Barbara A. Bateman
Bio
Barbara A. Bateman was born in Chicago, Illinois, but grew up in Ohio. Upon completion of high school, she joined the United States Air Force in 1952, serving until her marriage in 1954. While in the Air Force, she was first a parachute rigger, and later worked with pilots, flight records, and schedules in her assignment to Waco, Texas. She remembers her time in the Air Force fondly, and says it was a great way to “grow up” and be of service to her country.
Video Clips
Training for Her Job
Barbara's job training sent her to Illinois, where she learned how to rig parachutes. She recounts her experiences of "falling" out of the aircraft while practicing with dummies in the airplane and almost got court martialed for it. She describes the process of rigging a parachute and after her six-week job training, she was sent to Waco, Texas.
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Other Job Duties
Barbara describes some of the issues that may occur with parachutes. After she was sent to Texas, she no longer rigged parachutes, but did other jobs related to pilots and flying. She worked with equipment, records, and scheduling.
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Flying With Pilots and Other Experiences
Barbara discusses her love of flying and remembers her experiences of being able to go with the pilots who needed to get their flight hours in. She wishes she could have flown herself, but the Air Force did not allow women to do that yet. She also discusses the relations between the women and men at her base in Waco.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cj6KswuaZA&start=815&end=1087
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/barbara-a-bateman#clip-3
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