Data Collection Analysis: Interview with Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught and Lieutenant Connell Marilla Cushman

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The topic of my group research is the history of women in service. For the data collection analysis, I interviewed Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught, USAF (Retired). She is the President of the Board of Directors of the Women In Military Service For American Memorial Foundation, Inc., which was also one of my prime sources for the literature review. Lieutenant Connell Marilla Cushman USA (Retired) assisted her during the interview. Ms. Cushman is the Director of Development and Public Relations Officer for the foundation. She was extremely helpful in scheduling and arranging the meeting.
The main purpose of this interview was to get extensive information about women in service in relation with the personal and professional experience of Brigadier General Vaught. I expected that the extensive years that she has served in the service would help me to clarify the questions that I had from my literature review. During the interview, Lieutenant Cornell Cushman also helped answering some of the very important question that I had.
Brigadier General Vaught joined in Air force in 1957, and has served for over 28 years. After she retired, she also served as Chairperson of the NATO women in the allied Forces Committee. The questions that I phrased are to get information about Brig Gen Vaught’s personal experience in her career. The questions were arranged from personal question about her and her career to more opinions related questions. The personal questions were to ease out the opinion related questions.
The first question I asked to Brigadier General was how was she convinced to join the Air Force. This question was more focused to build an environment to know the history of women in service. In some way, I was trying to read the mind ...

... middle of paper ...

...never, reflected on Nurses.
My reaction after interview was full with awe and despair. There was feeling of pride how women like Brigadier General Vaught and lieutenant Connell Cushman had come along. They have proved that women can be successful in military, which was ridiculed by many. The opportunities and status of women has changed in remarkable way over the years. Women in Military traditionally served in the position of management or clerical office, which has changed in present day. The claim non nurse women and nurse in military really awed me the most. It was hypocritical from the service and government to segregate enlisted women, but not the nurses. The issues that were put forth to restrict women from combat zone never implied to the nurses. As Vaught and Cushman argued women could have a career as a nurse in the military but not as a soldier for years.

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