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Heather Sandler on the flight deck of the Harry S. Truman [02/2003]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: War on Terrorism, 2001-2009
  • Branch of Service: Navy
  • Unit of Service: USS Abraham Lincoln (VX 23); USS Harry Truman (CVN 75)
  • Location of Service: Great Lakes, Illinois; Tennessee; Mediterranean Sea; Everett, Washington; Patuxent River, Maryland; Virginia Beach, Virginia
  • Highest Rank: Aviation Ordnanceman Second Class, E-6
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/87289

View full service history

"That day was the longest day I ever remember having in the Navy." (Video interview, 37:22)

Part of a military family, Heather Lori Belanger Sandler decided to follow in her grandfather's footsteps and join the Navy. Leaving for boot camp in 1995, she initially wanted to be a rescue swimmer, but later opted to become an Aviation Ordnanceman-which meant learning how to put together live bombs to be dropped from airplanes. Stationed on the USS Abraham Lincoln, she was part of one of the first groups of women to serve their deployment on an aircraft carrier, and comments in her interview about the gender dynamics aboard ship and how they shifted over time. Following September 11th, she deployed to the Middle East serving aboard the USS Harry Truman and assembling weapons to support ground troops in Iraq.

Interview / Recording

More Resources

[ Cover letter accompanying a letter of appreciation ]
[ Letter to U.S. Marines Col. Gene Fraser from Kathryn I. Clark, Ph.D. ]
[ Certificate accompanying the State of Connecticut Wartime Service Medal ]
[ Letter accompanying the State of Connecticut Veterans Wartime Service Medal ]
[ Letter of Appreciation to Belanger-Sandler from M.S. Whitty [11/1/1995] ]

Show more resources (31)

[ Certificate of appointment to Aviation Ordnanceman Third Class [8/28/1996] ]
[ Letter of Recognition from K. F. Schultz [8/30/1996] ]
[ Honor Certificate awarded to Belanger-Sandler [8/30/1996] ]
[ Certificate of Completion for satisfactory completion of Aviation Ordnanceman Course [8/30/1996] ]
[ Certificate of Completion for satisfactory completion of Shipboard Air Launched Weapons General Ordnance Course [3/21/1997] ]
[ Certificate of Commendation from the CO of the USS Abraham Lincoln ]
[ Department of the Navy Good Conduct Award ]
[ Letter of Commendation from the CO of the USS Abraham Lincoln ]
[ Performance Information Memorandum to Belanger-Sandler [4/29/1998] ]
[ Certificate of Appointment to Aviation Ordnancemen Second Class [2/25/1999] ]
[ Honorable Discharge [3/17/1999] ]
[ Certificate of Reenlistment [3/18/1999] ]
[ Certificate of Award of the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal [6/2/1999] ]
[ Certificate of Completion F/A-18 Stores Management Organizational (Initial) Course [8/13/1999] ]
[ Performance Information Memorandum to Belanger-Sandler [8/20/1999] ]
[ Certificate of Completion Conventional Weapons Loading course [8/20/1999] ]
[ Administrative remarks [10/27/2000] ]
[ Certificate of Appointment Collateral Duty Inspector ]
[ Certificate of Training, Organizational Maintenance Course [4/27/2001] ]
[ Letter of Appreciation [5/3/2001] ]
[ Letter of Commendation from the Naval Strike Aircraft Test Squadron ]
[ Certificate of Qualification as an Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist [11/13/2001] ]
[ Plan of the Week memo for January 7-13, 2002 ]
[ Plan of the Week memo for January 28 - February 3, 2002 ]
[ Letter of Commendation from the Commander Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division ]
[ Certificate of Award of the Naval and Marine Corps Achievment Medal [Gold Star] [9/23/2002] ]
[ Personal Award Recommendation ]
[ Letter giving notice of authority to assume the title and wear the uniform of a Petty Officer First Class [5/13/2003] ]
[ Department of the Navy Good Conduct Award [2/21/2004] ]
[ Certificate of Award of the Naval and Marine Corps Achievment Medal [Gold Star] [3/18/2005] ]
[ Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty ]

About this Item

Title

  • Heather Lori Sandler Collection

Names

  • Central Connecticut State University
  • Sandler, Heather Lori
  • Hurst, Eileen M.
  • McGuckin, Briana

Home State

  • Connecticut

Headings

  • -  Sandler, Heather Lori
  • -  War on Terrorism, 2001-2009 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Navy.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Female

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • War on Terrorism, 2001-2009

    • Branch of Service: Navy
    • Unit of Service: USS Abraham Lincoln (VX 23); USS Harry Truman (CVN 75)
    • Location of Service: Great Lakes, Illinois; Tennessee; Mediterranean Sea; Everett, Washington; Patuxent River, Maryland; Virginia Beach, Virginia
    • Highest Rank: Aviation Ordnanceman Second Class, E-6
    • Dates of Service: 1995-2005
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2012-06-09; 2012)
  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2012-06-09; 2012)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [34 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1995-2009)
  • Photograph: Digital print [31 items] -- Photograph (collected 2003-2012)
  • Manuscript: Unit histories [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2004-2005)
  • Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Multiple types of electronic files (collected 2012-06-09)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/87289

Cite as

  • Heather Lori Sandler Collection (AFC/2001/001/87289), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Central Connecticut State University, Heather Lori Sandler, Eileen M Hurst, and Briana McGuckin. Heather Lori Sandler Collection. 1995. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.87289/.

APA citation style:

Central Connecticut State University, Sandler, H. L., Hurst, E. M. & McGuckin, B. (1995) Heather Lori Sandler Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.87289/.

MLA citation style:

Central Connecticut State University, et al. Heather Lori Sandler Collection. 1995. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.87289/>.