128 Years of Family Serving Family: Melinda Whitman, WAC Veteran, Fort Belvoir

One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 128 years of family serving family.

Who she is: Melinda Whitman, custodial worker, Fort Belvoir 

Years with the Exchange: 14 years 

Military connections: Whitman served 21 years in the Army, joining what was then the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) in 1970, in the middle of the Vietnam War. In basic training, she was asked whether she played an instrument, which she did—the trumpet—and was assigned to the 14^th Army Band, the last all-woman military band at Fort McClellan, Ala. “We had a recruiting mission. Our trumpet players were also buglers, and we went all over the U.S., even to Puerto Rico. We would go with the male detail to military funerals to play ‘Taps,’ and the band supported all the military ceremonies at McClellan.”

Historic service: In the mid-1970s, the decision was made to integrate the all-female WAC into the Army. In 1976, Whitman and two other women volunteered to go to Korea and were assigned to the 2^nd Infantry Division band at Camp Casey. “Our women band members were the first women to integrate into many of the all-male military bands.”

Breaking barriers: “WAC was not a combat support role. When they threw us in with the Army, it was a big adjustment—for us, and for the men who had their customs. We had a lot of battles with the men. We faced sexual harassment, discrimination,” Whitman said. “I pushed back. I had to stand up for the younger women. It was really stressful, but we stuck it out. The women of the 14^th Army Band were successful, and I was able to retire as a master sergeant.”

What brought her to the Exchange: After retiring from the Army, Whitman began a second career as a veterinary assistant, which she did for 17 years. She left that career due to burnout and worked as a cashier at a local grocery store for a couple of years. After that, she went to truck driving school and earned her license, driving trucks and buses. “I realized that being a cashier and being a truck driver were not for me. Since I have a military background, I applied to AAFES, and I was hired as a custodian.

“I had been to the PX many times in my military career. I figured it’d be a good job, and it has been.”

Best part of working for the Exchange: “I chose to be a custodian because I can get paid for doing exercise. All the walking, chasing grocery carts all over the parking lot, cleaning up messes, and keeping everything looking presentable is a highly demanding physical job.

“The associates are very friendly, and you meet people from all different backgrounds and different countries. Everyone’s polite to each other. That helps in a work situation when people respect you. Most young people wouldn’t want to be a custodian, I’ve found, but they respect the job. It’s a courteous place to work and the customers appreciate custodians, too. People come up to me and my fellow custodians saying thank you for your service.”

Family serving family: “You have a lot of Veterans who are associates. You have military spouses who are associates. You have children of Veterans who are associates. That unites everybody as a military family.”