Oral History Interview with Mary Jean Tanner, December 30, 2004

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Mary Jean Tanner. Tanner joined the Army after working as a civilian in a parts warehouse at Kelly Field. She was given special clearance to handle the Norden bombsight. Upon enlisting in the Army, she was sent to Algiers, as secretary to General Sables. She was the only woman in the chemical warfare unit there. The water in Algiers had been so badly contaminated by air raids as to be deemed unsafe, even for bathing. One evening, while she was sitting on her bed, a 90mm high-explosive dud landed where her chest would have been, had she been lying down. Later, an ammunition boat exploded near her office, shattering her window and covering her in glass. Tanner returned home and was discharged in the fall of 1943. As a result of her experiences abroad, she experienced extreme anxiety during thunderstorms, hiding in the closet. And she never told anyone that she had been a WAC, as she felt that women were looked down upon for having served