Interview with Kate Dahlstrand, April 2, 2019

Partial Transcript: Why did you join the army?

Segment Synopsis: Dahlstrand explains her decision to join the army and her experience being recruited. She discusses her transition into military life at basic training.

Keywords: ASVAB; Army; Basic Training; Fort Jackson; Fort Lewis; Medic; Recruitment

Partial Transcript: But, basic training was amazing...

Segment Synopsis: Dahlstrand recalls her experience of advanced individual training as a medic. She describes transitioning from training to becoming a part of her first army unit.

Keywords: 68 Whiskey; 91 Bravo; AIT; Advanced Individual Training; Fort Lewis; Fort San Houston; Medic Training

Partial Transcript: So, you're saying that about list. Did it meet your expectations...

Segment Synopsis: Dahlstrand describes the military's impact on her in regards to meeting and getting to know a diverse group of people that she wasn't exposed to in Tennessee. She explains the influence 9/11 had on her and her future in the military. She discusses the reasons she transferred from an active duty soldier to becoming part of the Army National Guard.

Keywords: 9/11; Diversity; Fort Lewis; Patriotism; September Eleventh; Vaccines; Virginia Army National Guard

Partial Transcript: So, what you from that national guard unit to the University of Georgia...

Segment Synopsis: Dahlstrand recalls her time in the national guard between arriving in Sandston, Virginia and her deployment to Iraq in 2007, including the circumstances surrounding her deployment. She describes her experiences as a medic participating in Black Hawk missions.

Keywords: Al Asad Air Base; Black Hawk Helicopter; IED; Iraq; Sandston, VA

Partial Transcript: At the same time... at the same time I found out...

Segment Synopsis: Dahlstrand discusses challenges she faced once she returned home from Iraq and why she left the National Guard. She explains her goals as a historian and what drew her toward the subject once she returned to school. She describes her transformation into caring about school and why she picked the University of Georgia to study for her PhD.

Keywords: 2008; Divorce; For Cause and Comrades; Gone with the Wind; Iraq War; James McPherson; John Inscoe; PTSD

Partial Transcript: You're a PhD candidate now. Does your time an an NCO...

Segment Synopsis: Dahlstrand illustrates how her time as an NCO prepared her to become a college professor. She recalls interactions with other students once she returned to school and why she didn't tell people she was a veteran. She describes using her scholarship as activism by highlighting the transition from service to civilian life.

Keywords: Activism; Non-Commissioned Officer; Teaching; VA; Veterans; Veterans Affairs

Partial Transcript: Um, so, I guess I'll leave it open to you...

Segment Synopsis: Dahlstrand recalls a pattern she's noticed from student veterans who have participated in the Oral History program. She finishes by making comments on the administration in 2019 and the impact the President is having on the image of the country and the military.

Keywords: 2019; Donald Trump; Military; Service; Southern Boarder; Student Veteran