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

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.