00:00:01JASON BEYER: My name is Jason Beyer. I'm a graduate of California State University of San Marcos. Today I will be doing an oral history and interviewing Dora Ann Beacham. Today's date is November 1, 2024. We are located in the Kellogg Library of CSUSM at 333 South Twin Oaks Valley Road, San Marcos, California 92069. I am a Marine Corps veteran and graduate of Cal State San Marcos, along with the interviewee, Dora Beacham. Today there are people attending—myself, the interviewee, Adel Bautista is the camera operator, and Marilyn Huerta. The purpose of this interview is to conduct an oral history. Please state your first, middle, and last name, branch of service, highest rank attained, and the war or conflict you served in.
00:01:06DORA ANN BEACHAM: Good morning, Jason. My name is Dora Ann Beacham. (Redacted.) I served in the United States Marine Corps. My highest rank was Master Sergeant E8, and I served in the Operation Enduring Freedom.
00:01:23BEYER: Thank you, Dora. So we'll begin with some biographical details. Where were you born?
00:01:30BEACHAM: I was born in Hondo, Texas.
00:01:33BEYER: Does your family have any past military affiliations with the military?
00:01:37BEACHAM: I had two uncles at the time that were in the Marine Corps—well, one of 'em was in the Marine Corps, the other one was in the Army. And those were the only people that served or family members that served at the time.
00:01:48BEYER: Did you hold any jobs before entering the military?
00:01:53BEACHAM: I held jobs as far as like babysitting, but no actual formal employments.
00:02:00BEYER: When and why did you choose to join the military? And where were you—were you drafted or did you enlist?
00:02:08BEACHAM: I actually enlisted in the Marine Corps, and the reason that I've always said that I joined the Marine Corps was since I was in junior high, I used to like to play with the G.I. Joe, little miniature (laughs) toys that I had. And that's the reason I joined. But also once I went to talk to a recruiter, it was more about getting an education.
00:02:30BEYER: And which branch did you enter?
00:02:31BEACHAM: It was the United States Marine Corps.
00:02:33BEYER: And why did you choose that branch?
00:02:35BEACHAM: The reason I chose it—I have to honestly say when they came into the school, it was the uniform. I mean, I think everybody says that it's the uniform looked so crisp and clean and that was my main reason.
00:02:49BEYER: So for your early days of service, what type of training or school did you have?
00:02:56BEACHAM: So prior to the Marine Corps, you're asking?
00:02:59BEYER: Once you went to basic training—well, let's start off. Where did you go to basic training at?
00:03:04BEACHAM: I went to South Carolina, Parris Island.
00:03:07BEYER: And from Paris Island, what MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) school or training did you have after that?
00:03:13BEACHAM: I had—my MOS was 0411 logistics, and I was in Norfolk, Virginia.
00:03:19BEYER: What is the most vivid memory, both best and worst parts of your time training or in school?
00:03:27BEACHAM: Let's see. So I remember it was probably—I would say it is my best. The bootcamp one stands out to me only because I'm, you know, four-foot 11'' and we had to go do the O course (obstacle course), but we did the male's O course 'cause it was during our field training. And I remember the drill instructors telling us, "Hey, so this is how you're gonna do it." So they'd put a recruit on the bottom and you'd step on their back and you'd try to jump up. And of course it was my turn. So I was just being me and determined. So I just hit the wall and jumped over and I didn't need nobody. So after that they took it away. So it was actually the best moment for me, but probably not the girls behind me. So, that was probably my best. As far as the worst, I would have to say, even though I finished my hikes, those are probably the worst 'cause you'd end up at the very end taking off your flak jacket. And once you take off your flak jacket, your back is just like crumbling. But that would probably be the worst. It's just at the very end.
00:04:25BEYER: What was your first assignment after basic training?
