Interview of Marcia Larsen on her experience working as a civilian employee in Army Special Services in Asia Ruth Stewart: [0:02] Marcia Baer Larsen is being interviewed today in San Antonio, Texas, uh, as a member of the Women's Overseas Service League - San Antonio Unit. This is February the 6th, 2007. Interviewed by Ruth Stewart and Trish Martin. [0:23] Marcie, how about starting out by telling us about where you grew up and what kind of a childhood you had, briefly, before you went into your… Marcia Larsen: Grew up in Long Island. Uh, my daddy was a baker and my mother was a homemaker. And went to college in Rhode Island, Rhode Island School of Design. Graduated in 1964 with a degree in, uh, ceramics with a minor in art history. My first job I applied for was with the Peace Corps and I was accepted and I was supposed to go to Peru when, uh, I heard from the Department of Defense that I had been selected to go overseas to work in Korea. And so I took that one instead. …college in those days. Patrician Martin: [1:15] Yeah, but you were a 20-year-old but you were already a college graduate. Marcia Larsen: Yes. Patricia Martin: [1:20] And you were going in for Special Services? Marcia Larsen: Yes. Patricia Martin: [1:22] Okay. Ruth Stewart: [1:29] And you said you went to Korea first thing? Marcia Larsen: Mm-hm. Ruth Stewart: [1:31] With the Special Services? Marcia Larsen: Right. Ruth Stewart: [1:34] And that was when, then? Marcia Larsen: 1964. Ruth Stewart: [1:38] 1964. Marcia Larsen: Wanna know when? Ruth Stewart: [1:42] That’s okay. 1964 will, will do it. And then what were you doing when you got there? Marcia Larsen: Um, I was, uh, a crafts director. I ran a Special Services Recreational Crafts facility. Ruth Stewart: [1:58] What? Marcia Larsen: C-R-A-F-T-S, crafts facility, recreational. I was a Supervisory Recreation Specialist. Ruth Stewart: [2:08] Please say that again. You were a supervis-… Marcia Larsen: Supervisory Recreation Specialist. And apparently that was in November of 1964. Would you like to keep this? It describes all the jobs. Ruth Stewart: [2:29] And so then you, you were working with the, uh, troops when they were off-duty, was that it? And providing [inaudible 2:39]? Marcia Larsen: Yes, providing recreation. Yeah, we had a wood shop, we had a photo shop, we taught them pottery, we taught them anything they wanted to learn. Ruth Stewart: [2:53] And how did you relate to the troops when they came in? Marcia Larsen: I had a wonderful time with them. ‘Cause I was pretty close to their age. And I was cute! Ruth Stewart: [3:04] [laughter] Go on, describe a little bit about that. Marcia Larsen: [coughing] Ruth Stewart: [3:09] Your role there. Marcia Larsen: Well, since my, my major in college was ceramics and I was in Korea, we did a lot of tours to old, um, Korean pottery sites and kiln sites and we built kilns and, uh, made pottery in the [inaudible 3:34] Korean way and the guys really enjoyed it. I also learned photography because I had the, I had the best equipment and we had wonderful photo labs. And I took photo tours. I took the guys over to Japan and, and around the temple sites in Korea and did lots of photo tours. Best job a person coulda had in the world. Ruth Stewart: [4:03] What were your living conditions there? Marcia Larsen: Well, when I first, uh, went overseas, I was living in a room in a Quonset hut. No portable water. Uh, my first mamasan and, uh, I thought it was great! [coughing] Actually, in Korea I think it was all Quonset huts. Ruth Stewart: [4:28] Mm-hm. But with those caring for you then, the whole time, doing your cooking and laundry and that sort of thing? Marcia Larsen: Well, we, we ate in the mess halls. Ruth Stewart: [4:37] Mm. Okay. Marcia Larsen: Yeah, but they insisted upon doing our laundry. I had to learn that I couldn’t, I couldn’t wash out my own things and I couldn’t pick up my own clothes because that was taking their job away from them. They explained to me… Ruth Stewart: [4:52] Mm-hm. Marcia Larsen: …very, very soon when I got there. They said, “You can’t do that. This is what we do.” Ruth Stewart: [4:57] Mm-hm. Marcia Larsen: But there was also a beauty shop right in the Quonset huts so we could have our hair done every day. Ruth Stewart: [5:03] Mm-hm. Good living. Marcia Larsen: Yeah! Yeah! Now, I think we didn’t appreciate it then. I think we complained a lot, particularly when they had the toilet paper shortages. We were limited to 3 sheets per person per day. Ruth Stewart: [5:18] Oh wow! Marcia Larsen: 3 little squares. And, uh, so some of the guys used to save their ration and give it to the girls. Ruth Stewart: [5:28] What did you do for recreation there? Marcia Larsen: My job was recreation. Ruth Stewart: [5:30] For your personal. How personal change from that? Marcia Larsen: Everything I did was recreation, ‘cause we, we took a lot of tours. A lot of shopping and I took the guys on, on shopping tours so they could buy beautiful silk fabrics they had in Korea and they’d send’m home to their families. And I did a lot of travel. I did a lot of trips to Japan and a lot of trips to Hong Kong. Ruth Stewart: [6:00] And how long were you there? Marcia Larsen: 4 years. 