Oral History of Helen Rooks, interviewed by Rebecca Michaud, 14 February, 2011
Title
Oral History of Helen Rooks, interviewed by Rebecca Michaud, 14 February, 2011
Subject
Description
Helen Rooks was born in Beaufort, South Carolina. She was the oldest of five children and her father worked as a lumberman, while her mother was a homemaker. Though she was initially interested in joining the Navy, a recruiter at the local courthouse convinced her to join the Coast Guard in 1943. Her time in the service began with a rough start when the train in which she was traveling struck a cow on the way to Miami. Upon arriving at her duty station, she worked as a yeoman with Air-Sea Rescue. At a hospital in Coral Gables, Florida, she worked in the burn unit. She recalls witnessing debris floating up onto the beach from battles with nearby German submarines. Rooks spent her off-hours enjoying the nightlife in Miami. She received a citation for being a charter member of the Women in the Military Service for America and was recognized for her service by Governor Olin Johnston. She was married to her husband Milton—a World War II veteran—for 53 years before his death in 1991.
Listen to the audio on the Lowcountry Digital Library.
Source
Women in World War II
Publisher
The Citadel Archives & Museum
Date
Rights
Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
Format
application/pdf
Language
English
Type
Text
Identifier
https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/161
Coverage
Charleston (S.C.)
Duration
33 minutes
Interviewer
Rebecca Michaud
Interviewee
Helen Rooks
Location
Charleston, South Carolina
Collection
Citation
The Charleston Oral History Program at the Citadel, “Oral History of Helen Rooks, interviewed by Rebecca Michaud, 14 February, 2011,” The Citadel Archives Digital Collections, accessed March 29, 2024, https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/161.