00:04:29BEACHAM: My first duty station—and I say it tricked me because I went to Twentynine Palms. It was Combat Service Support Group 1. And during that timeframe, coming straight from bootcamp and doing all that training, going straight to Twentynine Palms, we spent a lot of time in the desert, right in the field. And I was able to—I wouldn't say play with dynamite, but we were able to use dynamite, right? And the M203 grenade launcher, the SAW (M249 Squad Automatic Weapon), the 50 cal.—and this is all we did when we were there in Twentynine Palms is the field time, field time, field time. So, it kind of tricked me because I thought that's all I was gonna do the rest of the time, but it wasn't (laughs).
00:05:11BEYER: Did you recall your instructors while you were at Twentynine Palms? If so, what were they like?
00:05:17BEACHAM: I don't recall my instructors from Twentynine Palms. I do remember my drill instructors that were there, and that was Sergeant Wilson was our senior, Sergeant Rackey, and then Sergeant Shepherd.
00:05:35BEYER: Do you qualify—did you qualify with equipment such as vehicles, aircraft, radios, weapons? If yes, what was training with that equipment like?
00:05:48BEACHAM: I think one of the trainings I got was driving a Humvee. That was interesting, being short, but I was able to do that. Obviously I trained with a lot of different weapons when I was in Twentynine Palms. The one that stands out to me the most was the M203 grenade launcher, simply because you put it on your shoulder and the first time it goes off, you're like, Oh my God, that hurt. The second time is worse. So I remember that. I remember training with grenades and having the instructors—if it was too close, they'd like, tackle you and throw you on the ground once you threw it. So I remember those incidents. Other than that, the trainings I went to, instructors training were—I was trained on giving classes and I was also trained on uniformed victim advocate, which was actually servicing service members who were sexually assaulted or any type of victims in that manner for military members. Those are the ones that I recall off the top of my head.
00:06:52BEYER: Did you receive any promotions and could you tell me about them?
00:06:57BEACHAM: Yes. I received promotions all the way up to Master Sergeant. The one that stands out to me the most at the beginning was Corporal because I got that meritoriously. So to me that was pretty awesome. After that, I got promoted. The other one that stands out to me as being on recruiting as a Staff Sergeant, and I picked up Gunny (Gunnery Sergeant) when I was out there. And the joke was, wow, as soon as the message board came out—my certificate was right after that—is they'd make a joke 'cause I was getting promoted first. And then of course Master Sergeant, that was my favorite promotion and that was because I received it when I was at the Advanced Infantry Training Battalion. And that was by far the most probably fun but also learning experience that I had in my Marine Corps career.
00:07:47BEYER: What was the hardest part of the military lifestyle for you to adapt to? Why do you think it was?
00:07:56BEACHAM: I would have to go back to—not bootcamp. Bootcamp wasn't the hardest, that's what I always heard—but I would have to say that after bootcamp was probably the hardest, when you first start. 'Cause you're so used to getting instructions on what to do. And once you join the Marine Corps, it's like nobody's telling you what to do. You have to make your own decisions. So whether you fall or you succeed, it's on you. So that would probably be the hardest. As far as the easiest, I think being away from home started off being hard, but the more time I served it was probably the easiest part is being away from home.
00:08:34BEYER: What were your interactions like with people you encountered during your stateside service?
00:08:41BEACHAM: One of the most popular or most eventful I guess one I'd hear was I'd tell somebody I was a Marine and they would kind of like, "You're a Marine?" I'm four-foot 11,'' so being—and petite—so people would always think like, "You're a Marine?" They couldn't believe it. But I think majority of the people that did see me, they always showed me respect and thanked me for my service. That was greatly appreciated. Those were the most common remarks.
00:09:06BEYER: So now we're going to get into wartime service if it's applicable. What wartime conflicts were you a part of?
00:09:14BEACHAM: I served under Operation Enduring Freedom. I was stationed in Camp Fallujah.
00:09:23BEYER: And that's where, Camp Fallujah?
00:09:25BEACHAM: Iraq.
00:09:26BEYER: What are your recollections of that experience?
