a hospital unit is training.

GLASS: Training for that day when you get called up. And, you know, I retired in 1990.

GLASS: As Desert Storm was going.

GLASS: On.

GLASS: And people were called.

SPRAGUE: Up.

GLASS: And so all that training that you do.

GLASS: For all those years.

GLASS: Then.

GLASS: Was used. But the corpsman.

GLASS: Have to be trained in all kinds of.

GLASS: Medical skills, you know, everything from, you know.

GLASS: Asphyxiation to snake bites and, you know, all kinds of stuff.

GLASS: So that's what the majority of our weekends were were done. What we were doing.

SPRAGUE: Was it was at this point, where are you? And help me out with this that you started to become a nurse administrator or was that before or is that not related to.

GLASS: Oh, I was I was classified as a nurse administrator. Once you hit a certain.

GLASS: Rank in the Navy, you're.

GLASS: Also classified as a minute, because if you're a charge nurse, you're classified as a nurse administrator. And so.

GLASS: I've.

GLASS: Been classified as that.

GLASS: For a long time.

GLASS: What happens, though, when the Reserve Unit's like Tio XO CEO.

GLASS: That's Navy.

GLASS: Administrator.

GLASS: Not health care, not nurse. So I might be a nurse corps officer.

GLASS: But if you're the executive officer, you're a Navy administrator, and there's things that have to be.

GLASS: Done for that.

GLASS: And stuff unrelated to the fact that you're a nurse. Now, that unit was all health care people in the Naval.

GLASS: Hospital unit or.

GLASS: Any of those units that are there are all health care people, psychologists, physicians, corpsman, physical therapists.

GLASS: Hospital supply people.

GLASS: Nutritionists.

GLASS: One of the.

GLASS: People I graduate I drilled with for.

GLASS: A long time.

GLASS: Was a dietitian, nutritionist.

GLASS: But you all had a health care connection.

GLASS: And that's what you're.

GLASS: Dealing with all the time.

SPRAGUE: What's it about this time? You're going have to help me out with the 7983. When did you start attending the University of Illinois, Chicago, for your 7979. And tell me about that, if you would, a little bit.

GLASS: Well, I would.

GLASS: In order to continue to work at a big university like UW.

GLASS: And you have to have a doctorate at.

GLASS: That time. And there was limited places.

GLASS: At that time in the.

GLASS: Midwest for nursing PhDs, that was Michigan and UIC and stuff. So in.

GLASS: 1979 I.

GLASS: Was accepted into the program there for the Ph.D. and I graduated in 83. In some of those years I worked.

GLASS: Part time, but I.

GLASS: Still.

GLASS: Kept up my Navy again because.

GLASS: It was good money.

SPRAGUE: And what was your PhD focused on again?

GLASS: Nursing research in nursing history. Okay.

SPRAGUE: Any particular topic or dissertation within that or.

GLASS: Yes, I did my dissertation on a.

GLASS: Nursing leader out of Minnesota.

GLASS: Who happened to be really active, but in World.

GLASS: War Two.

GLASS: And after.

GLASS: And she was the dean at Minnesota for 30 years, which was very unusual.

GLASS: In her.

GLASS: Career. She went into nursing during.

GLASS: World War One.

GLASS: And during a very specific.

GLASS: Training program, and she retired from 1959.

GLASS: Anyway, she's a very well known nursing leader, so I did a.

GLASS: Leadership.

GLASS: Analysis of her for my dissertation.

SPRAGUE: And if you could please share with us what was her name?

GLASS: Catherine Densmore.

SPRAGUE: Okay. Thank you. So 81, you're in, you're doing these things. Did you ever find the combination of working on your Ph.D. and being in the Naval Reserves a challenge, having both of those? No, no.

GLASS: No. And because what I did adjust was.

GLASS: My employment at UW, and I.

GLASS: Reduced my appointment one year, I think I was 15%. But most of the.

