Rachel Anderson
"Mrs.
Anderson grew up right here in
Fairfield, Maine. She joined the National Guard to help pay for college
because her family couldn't afford to pay for her sisters and herself.
She went to college at the University of New Hampshire. She said
joining the National Guard was a good way of getting an education. She
earned her degree is hospitality management. She joined the National
Guard in New Hampshire. She was 19 when she entered the National Guard.
She had to attend active duty in Texas for six weeks.
When her number was up, she was stationed in Saudi Arabia. She said the travel over was atrocious. They took a regular plane over but had to keep the window shades down because some countries would not like that Americans were stopping in their country to gas up their plane.
She was an education manager for the 3 months she was there. She was an E-5 sergeant but was qualified to be an E-7 sergeant but never got to be one because there were no positions available. She did not like how positions were chosen by rank, and not by who was the most qualified. She was a trainer for fitness and health. She also ran the dining hall. She said the job was very repetitive. She got 12 medals for her service." ~ O. White
"Mrs. Anderson was stationed is Saudi Arabia for 87 days. She got very lucky. Usually people are stationed there from 90 days to 2 years. There were very well supplied with everything they needed... Her most difficult part ...was that you only had one phone call a week.. It was only for 15 minutes from the second they answered the phone. So you could be right in the middle of a sentence and the phone will just go dead. But, they got to send all of the letters that they wanted so that made up for it." ~ E. Spann
"I'm glad she came and talked to us to tell us about her experiences and all that she did. Honestly, I don't know why I was so nervous in the first place because I had a lot of fun doing this interview. Would I do it again, maybe. Would I be as nervous, probably. But I would probably, most definitely have a lot of fun." ~ K. Flewelling
When her number was up, she was stationed in Saudi Arabia. She said the travel over was atrocious. They took a regular plane over but had to keep the window shades down because some countries would not like that Americans were stopping in their country to gas up their plane.
She was an education manager for the 3 months she was there. She was an E-5 sergeant but was qualified to be an E-7 sergeant but never got to be one because there were no positions available. She did not like how positions were chosen by rank, and not by who was the most qualified. She was a trainer for fitness and health. She also ran the dining hall. She said the job was very repetitive. She got 12 medals for her service." ~ O. White
"Mrs. Anderson was stationed is Saudi Arabia for 87 days. She got very lucky. Usually people are stationed there from 90 days to 2 years. There were very well supplied with everything they needed... Her most difficult part ...was that you only had one phone call a week.. It was only for 15 minutes from the second they answered the phone. So you could be right in the middle of a sentence and the phone will just go dead. But, they got to send all of the letters that they wanted so that made up for it." ~ E. Spann
"I'm glad she came and talked to us to tell us about her experiences and all that she did. Honestly, I don't know why I was so nervous in the first place because I had a lot of fun doing this interview. Would I do it again, maybe. Would I be as nervous, probably. But I would probably, most definitely have a lot of fun." ~ K. Flewelling