00:09:29BEACHAM: It was from January 2004 to August of 2004. I would say that it was a lot of hours of working, and we provided a lot of support to the people that—to the individuals and Marines that were out there. A lot of needed support. And so even though we worked tireless hours, I believe it was worth it to make sure that it was for the safety of the Marines that were out there.
00:10:01BEYER: What were your interactions like with local cultures and the people you encountered during deployment?
00:10:07BEACHAM: The different cultures that I encountered, I think were all positive. I learned a lot, whether it was foods or different music that everybody listened to. Maybe different traditions—and of course values. So I think it was just something positive that I learned throughout my career, interacting and engaging with people of different cultures.
00:10:33BEYER: Were you in combat, combat support, or combat service support roles? Or did the war zone make that designation irrelevant for you?
00:10:42BEACHAM: No, I—like I said at the beginning, I was at Combat Service Support Group 1 and we did a lot of training out in the field. It was all about deploying and being in the field and preparing me. I also was with the 11th Marine Regiment. We were always in the field then, too. I was the lucky one. I think I was single till I was 29. And so I was—people might think it was a bad thing, but I thought it was a great thing that I was always picked first because I was single, so it was easier to send me. So I spent a lot of time learning a lot of the idea of being or actually training in the field in the desert, which prepared me, I think for Iraq—being out there in the heat and being away from everybody and living in tents and just transitioning from tent to building if necessary. So I think a lot of that prepared me for being out there.
00:11:33BEYER: What kinds of friendships and comradery did you form while serving and with whom?
00:11:42BEACHAM: I gained a lot of relationships, not only with the peers that were in my job but also that were connected to my job. Since I did logistics, I worked a lot with supply. I had a lot of relationships there. Different inspection teams would come out and inspect us, so I gained relationships, and I was taught a lot about our own MOS. One of the most valuable experiences and teachings that I learned—and interactions—was with—having relationships with Marines that were at the Advanced Infantry Training Battalion. It was mainly infantry, and there was just a few females there that you could probably count on one hand that were there. And I learned a lot as far as what they do, what they train, and what's needed. I did it—I did all their logistics for them. So it was important to know that they need all those supplies in order to train before they can even deploy it.
00:12:40BEYER: How did you stay in touch with your family and friends? Did you choose to keep communication with them while deployed in Iraq?
00:12:47BEACHAM: So I did a lot of interactions through the computer. I sent a lot of emails. We were able to make phone calls, so every so often I would be able to make a phone call home. I—at the time I was married and my son was only nine months old, so I was able to communicate with my husband a lot—not with him so much 'cause, you know, he really didn't talk—and with my mother. I think I communicated with her at least once a week to make sure she knew that I was safe.
00:13:16BEYER: What did you do for recreation or when you were off duty in Iraq?
00:13:21BEACHAM: I would say the few times that I was off—well, we were off probably daily for a little bit, whether it was lunch or in the evening before we walked back to our quarters. And I did walking, like, within the wall to make sure that we stayed safe, unless they otherwise stated not to. And it was usually during daylight. During the evening it was a little bit more difficult. So, I would say walking. And I watched a lot of DVDs—recorded DVDs—at night, of CSI (laughs).
00:13:55BEYER: Do you recall any particularly humorous or unusual events while deployed in Iraq?
00:14:01BEACHAM: Um, humorous—I would say being at the gym was probably the most humorous because you had everybody that used to run and stuff like that that wasn't able to would be in the gym working out. So you—the interesting and the funny part is watching everybody that wasn't used to and not knowing how were in there, learning how to work out. 'Cause you know, there were more runners but the gym people actually knew what they were doing and they would show us—Hey, this is how you work this body part. So I would think that was probably the funniest.
00:14:38BEYER: Was there something that you did personally for good luck while deployed in Iraq?
00:14:45BEACHAM: I wouldn't say that it has to do with Iraq, I would think general in my life, I've always said if it wasn't for bad luck, I would have no luck. So I've always believed in turning my bad luck into something. I believe things happen for a reason. So to me, if it looked like bad luck, it wasn't. It was meant to be and it's gonna turn out later on as something good. There's a reason why that occurred. So even though it could be considered bad luck, it was always my good luck.
