Claudia Butler Geniton (b. 1953), of Atlanta, Georgia served in the United States Women's Army Corps (WAC) and United States Army from 1971 to 1983 on active duty, and the United States Army Reserve from 1983 to 1994, serving during both the Vietnam War and the first Gulf War. Claudia Butler Geniton was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1953. She grew up in Decatur, Georgia; in Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; and Greensboro, North Carolina. At the age of fifteen, she ran away from home and returned to Atlanta from Greensboro, where she lived with the family of a friend and completed high school through Atlanta Area Technical School, now Atlanta Technical College, with training in medical office work as well, which included some clinical experience with United States Army personnel at Fort McPherson. She then spent some months caring for her grandmother in Elberton, Georgia. She then returned to live with her parents in Greensboro, North Carolina, and obtained their consent to enter the United States Army very shortly after turning eighteen. Geniton completed basic training at Fort McClellan, Alabama, and then went to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas for training as a combat medic and then psychiatric ward technician. She met her first husband at Fort Sam Houston. Geniton was then assigned to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. for her first duty station, where she spent six months working as a psychiatric ward technician. During that time, her husband received orders and went to Okinawa, Japan, and Geniton soon was assigned there as well. She was in Okinawa from early 1972 to late 1974, and reenlisted for six years while there. She then returned to Fort Sam Houston, where she worked as an instructor for psychiatric ward technicians at the Academy of Health Sciences, and also divorced her first husband. She eventually met and married her second husband while working there. While at the Academy of Health Sciences, Geniton was promoted to staff sergeant. She moved to working in the hospital at Fort Sam Houston. During this time period, the Women’s Army Corps was beginning to be integrated into the United States Army, and women’s uniforms went through a transitional period and women, including Geniton, had to qualify to shoot M16 rifles. Next, Geniton was assigned to Fort Gordon, Georgia, where she was a wardmaster for a psychiatric ward. Later, she was assigned again to Fort Sam Houston. Unfortunately, her husband was then assigned to Fort Gordon again, but Geniton was not able to obtain orders to be assigned to Fort Gordon with him. After a time of attempting to reconcile that split assignment, Geniton decided to leave active duty and join the reserves, which she did in 1983. Her rank was staff sergeant at the time she left active duty. Geniton then served in the United States Army Reserve with the 382nd Combat Support Hospital in Augusta, Georgia, and also worked a civilian job and returned to school to get her bachelor’s degree. Later, due to her husband’s military assignment, she was also with the 5502nd Army Hospital in Colorado, and later they both returned to Fort Gordon, where Geniton, in her reservist capacity, was a training NCO (non-commissioned officer). She retired from the reserves in 1994, and her husband retired a year later in 1995.