GLASS: Time I didn't try to be full time there.

GLASS: And that was it was flexible.

SPRAGUE: Hmm.

GLASS: And I was actually.

GLASS: I was tenured.

GLASS: My first year in the doctoral.

GLASS: Program, 79. And so I.

GLASS: Didn't really have to worry about.

GLASS: The position. I was in the position.

SPRAGUE: So. Oh, okay. Achieving tenure in the first year.

GLASS: That's well, no, in first year of the doctoral.

GLASS: Program, I would've been at.

GLASS: UW since 75.

GLASS: I went up early, went up a year early.

GLASS: And stuff, but.

SPRAGUE: 81 mountain warfare training, Northern California. Anything you remember from that?

GLASS: I told you, I've already told you some of the stories bad about the the rescues and stuff.

GLASS: And being in charge of the Marine women.

SPRAGUE: Tell me a little I'm curious about that. How how does that work? You're in charge of the Marine women, but aren't they also within their normal chain of command or is it a separate chain of command, or how does that work?

GLASS: Well, you know, everything based on rank, of course. And back in those.

GLASS: Days, there was a big.

GLASS: Division between men and.

GLASS: Women. Women were only allowed to do certain things and stuff.

GLASS: And but they did have that. You had to I mean, the women were organized.

GLASS: In regards to.

GLASS: Where.

GLASS: They were, their.

GLASS: Sleeping.

GLASS: Quarters were.

GLASS: And and, you know, where they needed to be. And so, yes, they and each of these people had their jobs in the Marines and in the Navy. They all had their jobs about when it came to And I think I have some.

GLASS: Pictures of.

GLASS: The formations when you had a.

GLASS: Formation of 2000.

GLASS: People on the grounds the.

GLASS: Women were with.

GLASS: The women not.

GLASS: Integrated into the other companies, we were right there. So it's a.

GLASS: Navy and a rendering.

GLASS: And stuff.

GLASS: So and even within that, there were other.

GLASS: Officers, Marine Corps officers and nurse Corps officers that were there. But I was the senior, so I was in charge of them and stuff. But that's a rank thing in the service.

SPRAGUE: Okay.

GLASS: And it doesn't make any difference whether you're a nurse or an engineer or whatever. It's the rank.

SPRAGUE: Okay. Naval Hospital. Great Lakes. 1031 Madison C.O., commanding officer. Tell me a little bit about what were some of the leadership challenges you faced and dealt with as being a commanding officer?

GLASS: Well, first of all, I have to say.

GLASS: Why I went to commanding.

GLASS: Officer to be.

GLASS: A commanding officer in Madison.

SPRAGUE: That.

GLASS: I drilled in Milwaukee all those years. And the Navy has a.

GLASS: Policy is.

GLASS: You cannot return to the unit that you were the commanding.

GLASS: Officer of. And because just like in the civilian world with promotions.

GLASS: And moving up the ladder and.

GLASS: There's also a certain.

GLASS: Amount.

GLASS: Of it's your turn. So when it came to.

GLASS: Me coming up for commanding.

GLASS: Officer.

GLASS: Because mind you, what they do is they take a look all around for the people.

GLASS: You know, there's these like ten units assigned to the Midwest, the region and stuff. They look for.

GLASS: The commanding officers.

GLASS: They'll look at all those units and decide who.

GLASS: Should be commanding.

GLASS: Officer. So it was.

GLASS: To my benefit.

GLASS: Commuting wise to essentially.

GLASS: Say, volunteer.

GLASS: To go to Madison, because if I spent two years as commanding officer in Madison.

GLASS: I could come back to my Milwaukee unit and finish same.

GLASS: So as opposed to if I was commanding officer in Milwaukee.

GLASS: I would have had to.

GLASS: Commute somewhere.

GLASS: For another like five.

GLASS: Years or so and stuff.

GLASS: So I went to Madison.

