Description
Interview Summary
Bobbi Jo Mayes talks about being a military police officer. Mayes describes what jobs she did in Kentucky. She talks about being deployed to Cuba and Afghanistan, and how she felt about being away from her children while overseas. Mayes also briefly talks about her experience at Guantanamo Bay. She talks about her job during her deployment in Afghanistan working with the Agribusiness Development Team, a program that helps Afghan women develop skillsets such as farming, beekeeping, and raising livestock in order to support themselves and their families. She explains that women gained social mobility and were taken more seriously as members of society upon learning these skills. She explains that she had a major change of heart after building real friendships, and that this experience made her a better person.
General
Interview Accession
2012oh175_ochs077
Interviewee Name
Bobbi Jo Mayes
Interviewer Name
Jan Jasper
Interview Date
2012-03-23
Rights
Interview Rights
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.
Interview Usage
Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.
OHMS
OHMS Object Text
5.4 2012oh175_ochs077 Interview with Bobbi Jo Mayes, March 23, 2012 2012oh175_ochs077 ochsv Oldham County Historical Society: Oldham County Veterans Oral History Project Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries Veterans. Women and the military--United States Women veterans Women soldiers Women--Employment. Agriculture. Basic training (Military education) United States. Army. Deployment (Strategy) Bee culture. Farm life. Civilians in war. Communication. Sex discrimination against women Cooperation. Military police. Family life. National guard Motherhood. Poverty. Military education. Guantanamo Bay (Cuba) Bobbi Jo Mayes Jan Jasper 0 https://nunncenter.aviaryplatform.com/embed/media/119494 Aviary video 0 Joining the Army --ay is March 23, 2012. This segment is an introduction to Major Bobbi Jo Mayes who explains what made her want to join the service, what her experience in basic training was like, and about becoming a military police officer. Mayes explains that she's been a military police officer throughout her entire career and she has always enjoyed it. Branches ; Careers ; Challenges ; College ; Colleges ; Combat armed support ; Enlistment ; Family ; Farming ; Injuries ; Korean War ; Law school ; Majors ; Military ; Officers ; Ranks ; Recycled ; School ; Training ; Women Agriculture. ; Basic training (Military education) ; Family life. ; Fort McClellan (Ala.) ; Military police. ; National guard ; United States. Army. ; Veterans. ; Women and the military--United States ; Women soldiers ; Women veterans ; Women--Employment. 357 Military job and being deployed Have you always been in the Frankfort area? Where have you been? Mayes describes various jobs she has done throughout her career as a military police officer. She talks about being deployed to Cuba and Afghanistan, and how she felt about being away from her children while overseas. Mayes also briefly talks about her experience at Guantanamo Bay. Afghanistan ; Career ; Child care ; Children ; Commander ; Commission ; Company command ; Cuba ; Detainees ; Extension ; Facility ; Husband ; Jobs ; Leadership ; Lieutenant ; Officers ; Parenting ; Prisoners ; Prisons ; Riots ; Spouse ; Training ; War ; Wars Deployment (Strategy) ; Family life. ; Guantanamo Bay (Cuba) ; Leadership. ; Military education. ; Military police. ; Motherhood. ; National guard ; Travel. ; United States. Army. ; Women and the military--United States ; Women soldiers ; Women veterans ; Women--Employment. 20.011, 75.121 17 Guantanamo Bay (Cuba) 674 Agribusiness development team for the women's empowerment program Now--(clears throat)--you, uh, you're talking about Agribusiness Development Team Two for the Women's Empowerment Program. Mayes explains what she was involved with when she was deployed in Afghanistan. She says this deployment was different because she was working with the Agribusiness Development Team, a program that helps Afghan women develop skillsets such as farming, beekeeping, and raising livestock in order to support themselves and their families. Mayes talks about navigating language barriers, ways this program empowered impoverished Afghan women, and how she fit into the Director of Women's Affairs (DOWA) hierarchy as an American. Afghanistan ; Afghans ; Background ; Beekeeping ; Bees ; Building trust ; Compassion ; Culture ; Empowerment ; Farming ; Fertilizer ; Government ; Hierarchy ; Hives ; Involvement ; Job skills ; Language barriers ; Rapport ; Skillsets ; Swarms ; Teaching ; Teams ; Trade ; Unit ; Women ; Women's affairs Agriculture. ; Bee culture. ; Civilians in war. ; Communication. ; Cooperation. ; Deployment (Strategy) ; Farm life. ; Poverty. ; Sex discrimination against women ; Women and the military--United States ; Women--Employment. 