Andree Fifield Collection
-
-
Oral history interview with Andree Fifield
-
Interview documents André B. Fifield's early life; secretarial work in the U.S. Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) during World War II, and her marriage to Donald Fifield. Fifield describes her life before the war, including being an only child to a single mother and a first generation French-American; her mother finding her foster family; working her way through high school and college as a waitress; and meeting her husband at Bryant College. She also discusses her extended family in eastern France; listening to the radio with her future husband during the attack on Pearl Harbor; and going with him to enlist in the navy." Fifield's discussion of her navy service includes being one of the first classes of WAVES at Cedar Falls, Iowa; basic training experiences such as getting shots, drills, and taking tests; working at the National Archives while waiting for security clearance; secretarial work for the Office of National Intelligence, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Office of the President; living in an apartment next to the White House with six other girls; and regretting not making the navy a career. Other topics from the war include popular songs, meeting President Truman, and failed plans to invite Eleanor Roosevelt to their apartment." Fifield also talks about her husband's service and career. She recalls keeping in touch with him during the war; marriage after they were both discharged; and moving frequently for his schooling and career.
