Glenda Jensen Schillinger (b. 1960), of Reidsville, North Carolina, served in the United States Air Force Nurse Corps from 1982-1994. Glenda Jensen Schillinger was born 30 June 1960 at Brady Air Force Base in Kyushu, Japan, where her father was stationed. In 1961, Schillinger's father received orders to Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1966, after having served a year in Cambodia, Schillinger's father retired from the United States Air Force and moved his family to Reidsville, North Carolina. Schillinger graduated from Reidsville Senior High School in spring 1978 and began taking classes at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro as a nursing major and graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. During her last semester of college, Schillinger began considering joining the United States Air Force. She still had to take the state nursing board exams, so she returned to Reidsville and began working the night shift at a nursing home. That summer, she spent two days taking the state boards, passed, and almost immediately signed the paperwork to join the U.S. Air Force. Schillinger was then sent to Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas for two weeks of basic training and Military Indoctrination for Medical Service Officers (MIMSO). In 1983, Schillinger was sent to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, to complete a six-month internship. She was then assigned to Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, where she worked twelve-hour night shifts in the medical-surgical unit. While at Holloman, part of her duties included working with cancer patients, providing Schillinger with the opportunity to learn about chemotherapy. In September 1984, looking for a way out of New Mexico, Schillinger volunteered to go to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. Once there, she worked mostly night shifts in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and conducted medevacs with NICU babies to Guam, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and Hawaii. Schillinger was also required to complete continuing education, so she was sent to New Orleans, Louisiana, in the U.S. for an Obstetrics-Gynecology (OB-GYN) conference. While she wasn't on-duty in the Philippines, Schillinger received her certification in SCUBA and as a sailboat captain. In 1986, Schillinger received orders to Hahn Air Base in Germany and was assigned to the obstetrics unit, where she learned how to cut a baby's umbilical cord and perform an episiotomy. She was also required to participate in chemical warfare exercises, such as learning how to practice medicine in a chemical warfare environment and how to test for different chemical agents. In 1987, she was promoted to captain. In April 1988, Schillinger received orders to Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona. At the hospital, Schillinger transitioned to day-shift, and was assigned as assistant charge nurse to a twenty-six bed pre/post-operation floor. During her time at Luke AFB, the charge nurse encouraged Schillinger to attended Squadron Officer School, a two-month leadership training program at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. She found it difficult to compete with Air Force Academy graduates during the training, but also found the challenge to be enjoyable. While at Luke AFB, Schillinger also realized they did not have a Hospice program, so she went for training with Hospice of the Valley, a Phoenix-area not-for-profit organization specializing in hospice care. She was sent to Nashville, Tennessee for training in how to deal with perinatal loss. When she returned to the hospital, she began to put together a hospice program, which included writing up rules and procedures. She then began an instruction program for nurses. Schillinger was sent to Brooks Air Force Base in Texas for two and a half months of flight nurses training, where she learned survival training and navigation. When she returned to Luke AFB, she was appointed acting charge nurse, a position she was not prepared for, and something she found to be emotionally difficult. In 1991, after the Gulf War had already begun, most of Schillinger's hospital was sent to Saudi Arabia, but she was not selected to go. With a shortage of people, Schillinger picked up extra duty, working in the Operating Room (OR) and Recovery. When reservists were sent to assist, Schillinger became frustrated because she also was assigned to orient them to the procedures. In 1992, Schillinger decided to leave active duty and transitioned to Individual Mobilization Augmentee, a position used to fill shortages in specialized areas, as a way to stay connected to the U.S. Air Force. She was assigned to the hospital at Luke AFB two weekends a month, until she left the U.S. Air Force in 1994.
