Personal Narrative Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Software, E-Resource Audio Recording Wendy Marie Taines Collection
Serving: Our Voices
Veteran featured in:
PTSD: A Lasting Impact of War
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
War or Conflict: Persian Gulf War, 1991
Branch of Service: Army
Unit of Service: 15th Evacuation Hospital
Location of Service: Fort Dix, New Jersey; San Antonio, Texas; Fort Polk, Louisiana; Saudi Arabia
Highest Rank: Corporal
View full service history
"That was the first night that my own mortality really hit me. That was the last and only night I cried." (Audio Interview, 37:07)
In 1989, Wendy Wamsley was a troubled 17-year-old high school student with bad grades and an attitude to match. When her policeman father informed her she was joining the Army—or she was moving out of the house—she agreed to enlist. What she couldn't have anticipated was a tour of duty as a medic during the Persian Gulf War, an experience which definitely provided her with an attitude adjustment.
Wendy Marie Taines Collection
Interview / Recording
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Audio Clips Time
How she came to enlist; adjusting to military life; using her anger constructively. 00:00:45.2 - 00:05:56.1
Training in the evacuation hospital; preparing to go to war; colleagues in denial about going abroad. 00:13:01.0 - 00:20:42.0
Living conditions on arrival 00:27:05.0 - 00:28:41.0
Training for the realities of war, including security issues; first casualties; treating Kuwaitis and Saudis, and Iraqi POWs. 00:31:47.0 - 00:39:24.8
Friendships were rare; living for the moment; not having proper equipment and medicine for casualties. 00:43:33.0 - 00:48:07.0
Her love of the American GI patients. 00:49:45.5 - 00:50:33.0
Sorting out real wounds from self-inflicted ones. 00:52:26.0 - 00:53:49.0
Combat medic's duties in addition to medical; making do with limited sanitary facilities. 00:56:08.0 - 01:01:41.0
Coming home to a surprise. 01:05:59.0 - 01:07:49.0
Reactions to her experience in the form of post-traumatic stress disorder. 01:08:27.0 - 01:11:56.0
Transcript: XML
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Taines, Wendy Marie Wamsley
VA Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
Donahue, Mary Ann
National Court Reporters Association (NCRA)
Annamarie Jones
State of Birth
- Taines, Wendy Marie
- Persian Gulf War, 1991 -- Personal Narratives
- United States. Army.
Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Persian Gulf War, 1991
Dates of Service: 1990-1991
Entrance into Service: Enlisted
Military Status: Veteran
Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2005)
Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 10/31/2007)
Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of audio recording (collected 01/07/2008)
Computer File: Floppy Disk [1 item] -- Electronic file of manuscript (collected 01/07/2008)
AFC/2001/001/24791
Wendy Marie Taines Collection (AFC/2001/001/24791), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Additional Metadata Formats
METSXML Record
PTSD: A Lasting Impact of War (13)
Women at War (14)
Veterans History Project Collection (88,245)
American Folklife Center (131,537)
Service Branch
Location of Service
Fort DIX, New Jersey
Fort Polk, Louisiana
15th Evacuation Hospital
Organization/Affiliation
Women of Five Wars | Diverse Experiences in Service | Serving: Our Voices | Veterans History Project Collection | Digital Collections
Disabled Veterans | Impact of Service | Serving: Our Voices | Veterans History Project Collection | Digital Collections
The Persian Gulf War: 25 Years Later | Persian Gulf War (1991) | Serving: Our Voices | Veterans History Project Collection | Digital Collections
Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition
The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.
Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.
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Citing VHP Materials
Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).
Materials as a whole:
John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
Manuscript material:
John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
Photograph:
John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
Computer file:
John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
Artifact:
John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
Taines, Wendy Marie Wamsley, Los Angeles Va Medical Center, Mary Ann Donahue, National Court Reporters Association, and Annamarie Jones. Wendy Marie Taines Collection . 1990. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.24791/.
Taines, W. M. W., Va Medical Center, L. A., Donahue, M. A., National Court Reporters Association & Annamarie Jones. (1990) Wendy Marie Taines Collection . [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.24791/.
Taines, Wendy Marie Wamsley, et al. Wendy Marie Taines Collection . 1990. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.24791/>.
Candy Sweet Lovett Collection E-4, Army, Persian Gulf War, 1991 - Saudi Arabia; Kuwait; Iraq.
Contributor: Landingham, Gregory - University of Florida Samuel Proctor Oral History Program - Lovett, Candy Sweet
Anne Welch Collection Sergeant, Army, Persian Gulf War, 1991 - Saudi Arabia; Persian Gulf.
Contributor: U.S. Senate/Richard Lugar - Huffman, Emmy - Terry McCabe - Lugar, Richard - National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) - Welch, Anne
Rhonda Cornum Collection Colonel, Army, Persian Gulf War, 1991 - Kuwait.
Contributor: Winchester, Brad - Department of Veterans Affairs, Public & Intergovernmental Affairs - Cornum, Rhonda Scott - McDowell, Ivonne
Debra Carol Marlin Collection Specialist, Army, Persian Gulf War, 1991 - Stuttgart, Germany; Iraq; Southwest Asia; Fort Polk, Louisiana.
Contributor: Smith, Anne - Marlin, Debra Carol - Daughters of the American Revolution, Sam Houston Chapter - Braud-Jones, Alice
Dawn Hopkins Collection Corporal, Army, Persian Gulf War, 1991 - Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Dix, New Jersey; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Carson, Colorado; San Diego, California; Wurzburg, Germany; Saudi Arabia.
Contributor: Hopkins, Allison - Hopkins, Dawn - Stivers School for the Arts - Federspiel, Bridget
"Dear Mr. President," Tucson, Arizona, January or February 1942
Contributor: Arrison, Jerome - Ritchie, Tom K. - Clay, Willie - Behn, Harry
"People are saying I'm not so bright after all" 1 drawing.
Contributor: Block, Herbert
Interview with Patty and Tom Chesley, Bellville, Illinois, October 11, 2001
Contributor: Chesley, Tom - Chesley, Patty - Frauenfelder, Amanda
[U.S. Army general looking at baskets in market, Saudi Arabia] 1 photographic print.
[U.S. Army officers looking at rugs in market, Saudi Arabia] 1 photographic print.