Personal Narrative Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Software, E-Resource Audio Recording Mary Cox Collection

Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: Persian Gulf War, 1991
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 766th Transportation Headquarters
- Location of Service: Germany; Saudi Arabia
- Highest Rank: Specialist
A "newbie" in her Indiana National Guard unit, Mary Cox was sent to the Persian Gulf to serve with the 766th Transportation Headquarters, a transportation dispatch unit, in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert. Life just outside the combat zone brought heat, boredom, and—as one of six women in a unit of 42 men—a near total lack of privacy. To cope, she sent a constant stream of letters (sometimes as many as 20 a day) to her friends and family back home. As well, she relied on her sense of humor and the close relationships she developed with the other soldiers in her unit.
Mary Cox Collection
Interview / Recording
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PlayAssignment to transportation unit stationed in the desert; memorable moments; shock of seeing treatment of women in Saudi Arabia; watching the bombing of Baghdad. 00:03:02.6 - 00:05:16.3
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PlayConstantly writing letters to her family and friends back home; waiting in long lines to make a phone call; dealing with big time difference between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. 00:06:04.6 - 00:07:34.8
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PlayTightness of unit; serving in a unit with six women and forty-two men; sleeping in a tent with nine men; total lack of privacy; learning to deal with such close quarters; the unique bond that developed between the soldiers in her unit. 00:09:41.3 - 00:12:31.5
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PlayUsing humor to diffuse the tension and stress of serving in a combat area. 00:14:44.3 - 00:16:05.8
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PlayDescribing the impact that serving in Desert Storm had on her life; her status as a Desert Storm veteran is a large part of her identity; counting down days until the end of her service. 00:16:47.9 - 00:19:28.0
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PlayHardest part about service was being away from her family; that it was harder for her family than it was for her, because of the lack of information about her whereabouts. 00:22:27.0 - 00:23:25.1
Transcript:
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About this Item
Title
- Mary Cox Collection
Names
- Jackson, Kelli
- U.S. Senate/Richard Lugar
- Lugar, Richard
- Cox, Mary
- National Court Reporters Association (NCRA)
- Kelli M. Mulcahy
State of Birth
- IN
Home State
- IN
Headings
- - Cox, Mary
- - Persian Gulf War, 1991 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Female
Status
- Veteran
Service History
-
Persian Gulf War, 1991
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 766th Transportation Headquarters
- Location of Service: Germany; Saudi Arabia
- Highest Rank: Specialist
- Dates of Service: 1986-1991
- Entrance into Service: Enlisted
- Military Status: Veteran
Materials
- Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 12/10/2002)
- Photograph: Photocopy of Photographic Print [4 items] -- (collected unknown)
- Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 11/7/2007)
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of audio recording (collected 6/26/2009)
- Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Electronic file of manuscript (collected [2003])
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/6905
Cite as
- Mary Cox Collection (AFC/2001/001/6905), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- audio
- online text
- image