Diane Reynolds Getz was born in the Morehead City area of North Carolina 26 January 1947. She graduated from West Carteret High School in 1965. Getz graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1969 with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology. After graduation, Getz joined the American Red Cross. She was first assigned to Fort Polk, Louisiana, where she worked as a case worker at a military hospital. In 1970, after spending a year at Fort Polk, Getz was transferred to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The following year, Getz requested duty in Vietnam and was assigned to Long Binh Army Base in 1971. While in Vietnam, Getz was primarily tasked with aiding service members going through heroin withdrawal at a substance abuse clinic. In 1972 Getz returned to the United States of America and was reassigned to Naval Weapons Station Charleston, South Carolina. Getz married while stationed in Charleston, and later resigned from the Red Cross in 1978.
