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Major Clara Johnson, Vietnam [1969]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Cold War
  • Branch of Service: Air Force
  • Location of Service: Vietnam; Lackland Air Force Base and Brooks Field, Texas; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Sealand, Wales; Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; Ramstein Air Base, Germany; Griffiss AFB, New York
  • Highest Rank: Major
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/42843

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"I was always impressed with my female colleagues in that I was the only person of color and they were readily accepting of me." (Audio Interview, 4:08)

In 1950, Clara “Chris” Johnson was a theatrical designer with limited prospects when she decided that the Air Force would provide her with a steady income. Her initial impression of her female colleagues confirmed that she was going to be judged solely on her abilities and not on the color of her skin. She survived a rigorous stint at Officers Candidate School and a year in Vietnam, and got to retire at an age young enough to have a second career in academia.

Clara C. Johnson Collection
Interview / Recording

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About this Item

Title

  • Clara C. Johnson Collection

Names

  • Johnson, Clara C.
  • Stewart, Ruth
  • Women's Overseas Service League, San Antonio Unit

State of Birth

  • MS

Home State

  • TX

Headings

  • -  Johnson, Clara C.
  • -  Cold War -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Air Force.
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Female

Race

  • Black or African American

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • Cold War

    • Branch of Service: Air Force
    • Location of Service: Lackland Air Force Base and Brooks Field, Texas; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Sealand, Wales; Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; Ramstein Air Base, Germany; Griffiss AFB, New York
    • Dates of Service: 1950-1970
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Location of Service: Vietnam
    • Highest Rank: Major
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Clippings [3 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1968 - 1969)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 3/21/1967)
  • Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2/18/2004)
  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 11/7/2007)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/42843

Cite as

  • Clara C. Johnson Collection (AFC/2001/001/42843), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Johnson, Clara C, Ruth Stewart, and San Antonio Unit Women'S Overseas Service League. Clara C. Johnson Collection. 1950. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.42843/.

APA citation style:

Johnson, C. C., Stewart, R. & Women'S Overseas Service League, S. A. U. (1950) Clara C. Johnson Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.42843/.

MLA citation style:

Johnson, Clara C, Ruth Stewart, and San Antonio Unit Women'S Overseas Service League. Clara C. Johnson Collection. 1950. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.42843/>.