STORY BEHIND THE PLAQUE
Service Reflections of CPL Chandra Duncan, U.S. Marine Corps (1981-1986)

It was the uniform. The bearing, solemnity, pride, and confidence appealed to this teenage girl. I longed to claim that honor as my own. At age 14 or so, I sent in that little postcard, and the Marines stayed in close contact right up to my 17th birthday when the recruiter called to say ‘Happy Birthday! You are now old enough to join the Marines. I can’t express how excited I was. Is my recruiter walking the halls of my high school with me? I felt so special.

I wanted the freedom to fly. Of course, it was not an option for a female in 1981, so they gave me the next best job, Air Traffic Controller. Oddly enough, it was only when the Air Controller’s radar went down and they used our facility that I realized I hadn’t meant Air Traffic Controller as a MOS choice; I meant Air Controller. They’re the ones that tell you where your bodies are. Me, I just kept them from crashing into each other. Although I absolutely loved my job, it was stressful, and to be honest, by the time my enlistment was up, I was tired of fighting. I was fighting for my place as a woman, fighting for my place as an African American. Neither was valued in my MOS, and they made sure to let me know it every single day. When I looked around at the senior women Marines (in the Air Wing, there was no ATC), they all looked tired. I thought I‘ll just join the Army now and be a helicopter mechanic. I’ll get to fly and do all kinds of exciting things they let their women do. Travel to more than the few airbases the Marines had. Oh! And I could probably make E-5, I’d been an E-4 for three years, and it didn’t look as if they’d be lowering the promotion score to promote anyone. I was excited to join the Army, only to find they needed Air Traffic Controllers more than helo mechanics. The air wing in the Army was just as bad, and the racism and sexism were even worse. I only lasted two years.

I begged and begged to go to Team Spirit. Of course, I knew they didn’t want to take a female; the guys had stuff to do in BC Street and Seoul. I got to go, though, my major victory. The guys accepted me after a few weeks, and I happily followed them on excursions. Let’s call them that. Whisper Alley, if you know, you know! Out of about 150 guys, I was the lone enlisted female. There was also a female Lt and female WO, and just us three. In Korea, we were offered a tour of the Korean ATC facility.

I was so excited to go! Only I got stopped at the door and told some Korean military members wanted to talk to me. They ushered me into a room with tea and cookies and interrogated me. Did I have to kill my parents to join the Marines? Why did my father let me go? Was I treated fairly? Honestly, I was pissed to be separated and frustrated with their questions, but I answered all politely and patiently. In retrospect, my superiors must have thought highly of me to let me be questioned. Only with age and wisdom do I see the importance of that particular mission. For all of them, I was probably the only American female, let alone a Marine and an African American one, that they would ever talk to. I hope I did my part to model an Exemplary Marine.

Not how you think. We had a watch in one of the ATC facilities; you could sleep as long as you were a light sleeper and would hear the alarm. I dozed off on the floor, on my back, and awakened to find a pilot standing over me, I mean, straddling my body at my shoulders, just staring at me. I stared back. We stared at each other for what felt like a lifetime. Slowly, he stepped over me and left the office. It doesn’t seem scary, right? But I’d been the victim of sexism and racism so often that I didn’t feel safe in one-on-one situations. You never know who might hate you or your skin color badly enough to do something. I never told anyone; what could I say? Whenever I had the duty again, I made sure to sleep sitting against the door.

Had to be Okinawa. I had the best friends, the best weather, the best scenery. Even today, when I hear an 80s song that used to play in one of the clubs, I get transported back. So cool! I was lucky enough not to have a duty station I hated; I enjoyed every place I went.

The best thing about being in the tower was being able to beg helicopter rides. My absolute favorite day was being able to ride in an open CH46. The tail was down and strapped to the overheads; you could almost stand on the edge. I lay there, as close to the edge as I could get, watching the world flash by beneath me. I was so happy to be a Marine. An opportunity like that made boot camp worth it.

