Page 92 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2024 - Online Magazine

Rose Astwood
served in the Navy from
1985-1991. This was during
I the Cold War/Spy War, and
the Desert Shield/Desert Storm
War in the Persian Gulf. In the
spring of 1985, I had a brother
in the Navy who recommended
it, and my father had been in
the Air Force during the Korean
War, so military service was a
family tradition. I went to the
Navy recruiting office across
the street from the entrance to
Texas Tech. They told me I could
not join unless I passed a test.
It had some math and reading
comprehension questions.
I passed. Those recruiters
were scratching their heads;
no woman had ever passed.
They didn't know what to do.
They had always sent female
candidates away. They called
their supervisor in Dallas. He
said to give me an application. I
was accepted, and by September
1985, I was in OCS Boot Camp in
Newport, RI.
92 Lubbock Senior Link
Each Day Is a Gift
When I earned
my commission,
my duty station
was the Naval
Amphibious
Base (NAB) in
Coronado, CA.
It is the West
Coast home of
the Underwater
Demolition and SEAL Teams. I
had many unnamed assignments,
and that is all I can say about
it. The Cold War was deadly,
and spies were always lurking,
especially the Russians in the
local pub in Coronado. Much of
the Cold War was a silent war
of spies, and though the public
was unaware of it, we lost many
service members during those
years.
I made time in my off-duty hours
to complete a triathlon, become
SCUBA qualified, and earn my
Cessna pilot’s license. On the
day of the triathlon, my goal was
to never give up. I told myself it
didn't matter if I placed first or
last – just keep putting one foot
in front of the other and never
quit. When I crossed the finish
line, I was so thrilled. SCUBA
classes were amazing. The SEAL
Dive Masters were extremely
strict, and they made sure safety
always came first. The base also
had a flight training school with
instructors for Cessna
planes. The flights were
exhilarating. When I
soloed, I was ready to
go again. My instructor
said it was tradition to
present the soloist with a
white silk scarf. I'm glad
it was a more civilized
tradition than what the
pilots at Reese Air Force Base
got. There, instructors tackled
the students and threw them in a
stock tank full of cold water.
My next assignment was as a
Recruiter at Navy Recruiting
District San Francisco. I recruited
for the nuclear program. The
Navy wanted to make sure a
submarine candidate would be
at ease working under the oceans
for months and living in cramped
spaces. I'd take candidates to
Bangor, WA, and we would
tour a submarine. One time,
we climbed out of a submarine,
and a candidate immediately
requested an assignment on an
aircraft carrier, so he could see
the sky every day.
In 1991, the Desert Storm War
in the Persian Gulf ended, and
my contract was complete. I had
earned two Navy Achievement
medals, an Expert Pistol Shot
medal and Sharpshooter ribbon.
I decided to exit the Navy. There
were no handshakes, no words of
thanks, and no welcome home.
After I completed my service,
I took my DD214 with my
Honorable Discharge and went
to the VA to sign up for benefits.
They told me they could not
enroll me because they did not
provide any services for females.