GLASS: And was at the Reserve Center.

GLASS: And commanded the.

GLASS: Naval hospital unit.

GLASS: There. And in fact, here I have a picture.

GLASS: That shows you this is a.

GLASS: When I was a commanding this is 1985 and this.

GLASS: Is it's.

GLASS: Probably.

GLASS: Is that this is.

GLASS: That's me in the khakis in the middle. And then that's.

GLASS: All the.

GLASS: Staff in the unit that were in the unit.

GLASS: And it was probably I was either I was probably leaving.

GLASS: Which is why there's a cake on the table and stuff. Anyway, that was a great position.

GLASS: Great people.

GLASS: I commuted up there. I went on Friday night, stayed in a certain hotel Friday night and Saturday night near.

GLASS: The base.

GLASS: And a.

GLASS: Great people to work with at the base. There wasn't really, you know, just the regular.

GLASS: Challenges.

GLASS: That.

GLASS: You have anytime.

GLASS: You're a leader and in charge of things as various personnel issues.

GLASS: Come up.

GLASS: Helping people, particularly the younger people, make decisions in regards to.

GLASS: What they're doing with.

GLASS: Their Navy career.

GLASS: And helping people decide where.

GLASS: What they're going to do with their active duty.

GLASS: Helping them, you know, figure out where they want to go.

GLASS: We it was the same.

GLASS: Kind of unit as in Milwaukee in that we did a lot of training and we had.

GLASS: A basic clinic.

GLASS: On that weekend, didn't do a lot.

GLASS: We also did first aid training and CPR.

GLASS: Training with the other the.

GLASS: Other units.

GLASS: You know, there might be an engineering.

GLASS: Unit that was there. There might be a communication unit, a supply unit. There was also a marine Corps unit there in Madison and stuff. So. So but as I say, I don't recall that there was any specific challenges.

GLASS: And the commute ended up being okay. You know.

SPRAGUE: Did you ever feel there was in terms of your promotion or position, any discrimination against you and your gender in that from other people within the Navy?

GLASS: No.

SPRAGUE: Okay.

GLASS: No.

GLASS: I mean, it's like, you know, there's.

GLASS: And probably.

GLASS: Because the military is so rank oriented.

GLASS: You know.

GLASS: I mean, it's like that's the way it is. And now there's a lot of talk about the harassment and stuff. But during the time I was there.

GLASS: I don't recall any really I mean, maybe a comment made now and then.

GLASS: But it also was.

GLASS: Not the mentality.

GLASS: We didn't we didn't go around thinking anything was harassment. Somebody made.

GLASS: A comment, you laugh it off.

GLASS: Or you make a thought.

GLASS: Remark back to them kind of thing. But it's not like we were thinking, oh, you know, I'm being harassed. But no.

GLASS: And because of the ranking system and being in the nurse corps and their school was primarily women.

GLASS: You know, and I worked very well.

GLASS: The physicians I had were great.

GLASS: But again, they were they were Navy trained. They knew that working we all had been through. None of us.

GLASS: At this point, all of us at this point in.

GLASS: Time had been in.

GLASS: The service for ten or 15 years and stuff. So everybody sort of respected each other.

GLASS: And and.

GLASS: Knew that that's how things go.

GLASS: You know, and. And the.

GLASS: 212 physicians that I worked.

GLASS: With have both died.

GLASS: That were the commanding officers of their.

GLASS: Unit here in Milwaukee.

GLASS: So they were older than I was.

SPRAGUE: So and so it looks like after you get done commanding in Madison, you come back to Milwaukee. Yes. And then you're it looks like you're the XO here at Naval Hospital, Great Lakes, 1113 maybe.

GLASS: Yes.

SPRAGUE: What what was that like being XO?

GLASS: Oh, it's the same as XO.

GLASS: Any other. I mean, next door has a defined.

