Cheryl Bernhardt Collection
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Oral history interview with Cheryl Ann King Bernhardt
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Primarily documents Cheryl Bernhardt's childhood; her nursing service with the United States Air Force and Veteran's Administration; and her life after retirement. Bernhardt describes growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee during the 1950s and 1960s, including what it was like to grow up during the "Camelot" era, and where she was when President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated. She also discusses the recommendation by her cousin to attend nursing school, receiving a scholarship from Holston Valley Community Hospital in Kingsport to attend East Tennessee State University, and her introduction to the U.S. Air Force by an instructor there. " Bernhardt discusses the specialized nurses training she received as part of the air force, her job at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, her thoughts about the United States' involvement in Vietnam, and her work with prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. Also discussed is how Bernhardt met her husband the first week in the air force, as well as the difficulty of both of them being in the service at the same time. " Personal topics include Bernhardt's feelings about civil rights and integration, her opinions on women in the military during the 1970s, as well as the Nixon and Johnson presidencies, and the importance of learning from others.
