Lillian Hoover was kept informed of what was going on in the war. Her base [Annotator's Note: Naval Air Technical Training Center in Norman, Oklahoma] was huge. They would go to Norman, Oklahoma. The people there were kind and hospitable to the women in the service. They would sometimes go to Oklahoma City [Annotator's Note: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma]. The male sailors were very nice and receptive. She was there when the war ended. She was surprised by the bombs [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945]. When the war was over, they had a choice of staying in or getting discharged. Her unit did not have a name. They were just WAVES [Annotator's Note: Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service; United States Naval Women's Reserve]. There were about 12 women who oversaw barracks like she did. They were happy the war was over, but sad that they would be going their separate ways. They became very close. She could have gone to Hawaii, but she chose to get discharged. [Annotator’s Note: Hoover gets emotional.] She did visit a friend she had gone through boot camp with. She met her husband on that visit. She kept in touch with different ones. Hoover believes the war brought a new type of allegiance to the United States. Her time in the service was a very, very special time in her life.

Lillian Hoover was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in August 1924. She grew up there. Her father was a contractor. She attended LSU [Annotator's Note: Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana] and joined the service. Her mother was an excellent manager, so they did very well during the Great Depression. She had two brothers and three sisters. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks if she recalls the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941.] Pearl Harbor really hit her and got her wondering what she could do for her country. Her father had to sign for her [Annotator's Note: to allow her to enlist in the military] and reluctantly did so. She left home shortly after her 20th birthday. Her youngest brother was in the Army Air Forces. She decided to join the WAVES [Annotator's Note: Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service; United States Naval Women's Reserve] instead of the WACS [Annotator's Note: Women's Army Corps; women's branch of the Army from 1942 to 1978]. She went to Hunter College, New York [Annotator's Note: New York, New York] for basic training. She was sent to Norman, Oklahoma to the Naval Air Technical Training Center, where the University of Oklahoma now is. She was in charge of her barracks. It was wonderful and she met so many wonderful girls. Hoover's first night on duty, she fell asleep. Some of the women were nurses. A lot of them were mechanics for aircraft or worked on parachutes. It was a huge base. She never had any trouble with any of her girls. They really wanted to be a part of the service.