Oral History Interview with Kittie Thomas

Segment Synopsis: In this segment, Kittie describes her early life and notes that she was from Danville Kentucky. She recalls that one of her biggest inspirations for joining the military was her Uncle, who had been in the air force. During college she experienced financial difficulties and her uncle encouraged her to join the military. She originally wanted to join the air force, but at the time the air force had a two year wait period for women, so she applied to the coast guard instead.

Keywords: air force; coast guard; Kentucky State University; military; military recruiters; University of Louisville; women veterans

Segment Synopsis: This segment features Kittie recalling the details of her basic training and first assignment. Her basic training lasted longer than other classmates because she did not know how to swim before entering training. Her first assignment was in Alexandria, Virginia, which she enjoyed because it was her first time living near a large city. She notes that she encountered many dignitaries due to Alexandria's proximity to the capital and because they were in charge of transporting the Coast Guard Honor Guard to the capital for ceremonies. After this assignment, she spent six months near Oakland, California learning to operate radio.

Keywords: Alexandria, Virginia; Basic Training; Coast Guard; Honor Guard; Radio Operation; Swimming

Segment Synopsis: After her radio training, Kittie served on a Coast Guard Cutter which mainly pursued law enforcement and safety on the seas, engaging in activities such as search and seizures of illegal goods. She mentions that when she was in California previously, there was a time when she was assigned to a Small Boat Station which did more search and rescues than she did while serving on the Cutter.

Keywords: Coast Guard; Cutter; Maritime Law Enforcement; Search and Rescue; Search and Seizure

Segment Synopsis: In this segment, Kittie discusses some racial incidents during her time in Alexandria. Most notably she discusses overzealous enforcement of dress code related to hair, and how service members who listened to music by Black artists would face confrontation from white colleagues. She also notes that the Cutter usually operated in the Bahamas, but once traveled as far as Scotland.

Keywords: Alexandria, Virginia; Black Hairstyles; Black Musicians; Racism; Scotland; The Bahamas

Segment Synopsis: In this segment, Kittie discusses how her service led her to today. She currently works in law enforcement, specifically helping victims of domestic abuse. She details how her time doing law enforcement work in the Coast Guard inspired her to go back to school afterwords and earn a degree in Law Enforcement.

Keywords: Domestic Violence Victims; Law Enforcement; Social Work