Why I Serve: Kit Carryl

On this edition of Why I Serve, the Recorder sat down with Kit Carryl to discuss her time as a riveter and in the military, her most memorable experiences and more. Carryl is currently a resident at The Windsor at San Pablo.

What was your job in the military?

In the military, I was a riveter and when I came to the Bronx, New York, I went to the boot camp. We had a lot of regulation drills and so forth but when they figured out where they were going to send me, I went to Norfolk, probably because I had worked at Northwest Airlines in Minnesota. We did a lot of different riveting there and I did quite a little bit of everything on the B24 before I went to the Navy. 

Why did you serve?

They really needed people and I was single. I had nothing to really worry about, I needed something interesting to do and I knew that the government needed help. I knew my father had served a year and I knew it was going to be interesting work because I had answered an ad in Minnesota for riveters, so that's where they started me. I knew I would be needed; I knew that if I was going into the Navy, they'd probably need a riveter. 

A full version of this interview has been posted above.