Elaine Ansbro: Learning to Write Backward

By Al Rodriguez, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interview Volunteer

Throughout Elaine’s interview she talked about how much she loves airplanes and anything patriotic. As a Girl Scout, she remembers with pride marching in the 4th of July parades. Her love of airplanes plus patriotism equal the Air Force.

Elaine was born in Gary, Indiana. Her family lived in both Gary and Hobart. She had one younger brother. When she graduated in 1953 from Wirt High School, she wanted to do something different and exciting. When a friend joined the Air Force, she decided that’s what she wanted to do as well, fly and be a stewardess. She was never able to be a stewardess but she did get to fly. 

She passed all the obligatory Air Force tests and was sworn in at Indianapolis and from there traveled to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas for Basic Training. She had never been outside of Indiana so this was a scary and new experience for her. Almost immediately the sergeant had the new recruits policing the area by picking up rocks still dressed in their civilian clothes. Elaine was 5’ 8” and marched at the front of the line, easy pickings for the drill instructor to pick on when she was out of step. Once she was late getting back to the barracks and the next day she had to scrub the barracks steps with her toothbrush. She wondered “Why am I here?”

She finished Basic and was told that she was going to Keesler Air Force Base for ground control and warning technical training. When she asked why, she was shocked when they told her she scored the highest in the mechanical test. She still doesn’t understand how. Elaine attended coed classes learning to read ‘blips’ on radar screens. One of the skill sets she learned was writing backwards on a plexiglas board so that people could read them from their vantage point. Today she still laughs about joining the Air Force to learn to write backwards but it’s something she can still do today.

In March of 1954, she was sent to her duty station with the 32nd Air Division at Syracuse Air Station, NY. This was during the Cold War and her job was plotting air traffic in the Eastern NORAD area for the Eastern Air Defense Command. As she explained, “We worked in a large blockhouse with 12 foot thick walls and no windows. We stood on high platforms, behind a large 12’x12’ plexiglas board, on which we wrote backward, plotting the tracks of all planes coming into or out of the area. This allowed the officers to read the board from the other side. We received information from many different RADAR outposts using radio headsets. Our crews worked three shifts. Overall, it was an interesting job, and I loved the opportunity.”  On the midnight shift with little activity she learned switchboard operations from one of the workers, a skill that she used after she left the Air Force.

While stationed at Syracuse, her wish to fly was answered. “The captain of our shift asked if anyone wanted to fly with him in a C-47, while he was getting his training hours in. Several of my crewmates jumped at the chance and a crew of 10-12 ended up on the flight to New Hampshire. Before we flew, we had to be given instructions on using a parachute. When we landed, an exceptionally large and noisy helicopter flew us to a base in Maine, where we had lunch and then flew back to Hancock Field right next to our base. The trip was noisy and scary, but we all loved it.”

“While in the Air Force, I married Lee Schuler in October,1955. He was also a radar tech but was stationed at an outpost in Watertown, New York, where there were ‘No women ALLOWED at this outpost.’ I left the service shortly thereafter and moved closer to his outpost. Within a few months of moving, I found a job as a telephone operator with the city telephone company. Working the switchboard was a lot of fun. In 1957, my daughter, Becky was born. My husband Lee got out of the Air Force, and we moved to Gary, Indiana. However, Lee was unable to find any work locally, so in March of 1958, he reenlisted and was stationed at Willis Air Force Base in Michigan. We were later transferred to Battle Creek Michigan. My son, Douglas was born in 1959. In October,1960, I moved back to Gary, Indiana with my children and got divorced in 1961. I found a very good job at the Gary Post Office working the government switchboard. I was an operator, along with two others, and later in 1962, I was promoted to supervisor.”

“I married Marv Ansbro, on August 27th, 1965, and added his four children to our family. I was promoted to be the supervisor of both Gary and Hammond Indiana switchboards. The Gary board was closed in 1980, and I continued my supervisory position over the Hammond board with three other operators. The Hammond board was closed in 1983 and I was transferred to Chicago. This was a newly created position as a supervisor in the telephone information office covering a five-state region to assist government workers. I retired in 1984 to become the caregiver for my father-in-law until his passing. My husband Marv and I had six children between us and from those six kids we have twenty grandchildren, thirty-five great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.”

“I’ve had a full, wonderful, and active life. I’ve traveled through twenty-five of the fifty states including two trips to Hawaii. We enjoyed many trips to see my daughter, Becky, and her family, while her husband was in the Navy. We spent time with them in California, Florida, and Staten Island, New York. We had the opportunity, in 1977, to visit them for 3 weeks while stationed in Italy. We went to Spain in 1980 with friends. I sure LOVED all the plane rides. In 1991, I joined a women’s choir associated with Purdue University that performs biannual concerts and performs for local nursing homes and other community events throughout the year. I will be receiving my 30-year pin next year. I joined the Red Hat Ladies Club, beginning in 1995. My husband said when I joined the group that it was perfect for me because I love to wear hats of all kinds.”

Elaine has other military family members: her younger brother, Phil, who served in the Army from 1960 to 1963, her son-in-law, Ron, who served as a Radioman Chief in the Navy from 1975 through 1998 and her stepson Craig, who served in the Army from 1979 through 2001.

Elaine has traveled extensively but her last trip to Washington D.C. was in 1954. She is excited about going to the Military Women’s Memorial and seeing the Enola Gay at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Right before ending the interview, Elaine’s daughter Becky told me her mom had watched the television coverage of the 98th All Women’s Honor Flight to D.C. and commented to her that going to D.C. was on her bucket list. Soon she can cross that one off her list!

Elaine, thank you for your service to your country during the Korean War. Enjoy your well-deserved day of honor on the 100th flight of Honor Flight Chicago. We salute you!