Debra Stern was born in Brooklyn, New York [Annotator's Note: is one of the five boroughs in New York, New York] in January 1924. She had a nice childhood and people were nice. She grew up with two younger brothers, and both served in the military. Her father was also in the service for World War 2 but was discharged early in the war. He supported his family by being an entertainer. During the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1945], life was hard for her family. As a Jew, Stern was aware of what was happening to Europe's Jews under Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler]. She was glad she was in America and proud to be a citizen of the country. Everyone one in her extended family wanted to help with the war efforts. One of her cousins was wounded in Hawaii [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. She was shopping for a hat when she overheard of the radio that Pearl Harbor was attacked. She tried to enlist in the Army before her 20th birthday but was rejected. She did a lot of volunteer work to help with the war efforts. Stern always tried to find ways to make money. She worked in a beauty parlor and helped a family. She also helped raise her youngest brother because her mother was sick. She was very loyal to her family and made sure her siblings were safe. She had a friend that escaped Germany, but her family was killed. Because she was acquainted with so many people in the service, she was able to gather information about what was going on in the war.

Debra Stern wanted to do her part to help win the war America but did not want to have a military job sitting behind a desk, thus, she felt the Army was the best service branch for her. In 1944, she enlisted in the Army. They sent her to basic training at Camp Oglethorpe in Georgia [Annotator's Note: in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia]. She was greatly supported by her family, but she dealt with some discrimination throughout her time in the Army. Some people commented that they were there "for the men." She always found ways to ignore or rise above them. On a weekend trip home while stationed at Camp Shanks [Annotator's Note: in Orangetown, New York], Stern's mother was upset at a comment made by another woman in the apartment building. [Annotator's Note: Stern addresses someone off camera at 0:19:20.000.] Though she loved her time in the Army, she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). An officer made repeated sexual advances which she refused. He refused to allow her to become a driver for a long time, but finally relented and allowed her to take the test, which she passed, much to his dismay. After getting reassigned, he continued to stalk her for nearly a year. She dreamt he was chasing her for many years. This experience was an outlier. Most of the other men she encountered in the Army were wonderful and even pushed for her to be promoted. Training was easy for her.

Debra Stern [Annotator's Note: in the Women's Army Corps; women's branch of the US Army, 1942-1978] was at Camp Shanks [Annotator's Note: in Orangeburg, New York] and was a truck driver for troop convoys. Camp Shanks was a town in upstate New York that the Army took over. It was beautiful because it was out in the country. Camp Shanks was the home of the largest embarkation for troops. Stern was very busy during her service dealing with the logistics of driving in troop convoys. She drove men of the 442nd RCT [Annotator's Note: 442nd Regimental Combat Team] and calls them "the nicest bunch." Over the course of her time at Camp Shanks, Stern was able to meet many celebrities who passed through the camp, including Joe Louis [Annotator's Note: Joseph Louis Barrow, American professional boxer] and Gene Kelly [Annotator's Note: Eugene Curran Kelly, American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer]. Well-known big bands would come to play at Camp Shanks. One soldier, who she calls Huffy, asked if he could write to her while in combat. After receiving just a few letters, Stern received word that Huffy was killed. She decided to not involve herself with any more soldiers after this. She did not have a routine at Camp Shanks. She was called to drive troops at all hours of the day or night. She often ate breakfast in the morning and went in the headquarters every morning to see what was going on. She often transported the troops to the port and bring anyone who returned to the United States back to the camp. One time a hurricane came through and her truck door was blown off. The challenges she faced did not bother her. While she was preparing for the invasion of Japan, she heard the news that Germany had surrendered. On VJ-Day [Annotator's Note: Victory Over Japan Day, 15 August 1945], Stern was at the beach in Atlantic City [Annotator's Note: Atlantic City, New Jersey]. Her colonel told her to report to the nearest "bitch box" [Annotator's Note: slang for radio speaker] at a certain time of day to hear a big announcement. Upon her arrival, news of the atomic bombings was being delivered [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945]. She was thankful the bombs were dropped, and the war would be ending. She became concerned for her brother because she knew that he was on his way to Japan. Camp Shanks was different than other camps because it was more like a community then a military base. Stern had an eight-day pass [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] that allowed her to leave camp anytime she wanted, but she had to tell her superiors where she was always. In April 1946, she was going through physicals to be discharged, and found out she was pregnant. She was a sergeant when she was discharged. She returned home and married.

Debra Stern's most memorable experience of World War 2 was being busy all the time at Camp Shanks [Annotator's Note: in Orangeburg, New York]. She met so many well-known people including the "Go for Broke" Nisei's [Annotator's Note: term for second-generation Japanese Americans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team]. She could not believe that these group of people fought for a country where their families were put in internment camps [Annotator's Note: concentration camps for civilian citizens]. Stern served in the military because her country was in trouble and many of her family members were already involved in the war. She was the only female in her family that served in the military. She was able to go up in the rank in her different organizations because of her service in the military and because she was a female. Her service means everything to her today. She enjoyed her experience in the military. She compelled to go and do her part for the war efforts. She believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and they should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations. She said she does not want anything of Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] destroyed. She wants to see the bad, so she learns the good.