“We were heroes in their eyes.” (Audio interview, 03:52)

Mary Cox

War: Persian Gulf War, 1990-1995 Branch: Army Unit: 766th Transportation Headquarters Service Location: Germany; Saudi Arabia Rank: Specialist Place of Birth: Anderson, IN

A “newbie” in her Indiana National Guard unit, Mary Cox was sent to the Persian Gulf to serve with the 766th Transportation Headquarters, a transportation dispatch unit, in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert. Life just outside the combat zone brought heat, boredom, and—as one of six women in a unit of 42 men—a near total lack of privacy. To cope, she sent a constant stream of letters (sometimes as many as 20 a day) to her friends and family back home. As well, she relied on her sense of humor and the close relationships she developed with the other soldiers in her unit.