Kristin Glasgow and Karen Offutt
In the late 1960s, Karen Offutt was a patriotic teenager who got chills whenever she heard the “Star-Spangled Banner.” At 18, she dropped out of nursing school to enlist in the U.S. Army and was deployed to Vietnam.
As a stenographer, Karen was given top secret “eyes only” clearance working for high-ranking generals. Her duties included everything from typing and transcribing to serving tea.
At StoryCorps, Karen spoke with her daughter Kristin about her time at war.
Originally aired November 11, 2017, on NPR’s Weekend Edition.