00:15:12BEYER: Now we're moving towards the end of service. Do you recall the day your service ended? Where were you, and when was your service ended?
00:15:24BEACHAM: Well, on my last day—I say physical because the actual last day was at home because you take vacation. But on my last physical date, I had my big ceremony, something that I had been waiting for for years. I was on Camp Pendleton, California, on the green grassy lawn that's out there. I had the band come out and play. And I would tell you it—what I remember, it was a day full of gratitude and proud moments of being able to accomplish it. You know, I wasn't—I didn't just join the Marine Corps. I was able to retire, which says a lot for myself and where my background of where I came from.
00:16:04BEYER: Did you return home after service or were you—where were you and where did you go?
00:16:11BEACHAM: So, we had actually established a home, my husband and I, in California. My son was in school so we decided to stay. However, I did return home and visit family. And I still do—I still return and see them. But we thought it was important to keep our family here in California and have my son continue in the school he was in.
00:16:34BEYER: How were you received by your family and community once you completed your time in the Marine Corps?
00:16:41BEACHAM: I would say what I've noticed as far—with my family—is they're very accepting, respectful of me, my time and service. In fact, if ever they need something, I'm the person they call. They believe that I'm the person that is gonna find the answer. "She'll find it, she'll figure it out." They have so much confidence that anything they need that I can just look it up or read or learn about it and it'll be there (laughs).
00:17:07BEYER: How did you readjust to civilian life? Did you work or did you go back to school?
00:17:15BEACHAM: I took a month off is probably what I recall—I don't think I've stopped since then—to join—basically my son played soccer and I was the soccer traveling mom for a bunch of boys age seven to 17 basically. And I traveled all around the states and a couple of countries. I actually joined—started school in August after I retired, which is just a few months afterwards. And I believe that doing that—traveling and meeting different people and having a different type of non-structured life—helped me adjust into the community area, which I think all Marines need, right? We need to like decompress a little bit. And it actually helped, you know, running around with a bunch of teenage boys playing soccer and helping them out. And also I learned a lot at school. You know, I learned mindfulness. I learned empathy and stuff, and psychology, and as far as being a social worker, and I think that helped me a lot—readjust to the community.
00:18:16BEYER: Did the G.I. Bill affect you?
00:18:20BEACHAM: Oh wow. The G.I. Bill has had like an enormous—it played an enormous amount in my life. Not only was I able to go to school. I think that the G.I. Bill helped me by going to school and learning the different psychology parts and social work parts. It helped me align with the fact of what I wanted to be. Growing up I didn't have that many opportunities. So the option was the military, right? 'Cause we didn't have money to go to school or other things—any type of professional career. So it kind of linked with, you know, what I learned at school to what I wanted to become. And what it taught me was, Hey, I didn't have opportunities, but I took what was available. And there's individuals that may not join the military, but they don't have—they're not aware of other opportunities. And I think the G.I. Bill helped me learn that I wanna help others have other opportunities in whichever manner or whichever path they wanna take.
00:19:20BEYER: Did you continue any friendships after service? And if so, for how long?
00:19:26BEACHAM: Well, I have plenty of friendships that I keep. They're mainly online because, like you asked, did I go back home? No. But a lot of other individuals that were my friends and colleagues, they did go home. They did go back to Texas or Idaho or New York or wherever it was that they were originally from. And I stayed up in Cal State and California. And there are a few here that I still are in communication with, but mainly through like email and phone calls.
00:19:54BEYER: Did you join any veteran organizations?
00:19:57BEACHAM: Yes, I did. I joined the veterans organization here in San Marcos. And I think that was it. I think that's the only organizations that I've joined so far.
00:20:10BEYER: How was—so now we're moving on to reflections. How has your service impacted your life, your community, your faith, and your family?