1315 Benefits and progress of the women's empowerment program Now you've got women making honey. How do they-- Mayes describes the changes she saw while working on the Agribusiness Development Team. She explains that women gained social mobility and were taken more seriously as members of society upon learning these skills. Mayes then talks about the struggle for women's rights in Afghanistan, and how technology is playing a progressive role in this fight. Beekeeping ; Children ; Civil rights ; Family ; Family empowerment ; Hives ; Income ; Injustice ; Men ; Painting ; Poultry ; Profit ; Progression ; Radio ; Technology ; Tension ; Trade ; Training ; Women ; Women's empowerment ; Women's issues ; Women's rights ; Work Bee culture. ; Beehives ; Civilians in war. ; Communication. ; Cooperation. ; Honey ; Poverty. ; Sex discrimination against women ; Strategy. ; Transportation. ; Women and the military--United States ; Women--Employment. 1657 Going home and goals for the women's empowerment team Tell me, when you left in July of 2011-- Mayes talks about what happened with the women's empowerment team after she left Afghanistan. She explains that one of the major goals of the program is to move around and help women in several remote areas develop the same skills so that women's empowerment and agricultural development progress is widespread throughout Afghanistan. Mayes explains that Afghans have lost aspects of their own culture and that the work the team does aims to reconnect them to what they've lost. Afghanistan ; Aftermath ; Battlefield ; Building relationships ; Continuing ; Development ; Egg exportation ; Farming ; Leaving ; Moving ; Peanuts ; Provinces ; Raisin manufacturing ; Remote areas ; Replacement ; Rural communities ; Saffron ; Training ; Trees ; War Agriculture. ; Civilians in war. ; Communication. ; Cooperation. ; Culture. ; Sex discrimination against women ; Trust. ; Women and the military--United States ; Women--Employment. 1955 Lasting impacts from this experience Do you have any other things you want to mention? Mayes gives her final thoughts on working with Afghan people while she was deployed. She explains that she had a major change of heart after building real friendships, and that this experience made her a better person. Mayes emphasizes that the portrayal of Afghan people in the news media is false and that they are the kindest people she's met. The interview is then concluded with Mayes talking about ways people can access additional information about the Agribusiness Development Team. Anger ; Businesses ; Compassion ; Empowerment ; Friendships ; Generosity ; Ignorance ; Kindness ; Knowledge ; Negativity ; Progression ; Suffrage ; Teamwork ; Technology ; Trust ; Women Civilians in war. ; Communication. ; Cooperation. ; Education ; News media ; Progress. ; Women and the military--United States interview Bobbi Jo Mayes talks about being a military police officer. Mayes describes what jobs she did in Kentucky. She talks about being deployed to Cuba and Afghanistan, and how she felt about being away from her children while overseas. Mayes also briefly talks about her experience at Guantanamo Bay. She talks about her job during her deployment in Afghanistan working with the Agribusiness Development Team, a program that helps Afghan women develop skillsets such as farming, beekeeping, and raising livestock in order to support themselves and their families. She explains that women gained social mobility and were taken more seriously as members of society upon learning these skills. She explains that she had a major change of heart after building real friendships, and that this experience made her a better person. No transcript. All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries. video Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2012oh175_ochs077_mayes_ohm.xml 2012oh175_ochs077_mayes_ohm.xml https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7n028pg69z
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