1964 to 1968. Then I came back. Ruth Stewart: [6:07] In the same location the whole time? Marcia Larsen: No, I was in, uh, southern Korea in Daegu for 2 years and then I moved up to the 7th Infantry Division, Camp Casey, for 2 years. Ruth Stewart: [6:23] Okay. Marcia Larsen: I supervised, uh, Korean employees, taught them English. They taught me Korean. Ruth Stewart: [6:35] You taught English to the…? Marcia Larsen: Korean employees, so they’d know the names of the tools and how, ‘cause they had to teach the GIs that, the craft. They all [inaudible 6:49] the, the people I had working for me, the Korean, uh, employees were just fantastic craftsmen. [coughing] It was unbelievable. [coughing] They, they, there wasn’t anything they couldn’t do or built with their hands. And they taught this to the GIs. Ruth Stewart: [7:05] Do you know if any of the GIs then were ever able to continue that in their future lives, or…? Marcia Larsen: Honestly, I don’t. I still am in touch with a number of them but they went on to their, their careers. Ruth Stewart: [7:23] Mm-hm. Marcia Larsen: One was the, uh, regular, the town veterinarian, he just retired as a veterinarian in California. His assistant was with the San Francisco Fire Department and he just retired and I still am in touch with a lot of the librarians and service club girls that I worked with. [coughing] Ruth Stewart: [7:50] What were your most memorable experiences there? Marcia Larsen: Probably going into the, uh, into the Infantry Division areas and, uh, these guys were by themselves. They were up there and there were ANC women and, uh, they had the, uh, the Red Cross gals came in, of course, but they, they, they played games and, and did, you know, the donut kind of thing but I helped provide them with, uh, library services and, and things that they could actually continue doing on when the girls were gone. I did a lot more of that in Thailand. Ruth Stewart: [8:41] And it was in Thailand that you went next, then? After the 4 years? Marcia Larsen: Well, after, um, after Fort Sam Houston and Fort Gordon, Georgia. Ruth Stewart: [8:48] In between? Marcia Larsen: Yeah. Ruth Stewart: [8:50] What were you doing there, then, in, back in the States? Marcia Larsen: Same thing. [inaudible 8:56] craft, running craft shops. Ruth Stewart: [8:56] But on a base? Marcia Larsen: I was a what they called a Post Crafts Director. Ruth Stewart: [9:03] And that was where, now? Marcia Larsen: Fort Gordon, Georgia and Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Is your machine not working? Ruth Stewart: [9:14] Yeah, it’s working. Marcia Larsen: Okay. Ruth Stewart: [9:16] I mean, it’s running. [laughter] Marcia Larsen: Oh, okay. [inaudible 9:18] Ruth Stewart: [9:20] I should’ve, should be, well, anyway…Fort Sam. The notes are just so, in the research that’s being done, I just put a few notes so that… Marcia Larsen: …when I was in Thailand, uh, my husband was in the Entertainment Division. We weren’t married then but he took care of all the USO shows and so I got to cohost all of the USO shows that came into country for 2 years, including a lot of, a lot of work with the Bob Hope Show. I, I provided hospitality to the Bob Hope Troupe and they, uh, that was real enjoyable. Ruth Stewart: [10:02] And when did you – let me see, your post, Post Crafts Director at Fort Gordon, Georgia was, when was that? Marcia Larsen: Whenever she says. Ruth Stewart: [10:11] Okay. [coughing] And for Fort Sam…and then you went to Thailand in ‛69? Marcia Larsen: Mm-hm. Patricia Martin: ‛70. Ruth Stewart: [10:30] ‛70. Okay. And… Marcia Larsen: I was with [inaudible 10:37] Headquarters. We were, uh, we were stationed in Bangkok and then we moved down to the southern command in, uh, [inaudible 10:47], right on the coast, beautiful country. Ruth Stewart: [10:56] In the southern command, okay. And your role in, in all of these situations… Marcia Larsen: At this point, I was with the administrative staff so that, instead of just taking care of crafts programs, I worked with all of the recreational facilities. I got to, uh, design golf courses, which was interesting ‘cause I still have never played golf. And, uh, gymnasiums and we just, we built a lot of facilities. We also closed down Vietnam. Went in-country and [coughing] inventoried equipment and turned it all over to the Vietnamese and closed down big warehouses full of stuff. Ruth Stewart: [11:44] But that was while you were stationed in Thailand? Marcia Larsen: I was stationed in Thailand but did a lot of in-country in Vietnam and, uh, and then we’d close out Thailand so I had travel to all the, to the air bases and, uh, give the Thai Army the libraries and, um, turn over all the facilities to, to them and as we turned over the posts. I traveled with the Bob Hope Show whenever he went into, in-country, which was probably one of the most exciting things I think I’ve ever done. Ruth Stewart: [12:26] And how many trips do you remember that [inaudible 12:29]? Marcia Larsen: [inaudible 12:29] Vietnam? Ruth Stewart: [12:30] Mm-hm. Marcia Larsen: No idea. A lot. Ruth Stewart: [12:32] Numerous. Marcia Larsen: Lots. Ruth Stewart: [12:34] Okay. Marcia Larsen: And all over country. Ruth Stewart: [12:38] Did you have any interaction with the, uh, local people when you were in Thailand? Marcia Larsen: Oh, sure. All of our employees were, were, uh, indigenous. And, uh, for years afterward, kept writing letters to them but I guess it’s been too many years now. They were, they were fine people. Just very hardworking. /ab