U.S. Navy 1944–1946

 

Florence Wheaton joined the U.S. Naval Reserve in December 1944 “to see more of my world.” She was stationed at the Lighter Than Air Base in Richmond, Florida, where she served as a Liberty Yeoman, the one who distributed Liberty passes to naval personnel. She talks about her time in Florida, including a fire at the base that destroyed many of the base’s aircraft. Florence also talks about postwar life in Framingham and Ashland.

 

Florence Harper’s Navy card

 

Florence Harper, right, with fellow Navy veteran and Oral History Project participant Kit Symonds, 2011