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Agnes Gomez Patterson at her teletype machine, Larson AFB, Washington [1951]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Cold War
  • Branch of Service: Air Force
  • Service Unit/Ship: 62nd Communications Squadron
  • Location of Service: Lackland Air Force Base, Texas; Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming; Donaldson Air Force Base, South Carolina; Larson Air Force Base, Washington
  • Highest Rank: Airman First Class
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/92108

View full service history

"This was the start of my Wonder Woman years." (Memoir, page 4)

Agnes Gomez Patterson enlisted in the Air Force in 1950, armed with her birth certificate, high school diploma, and five dollars. Though she had hoped to join the Marine Corps, her small stature prompted a recruiter to suggest an alternate branch. When she arrived at Lackland Air Force Base outside of San Antonio, Texas, for basic training, she found she was the only Mexican-American within her 150- woman squadron. Serving as a teletype operator with the 62nd Communications Squadron from 1950 to 1952, she also participated in base activities such as softball, basketball, and bowling, which helped boost her confidence and communication skills. Though she separated from the military in 1952, she went on to work as a civilian for the Air Force and the Navy, and as a volunteer for the Red Cross. As she wrote in her memoir, following her time in the military, "I found my voice, and now it was hard to stop me."

Interview / Recording

More Resources

View 31 images in sequence.
[ Photo Album ]
View 6 images in sequence.
[ Memoirs of Agnes H. Gomez ]

About this Item

Title

  • Agnes Helen Patterson Collection

Names

  • Patricia Henshaw
  • Farrar, Mike
  • Patterson, Agnes Helen
  • American Red Cross, Greater Long Beach Chapter

State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation

  • California

Headings

  • -  Patterson, Agnes Helen
  • -  Cold War -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Air Force.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Female

Race

  • Hispanic

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Cold War

    • Branch of Service: Air Force
    • Service Unit/Ship: 62nd Communications Squadron
    • Location of Service: Lackland Air Force Base, Texas; Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming; Donaldson Air Force Base, South Carolina; Larson Air Force Base, Washington
    • Highest Rank: Airman First Class
    • Dates of Service: 1950-1952
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2013-10-17; 2013-10-17)
  • Manuscript: Memoir [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2013-10-17)
  • Photograph: Original photographic print [17 items] -- Photographs (collected 1950-1952)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/92108

Online Format

  • video
  • 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:

Patricia Henshaw, Mike Farrar, Agnes Helen Patterson, and Greater Long Beach Chapter American Red Cross. Agnes Helen Patterson Collection. 1950. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.92108/.

APA citation style:

Patricia Henshaw, Farrar, M., Patterson, A. H. & American Red Cross, G. L. B. C. (1950) Agnes Helen Patterson Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.92108/.

MLA citation style:

Patricia Henshaw, et al. Agnes Helen Patterson Collection. 1950. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.92108/>.