Interviewed by:

Ella Kelly and Clementine Valtz

"I've learned to take it only a day at a time. To live just for today,

'cause you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow.

And yesterday's gone."

~ Nancy Swanson (33:07)

Nancy Swanson's Story:

Nancy Swanson spent much of her childhood outside, fishing, ice-skating, and horseback riding. Because of her parents’ love of traveling, she visited many places, and she also spent some summers in Maine with her friends. She played several different sports, including softball, basketball, and hockey. In 1961, when Ms. Swanson was eighteen, she and her friends decided to join the army.

Ms. Swanson thrived on the discipline of the military, and in basic training she learned about shooting, reading maps, and navigating the woods. After basic training, Ms. Swanson went to Fort Gordon, Georgia, to learn cryptology. She was taught to code and decode classified information in teletypes, and was soon stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco.

During the Vietnam War, Ms. Swanson was sent to Camp Zama, Japan, where she continued to work in the crypto center. However, her discharge from the military changed everything. Harshly interrogated about her sexuality and dishonorably discharged, she struggled with PTSD for fifty years. Eventually, a therapist convinced her to try to get her discharge reversed. In 2017, Ms. Swanson’s life changed again, but this time much for the better, when she received a letter from the Army granting her an honorable discharge.

Today Ms. Swanson lives in Provincetown, and loves fishing, walking her dog, Leela, and watching television.