Interview of Patricia Young Berri on her service in the American Red Cross during WWII 
Interviewer: 		What is your name? 
Patricia Young Berri: 	Patricia Young Berri. 
Interviewer: 		When did you join the Denver unit of WOSL? 
Patricia Young Berri:	In the fall of nineteen hundred forty eight, I think, or it could be nineteen forty nine. 
Interviewer: 		Were you were in the service? 
Patricia Young Berri:	I was in an American Red Cross Hospital branch. And. As a replacement late in the war.
Interviewer: 		About what time did you come in the service? 
Patricia Young Berri:	February nineteen forty four. 
Interviewer:		Before you came into the Red Cross, uh, what did you do? 
Patricia Young Berri:	I was a secretary for Shell. And, was doing, um, USO work for the British because I had a British [...] come for me.  Tankers came in to Houston; I was living in Houston Texas. And tankers would come for oil and the boys would have a night at the British USO and leave the next day. 
Interviewer:		What were your duties in the service? 
Patricia Young Berri:	My title was secretary and a unit of the Red Cross 117 station hospital, Leyte, Philippine Islands. And, I had turns going on the wards as the recreation and social workers also did. And also sitting in the recreation room. Just like the other people so it was quite a change from secretarial work in an office. 
Interviewer: 		How long were you in the Red Cross? 
Patricia Young Berri:	Until March nineteen forty five. 
Interviewer:		While you were in the R	ed Cross, where did you serve? 
Patricia Young Berri:	I was first assigned to the one seventeen station Hospital in Leyte. And then I was assigned to go in a field hospital unit to Japan, but after the atomic bomb there was no need for hospitals as it would have been in case of invasion of Japan. So I was a floater until I was sent to [Powawan]. Where there was no one in Red Cross and a very small Navy unit.
And I stayed there until there was a chance to be in line to go home. And then I went to [Samar] to wait for transportation back to the United States. 
Interviewer: 	Oh, while you were in the Red Cross, what kind of medical care was available to you? 
Patricia Young Berri:	The hospital staff could handle anything, mostly fungus.
	
Interviewer:		Uh, tell me but the uniforms that you wore? 
Patricia Young Berri:	All of the Red Cross gear was unnecessary. We had purchased suntans, boots [...] And, suntan shirts. That was it, it was hot. 
Interviewer:	Can you tell me a funny, or a sad, or a touching, or any special experience that was really very, you know, memorable to you?
Patricia Young Berri:	Well, let's see. My first experience was leaving Washington after being in West Virginia briefly while waiting for assignment. The transcontinental trip on a train to San Francisco. And to pick who cut cards. The highest card could go into San Francisco that night and I cut two clubs right off.  So, I've never been to San Fransicso. 
Then when we arrived in Leyte. On the [...] which was a large transport at that time it was the first time the [...] was to go into Manila and without escort. Mine was one of three footlockers lost out of the whole ship load.
I felt very persecuted. Then, I had to leave everything else I owned on the airfield because there was no way to get it to Leyte. Again I fell to the bottom of the heap. 
I have a very good friend who now lives in Texas and I have been able to see her all through the years.  She was at the Red Cross and left before I did and of course found a replacement. She is still a vivid person and I wish she were living here and could be a member of the unit here. 
Interviewer:	What was the biggest adjustment that you had to make when you came into the Red Cross?
Patricia Young Berri:	The latrine! I didn't mind the cold shower; I didn't mind the tent life. I did mind sitting on the latrine with the little Filipinos would come and go with a great disregard of sex.