Andrina Thornton, Interviewed by Jenna Doherty, 2015
INTERVIEW LOG
Name of person(s) interviewed: Andrina Thornton Other people present: Her 3 children, her sister, my mother and myself
Researcher: Jenna Doherty
Date of interview: May 24th, 2015
Location of interview: 72138 Highway 395 South
Special conditions (noise, interruptions, etc.): Light background noise
General description of contents:Deployments to Afghanistan, she’s a Specialist
Length of interview: 26:48
TOPIC SUMMARY
Time and Contents
0.0-0.41 Andrina was involved in the Afghanistan war and deployed twice. First in 2005-2006 and then again in 2010-2011, she served as a Specialist in the National Guard.
0.41-6:20 Andrina enlisted on January 2nd, 2003. She has been deployed twice. The first time she lived in Pendleton, and the second time she deployed, she was living in Pilot Rock, Oregon
6:20-11:30 She told some funny stories about pranks they would pull on each other; she also talked about what her job was once she was on duty.
11:30-21:50 She got to tell me what she did when she was on leave. She also told me how she stayed in contact with her family.
21:50-27:47 At the end she talked about her officers as well as friends she made in the National Guard. She also talked about her injury and how she traveled back home.
Ms. Andrina Thornton Interviewed by Jenna Doherty, 2015
Andrina Thornton was born January 23rd, 1983, in Pendleton, Oregon. During her youth she moved to Newburg, Oregon and continued her schooling there. As she grew up she went to high school in Yamhill/Carlton, Oregon. During her high school years, she moved back to Pendleton and attended high school at Pendleton High School (PHS). Throughout her high school years, she participated in sports including Volleyball, Basketball and Cheerleading. Andrina graduated from Pendleton High School in 2000.
After graduating from PHS, Andrina attended Blue Mountain Community College (B.M.C.C) in Pendleton. After her first semester of college, she realized how expensive college life was. She made the decision to sign up for the National Guard. On January 2nd, 2003, she enlisted in the National Guard. Andrina took many classes while in the National Guard. She said in a newspaper article, “It took me six months to learn my job, and I love it!” She is an electrician on the Chinook helicopters as well as other aircraft. For a while, she was the only woman electrician in the shop, the field she was in was very male dominant. Andrina's highest rank is a Specialist and she has been a member of the National Guard for 12 years. She has been deployed to Afghanistan twice, the first time for 16 months and the second time for just under 13 months. During her second tour, she was injured and was forced to come home weeks earlier than her fellow soldiers. She said, “I felt bad I couldn’t come home with them, when you go away together, you want to come back together.” From the time she enlisted in 2003, she has gotten married, and has 5 children, ages 14, 12, 10, 9 and 2. She is a big family person, and said, “If I didn’t have my family’s support, I probably couldn’t do it.” When Andrina returned home from her deployments, she said, “I just like to relax, play with my kids and cook for them.”
Andrina is just now getting the opportunity to attend college. She is attending B.M.C.C., where she is a full time nursing student. There is a chance she may be deployed yet again in 2015. Andrina is an amazing solider; she has been in the National Guard for 12 years, has 5 kids, a wonderful marriage and is getting a college education.