“You Listen, You're Fair, and You Care”: Managing Laboratories In Vietnam

Patricia Sue Sepulveda
Title

DESCRIPTION

LTC(R) Paricia Sue Sepulveda grew up in east Los Angeles, the oldest of two children, living with a single mother. After high school, she attended both East Los Angeles Junior College and California State College, Los Angeles. She joined the Women’s Army Corps in 1969, due to a strong sense of patriotism and a love of country, and received a direct commission as a Captain due to her civilian medical training. In 1970, she volunteered for service in Vietnam and deployed on April 20, 1970, returning home on April 21, 1971. While in Vietnam, she served in Pleiku with the 27th Surgical Hospital, and in Chu Lai with the 71st Evacuation Hospital. In this interview, she talks about her childhood, her college experience, and her medical training prior to joining the military. She describes her decision to join the WACs, volunteering for service in Vietnam, and arriving in country. She discusses her duties at the various hospitals and laboratories where she worked, and compares the 27th Surgical Hospital with the 71st Evacuation Hospital. During her tour in Vietnam, she worked with Vietnamese medical personnel, and she explains some of the challenges and rewards of working with the ARVN. Finally, she talks about returning home from Vietnam, the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, her career after returning from war, and what she has done since retiring from the military.

VIDEO DETAILS

conflicts Vietnam War
topics Camaraderie Leadership Military Techniques Women in Service Teamwork Returning from War Patriotism
interviewer David Siry
date 27 August 2016

BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS

name Patricia Sue Sepulveda
institution East Los Angeles Junior College; California State, Los Angeles
service Medical Service Corps
unit 27th Surgical Hospital; 71st Evacuation Hospital
specialty Clinical Laboratory Officer
service dates 1969 1990
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