GLASS: Position, just like saying you're the assistant administrator or the assistant director. It's a defined that kind of thing. So it was just like being an XO. And I've been the XO with that unit before. It was a way.

GLASS: Of.

GLASS: Essentially.

GLASS: Integrating me back into the unit after being gone.

GLASS: Two years. Because mind you, these are the same people I've drilled.

GLASS: With now.

GLASS: For five or six years.

GLASS: And stuff. And then, you.

GLASS: Know, they could use my leadership experience. So they made me the XO. And then at some point there I transferred to the Readiness command.

GLASS: I don't know what year looks like.

SPRAGUE: I'm going to guess here. 86, 87, I think, before I get you to the Readiness command in 88, you quick you did a little stint, it looks like, in the Surgeon General's office maybe.

GLASS: Oh, yeah, That was my active duty, right? Yeah. Well, I did one stint at I did.

GLASS: Too, in the Surgeon General's office.

GLASS: For active duty. I also did one at the.

GLASS: At Bethesda at the Health Sciences Education.

GLASS: Center, and that was I had.

GLASS: I was senior.

GLASS: Enough in rank and with my credentials.

GLASS: In nursing.

GLASS: Education.

GLASS: And from the university.

GLASS: That I could request.

GLASS: Now some of these other active duties besides just going to Great Lakes and working.

GLASS: At the hospital.

GLASS: Which I did do. And when I was in the Surgeon General's office.

GLASS: In Washington, D.C..

GLASS: The first time I was there.

GLASS: I was worked as an aide to the admiral and did a lot of work in her.

GLASS: Office in regards to, you know, various paperwork.

GLASS: Very, you know, whether or not they're.

GLASS: Working with reports or.

GLASS: Gathering.

GLASS: Statistics.

GLASS: Or doing that kind of thing. And I accompanied her to a number of meetings.

GLASS: And was her note taker.

GLASS: And. Then the second time I was there, I worked on the history of the.

GLASS: Naval Reserve Nurse Corps, and I spent.

GLASS: Time sort of like independently.

GLASS: I was in.

GLASS: The Library of Congress and.

GLASS: I was over looking at various documents.

GLASS: I eventually wrote a paper on.

GLASS: The history of the Naval Reserve News Corp that was published.

GLASS: And I.

GLASS: Delivered a.

GLASS: Speech at the.

GLASS: Oh, the yes. There was a organization that was.

GLASS: Navy Medical and I.

GLASS: I delivered a paper at a conference in San Diego.

GLASS: For that that was in would have been between 80, 80, 90.

SPRAGUE: Okay.

GLASS: I'm blanking out what the name.

GLASS: Of that organization was. I have actually been have a rip ribbon for for the.

GLASS: Being a member for so long.

SPRAGUE: Wow. So lot lots to cover here. So do you happen to remember the title of that paper that you published at time?

GLASS: I've got it. If you want to. I can.

SPRAGUE: We'd love a copy of it.

GLASS: Yeah, I've got a copy of it. I have a copy.

GLASS: Of my publications.

SPRAGUE: And then for the Surgeon Generals. You had talked about the Health Science and Education Training Center in Bethesda. That was. You had mentioned that. Was that and correct me if I'm wrong on this, was that helping combat veterans from Vietnam with elementaries? Does that sound right or what was.

GLASS: No, no, no. That was a that is now that office is connected with the university.

GLASS: That medical the Unite.

GLASS: Uniformed Services University.

GLASS: And that particular branch.

GLASS: Of it and stuff. What we were doing was.

GLASS: Designing training plans, lesson plans for corpsman and doing there was actually.

GLASS: Two other people, two other reserve officers.

GLASS: At the time that were there with me and and.

GLASS: Stuff. And we were doing when you go for your two weeks to places like that.

GLASS: They usually have a stack of.

GLASS: Projects that they need done that they're personnel, full time personnel.

GLASS: Haven't had time to do.