00:20:21BEACHAM: I would have to say, if I start with me being a Hispanic female from a small town who didn't, like I said, didn't have many opportunities, I'm able to have better opportunities for education, financial security. I could tell you that the—my pension that I get actually helped me establish a foundation for the next generation. You know, we talk about generational wealth, and I think it starts with me. And, you know, I'm able to provide that for my son and then hope for his children, right? So I think that's the financial security. But not only that, the Marine Corps brought a lot of structure and values and stuff that you take in and you utilize not only in service but afterwards, whether it is education or whether it is a career path. And I think it provided a lot of value that has made me who I am, who I've become. As far as from my family, like I said, it's—my son has more opportunities than I had. He's able to attend school, he's able to use Chapter 35, what we have for his education. He used his ID card for many years going to the commissary when we were enlisted. And I believe the values and what I learned in the Marine Corps I was able to push onto him. And he has a lot of respect for others, and he doesn't take stuff for granted. I think it's based off what I learned in the service. And as far as for my family outside of that, I think it showed in the fact that I have two nieces that followed my footsteps into the Marine Corps. And I think what I showed them that they saw when they came to visit me and who I was and what I represented, it helped them say, "Hey, that's what I wanna be, that's what I wanna do." And the same thing for my son. My son didn't take the Marine Corps path, but he's like, "No, I need to be successful like my mom and my father"—'cause we're both military. So I think that's the impact that it had in my life, as far as my family.
00:22:35BEYER: What are some of the life lessons you've learned from your military service?
00:22:40BEACHAM: Hmm, life lessons. I've thought about this a lot, and I would say the most important life lesson that I got from the Marine Corps was how powerful an impact that an individual can have on somebody else. And in the Marine Corps, I recall so many times that I worked with my Marines—young Marines or even my peers—and, you know, we'd be doing a simple task or doing something to help one of the other companies or anything that we were doing, and I'd always have to tell 'em to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Look at what else is occurring. And they were able to do that, and they would even pass it on to somebody else. "You gotta look at the bigger picture." And I think sometimes they knew what that meant and what I was getting at. But the basis of it is that what you're doing now, the task you're doing now, affects the mission, what we're doing, maybe a deployment, but it also affects what you do in the future, right? Like what you're doing now, whether it's a goal, whether it's school, whether it's a task, learning discipline, right? Grit, right? You know, facing adversity? You take that along with you and it's gonna impact the rest of your life, whether it's in the service, out of service—and who you are, what you become, and how will people look at you. And I would say that that was my biggest learning lesson is that the impact that you have on somebody else could affect, you know, them down the road.
00:24:11BEYER: What message would you like to leave for future generations who will view or hear this interview?
00:24:20BEACHAM: So I'd have to start off with who I am, who I represent. And it has to be with, you know, gender, ethnicity, race, my background, right? And I would have to say that for someone who's looking at joining the service—I say Marine Corps, but you can join any service—and you are gonna gain so many opportunities to not only be successful, but to be accomplished, right? And I will reiterate, it's not just in service, it's afterwards. You know, how successful you can be in the future. How successful your family can be, your children, your grandchildren, right? So I would tell 'em that when you're thinking about this is, you can do it. Like, it's possible. So stay focused and look at, you know, if I can do it and being, you know, four-foot 11'', I think anybody else can do it with a little bit of hard work and determination. And the other part of the legacy—'cause I can't exclude my counterparts—I have to include everybody else that were male—diversity from gender, race, different ethnicities, different cultures—is that the value you gain from the Marine Corps is important for you to be, as far as a citizen of the United States, what you learn here, the values you gain, the friendships that you learn and engage in, is gonna make you that better person, that better citizen, a better father, a better mother, a better student, a better instructor, right? Because I think we teach people throughout our lifetimes, whether we're in a classroom or not. And I would say to everybody else that it's worth it. So the legacy I would like to leave is that for everybody else is that, "Hey, if you're determined and if you set your mind to do something, you can. You just, you know, gotta push through all the adversity sometimes, and the struggles, but it's doable."
00:26:26BEYER: How did you become associated with the CSUSM campus community?
