Mattie Osborne Spicer Collection
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Oral history interview with Matties Osborne Spicer
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Primarily documents Mattie O. Spicer's experiences in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) during World War II. Spicer recalls her family's reaction to her decision to join the WAC; the "Carolina Platoon" being ordered to keep an eye on mail delivered to and sent by suspicious military personnel; a hurricane at Fort Wright; the slogan "Free a man to fight" social life at Fort Wright, including dating, winning a bowling championship, dances, and getting lost in New York City on leave; hearing the news about President Franklin D. Roosevelt's death; admiration for Eleanor Roosevelt; her wartime heroes, including Audie Murphy and General Dwight Eisenhower; celebrations on V-E Day and V-J Day; a friend who was an Army Ranger; patriotism; getting a mistaken call that her mother had died; and a poem she wrote for one of her brothers while he was stationed in Africa. " Spicer also discusses her life before and after her military service. She recalls about growing up in Wilkes County and working in the cloth department at Chatham Manufacturing Company. She also talks about meeting her husband, Tom Spicer; her children and grandchildren; her opinions of Franklin Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, Bill Bradley, and George W. Bush; getting involved in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary; a trip she later took to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; and her opinion of women in combat positions.
