Personal Narrative Manuscript/Mixed Material Audio Recording Elizabeth Lutes Hillman Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: Persian Gulf War, 1991
- Branch of Service: Air Force
- Unit of Service: US Space Command
- Location of Service: Durham, North Carolina; Denver, Colorado; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/43143
A self-described "gung-ho" ROTC cadet, Elizabeth Lates Hillman first put her passion for service to work for the Strategic Defense Initiative, eventually working on a Space Surveillance Center Crew at Cheyenne Air Force Base. When an assignment led her to the University of Pennsylvania to study history in graduate school, she reexamined her sexuality and her relationship to the Air Force, which led her to leave the military for further graduate studies in history and law. As she discusses in her oral history interview, despite her complicated feelings toward the military, her experiences in the Air Force not only informed her second career in military justice, but they were also an integral part to making her who she is today
Elizabeth Lutes Hillman Collection
Interview / Recording
Transcript
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PlayThoughts on how well ROTC prepared her for service after college; comparisons to service academies and other training programs. 00:07:15.0 - 00:08:39.0
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PlayHow political situation did or did not influence her choice of assignment. 00:11:33.0 - 00:12:48.0
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PlayWorking at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Based for the Space Surveillance Center. 00:17:19.0 - 00:19:35.0
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PlayGoing to graduate school at Penn; personal and professional changes during her time there. 00:27:10.0 - 00:29:21.0
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PlaySeeing discrimination all over, but knowing how to handle it; becoming aware of systematic discrimination. 00:44:09.0 - 00:46:23.0
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PlayHow sexuality influence experiences in the military; seeing military in a new light once she realized she was gay. 00:46:24.0 - 00:48:11.0
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PlayQuestioning military, and her role within it, once she realized she was gay; thoughts on Don't Ask, Don't Tell. 00:48:46.0 - 00:52:46.0
About this Item
Title
- Elizabeth Lutes Hillman Collection
Names
- American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER)
- Estes, Steve
- Hillman, Elizabeth Lutes
- Ballard, Lara
Home State
- New Jersey
Headings
- - Hillman, Elizabeth Lutes
- - Persian Gulf War, 1991 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Air Force.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Status
- veteran
Service History
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Persian Gulf War, 1991
- Branch of Service: Air Force
- Unit of Service: US Space Command
- Location of Service: Durham, North Carolina; Denver, Colorado; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Dates of Service: 1985-1996
- Entrance into Service: Enlisted
- Military Status: veteran
Materials
- Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2005-06-14)
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of audio recording (collected 2005-06-14)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/43143
Cite as
- Elizabeth Lutes Hillman Collection (AFC/2001/001/43143), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- audio
- online text