00:26:30BEACHAM: I would say, the community that we're working with now, how I normally got associated with is through you, Jason. Like a lot of times, you would bring to light that, Hey, this is going on. And it was awesome to hear that there was somebody that was that dedicated to, you know, bringing some light into other service members with events and opportunities that were out there for them to engage with other veterans, right? And I would say a lot of it was through word of mouth. I mean, you weren't the only one. I mean, you for sure were one of the most important ones in my last two years, but I ran into a lot of veterans that were doing some good work and supporting other veterans, and I think that's why I picked also the career path I'm working with is social work and I am gonna work with the VA (Veterans Affairs) here in a couple of days. And I think working with a lot of veterans at CSUSM, I learned that, hey, service members need support no matter which branch of service it is. And it's important for us to be there for them and provide them with—whether we have more knowledge of the benefits that might be beneficial to them.
00:27:41BEYER: So in conclusion, I'd like to say thank you for taking the time to share your recollections of military service. Is there anything you've always wanted to share about your service or veteran experience that you never have?
00:27:56BEACHAM: Okay, I would say that one of the things that stands out to me was I remember being in bootcamp, and there's a lot of awards you get throughout the Marine Corps and bootcamp. You could get like first class PFT (Physical Fitness Test) or sharpshooter, highest shooter, right? And, one of the things that I recall the most is being a Molly Marine. You get voted by your peers on who was the most motivated and who was the one that was most engaged and supportive. And, by my peers and my platoon, I was chosen that—and the reason I bring that up is 'cause I remember this story and it was like funny. We were at the chow hall, and if anybody can remember being in the Marine Corps and leaving the chow hall, you always had the drill instructors yelling at you and like, "Hurry up, eat," you know? "You're done," you know, "You're done recruit." And I was always pushed on by my drill instructor to go in there and get everybody outta the chow hall. We're done, we need to be finished. So I did, right? You know, here I am yelling, and I'm a recruit. And being little, right? And this drill instructor—male drill instructor—came up to me and was like, got in my face, and of course he looked down, right? 'Cause I'm short. He's like, "What are you doing?" And like, just stopped me. And my drill instructor of course jumped in because you know, he didn't realize that I was doing what she had asked. But it was probably, one of the things that I like never told anybody as far as that's concerned. But I think that was one of the events that led me to being nominated as and picked as Molly Marine because of always being out there yelling, motivating, always being engaged and never like backing down from, you know, a task that was there.
00:29:32BEYER: What do you wish more people knew about veterans?
00:29:37BEACHAM: I would say that, as much as we've gained a lot of physical and mental toughness, that veterans are vulnerable. Veterans do need assistance and sometimes they may not seek it. Sometimes they will refuse to seek assistance. And it's important to continue to engage and look out for them and interact with them because a lot of them won't seek support because we're so used to being independent and strong—strong-minded, strong-willed.
00:30:09BEYER: So last question. In your unveiling of the journey, what are the lessons learned from your military experience?
00:30:18BEACHAM: I think one of the lessons learned—and if I could tell somebody who's just starting off right now—is get a journal. I have plenty of photos of things I did, but as I was going through this and looking at pictures and going through folders—oh my god, I did a lot. There was so many things that I experienced that I didn't write down. And, you know, 15, 20, 30 years from now—hopefully I'm still alive—I won't be able to recall those, and it would've been nice to know that, hey, yeah, you know what? You were out there SPIE (Special Patrol Insertion/Extraction) rigging at the bottom of a rope on a helicopter, right? With a unit of infantrymen because they're like, "Hey, you wanna join us?" Sure, let's go. Or I was on a raft platoon boat out in the middle of the ocean that isn't usually offered, but because I was ordering specific parts for them and I got them the parts at a certain timely manner they needed it, they asked me to join in. And those are just a couple of the instances that I remember of things that I was able to do. And I probably—well, I wish now that I would've recorded them somewhere so I could recall them later and maybe share those stories.
00:31:32BEYER: Thank you for your time today. This concludes our oral history.