Not any. I mean, I got a few ribbons. Just making it into Air Traffic Control and being successful at it is all the pride I need.

Probably that good conduct medal, because Lord knows there were quite a few things that could have been ‘Alcohol-related incidents’ and other Marine-related escapades that could have ruined that

Gunnery Sgt Pemberton. He raised me, in a way. Although we hated his methods, he was a great mentor for younger Marines. Once, he forgot his running shoes and ran PT with us in his Corfams. Exemplary. In hindsight, of course!

Wow. There’s my boot camp/ATC school buddy, Lisa King. I wouldn’t have survived without her, although I don’t think she remembers it that way! We were together for the first three years of my enlistment. I recently got in touch with her, and I’m so thankful to the network for that.

Another NAS Memphis alum Robin Bonta and I have been reconnected for a while; that is a friendship that gives me such strength. Sheila Isham is another Marine I was stationed with in Okinawa; we keep in touch too. She was with me the day I had to have 22 stitches to close up this coral gash on my calf.

There’s also Kim Stringer and Maria Johnson; I guess the women stick together! I’m in touch with other Controllers I worked with in MCAS Beaufort/

But one marine I lost contact with is Walter Steel, a Marine I met in Okinawa. He was a great friend, and I miss his wisdom and guidance every day. One of the things I value most about his friendship was how he enjoyed his classical music. I liked classical music too but was always ashamed to admit it until he played it unashamedly.

And I miss my best friend ever, Eddie Smith. I’d go through the fire for any of my Marine friends.

Yes. I was on duty at the desk at airport ops, MCAS Beaufort. If you’ve been there, you might know that in the lobby, there is a glassed-in display of model Aircraft (F4s) that were used in the movie The Great Santini. I may not have known how special the display was. All I know is that some civilian wife was there with wild kids she couldn’t control one night, and this three-year-old demon ran full speed into the display, jarring it. Several planes were shaken and disrupted; a few fell down in the closed display. I made sure the kid wasn’t hurt and the display was structurally intact and wrote it up in my log. I used humor to tell the story about how it happened; I thought it was funny. The report ended up on the CO’s desk, and he was NOT amused. I explained when I got called in that I could have in no way prevented the accident, I’d told the mom about the kids, and I was performing flight ops duties at the time of the incident. I didn’t get in trouble, but he let me know the humor was not appreciated. I then went and watched the movie and felt horrified at the possible damage to the aircraft.

I did security after discharge; companies love veterans. I ended up being a 911 dispatcher, so close to ATC that it isn’t funny. Everyone was always in awe of my calmness and my ability to multi-task. I loved it. After that, I went to nursing school and am now a pediatric nurse. Go figure!

I belong to a local group of female veterans. It’s very helpful to know so many women that share your outlook, life experiences, and civilian challenges. I am looking to join a WMA chapter; like I told my friend Robin, female Marine vets are operating on competency level 10.0, and the other branches are running on 3.0. We can say that because we’re dual service, so we know!

Being a female marine in a male-dominated field was TOUGH, especially in the 80s. You had to work hard to build a working relationship with your male coworkers, and a lot of times, that’s at the expense of having female friends. The wives hate you because you work with their husbands all day, and some female marines would be quick to throw you under the bus if it gained them favor with the guys. You learned not to rely on anyone. If you asked a guy to do something, it could be misconstrued in all kinds of ways. Flirting, not being able to pull your weight, it was easier just to avoid the drama and do it yourself.

I love my Marine self; I like my sense of honor, integrity, and strength. The civilian world doesn’t really know what to do with capable women. We’re like a wolf puppy, cute in the beginning, but after a while, you realize it’s really wild, and you just leave it alone. I miss being able to be as capable as I want without intimidating someone. Most of all, I miss packing up and moving someplace new, just you, on your own, using your own wits.

Get parent names and addresses. If you’re a female, find a friend you can buddy up with; never travel alone. Most of all, the Corps is a machine. All are necessary.

I like reading the stories of old veterans, now that I am one, Lol. It inspires me to put my memories into words for future reference.