GLASS: So you usually get one of those projects.

GLASS: And that you can work on and and and do for them and get that done for.

GLASS: Them. So that was that was education projects, education and training projects.

GLASS: At that place. When I did that one and they're located.

GLASS: At Bethesda.

GLASS: At the Naval.

GLASS: Medical Center, the Surgeon General's office is.

GLASS: Downtown near the Kennedy.

GLASS: Center.

SPRAGUE: Okay. And. Backing up to the Readiness command, 88 to 93 Readiness Command, 13 Great Lakes. What does a a credentialing officer do? He had mentioned that you were involved with.

GLASS: Well, first, the readiness.

GLASS: Command. There are.

GLASS: A certain number of regional.

GLASS: Readiness commands in the United States and the.

GLASS: Naval Regional.

GLASS: Readiness Command 13 operates out of.

GLASS: Great Lakes.

GLASS: It commands all of the.

GLASS: Naval Reserve forces.

GLASS: In Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin. And they're in charge of all of it. And on their staff, they have a.

GLASS: Nurse corps officer.

GLASS: A medical.

GLASS: Officer.

GLASS: A dental officer and a health sciences officer.

GLASS: Four of us.

GLASS: Made up that group.

GLASS: It's the top.

GLASS: Position I could have ended up in. At that point, I was a commander and in fact, I was.

GLASS: Eligible to be.

GLASS: Promoted to captain the year I retired and debated. Should I stay in? And I decided not to for that promotion.

GLASS: Because once you get the promotion, you have to stay two years to make that promotion stick. Anyway, so I was the nurse career officer.

GLASS: Which meant that along with the other.

GLASS: Health services officers, we were in charge.

GLASS: Of all of the medical.

GLASS: People all over those four states. And so I was in charge of all of the group officers in four states that were doing reserve duty.

GLASS: And we.

GLASS: Used to.

GLASS: Have to go out.

GLASS: It would be we would go out in twos. We would go to all the different reserve centers. So there's like three or four reserves in centers in Indiana.

GLASS: A couple in Illinois like three.

GLASS: And in Wisconsin there was three or four in Michigan. We'd have to visit them.

GLASS: And check on.

GLASS: Essentially do.

GLASS: Evaluations and check on that they were doing and meeting all the criteria they needed to to meet the credentialing.

GLASS: Officers. I make sure everybody's got their credentials up to date as everybody licensed in their state. Is everybody.

GLASS: Done if you claim to.

GLASS: Be certified.

GLASS: In.

GLASS: A certain specialty?

GLASS: Is that active?

GLASS: Are people sort of got their CPI certification? But the credentialing officers in charge of making sure that everybody's credentials are up to date.

SPRAGUE: Okay. And you had mentioned what rank did you end up retiring at.

GLASS: Commander?

SPRAGUE: Commander. Okay. And in the pre-interview, you had talked about a little bit about beginning and ending at Great Lakes. Can you. Yes, I that out for me.

GLASS: Well, I.

GLASS: Was born in Great Lakes. My father was in the service.

GLASS: And my parents were living in.

GLASS: Racine.

GLASS: Wisconsin, at that time, 1949. And so that's where they got their health care. I and my younger brother were.

GLASS: Both born to Great Lakes.

GLASS: So it was kind of ironic.

GLASS: That I was born the Great Lakes.

GLASS: But at the same time, I ended up retiring from my Navy career.

GLASS: At Great Lakes. And the picture that I showed you before was.

GLASS: Taken at the Readiness Command in.

GLASS: Great Lakes, which is in.

GLASS: I don't know if you've ever been to Great Lakes.

GLASS: But it's the big, huge building.

GLASS: Number one. But when you come down the main drag, it's right there.

GLASS: So I.

GLASS: Retired when I.

GLASS: Was due to be rotated out of that position. And I was command officer.

SPRAGUE: And that was.

GLASS: 1990. October 1990.