Where were you on March 1, 1961?–The date the Peace Corps was created?
Hi, My name is Steve Donovan and on that day in 61 I could have been anywhere in the world…
JFK signs the Peace Corps Act and gives the pen to Sarge
Tell us your Peace Corps story (and if you weren’t around back then!)…what did you think of the Peace Corps idea? Why did you join?
Today, the agency has been in 141 countries…which one was yours?
Over 230,000+ have been Volunteers. When were you a PCV?
Tell us in 500 words or less what your service has meant to you. Why is the Peace Corps important for all of us?
Send a photo of yourself from your Peace Corps years.
Share your story with future generations of PCVs.
Hi, My name is Steve Donovan and on that day in 61 I could have been anywhere in the world because I was in the Navy flying as aircrew. I had joined up at 17 and was sent to McGuire Air Force Base and soon joined VR-3, a Navy squadron tasked primarily with flying support missions for the United Nations. I held an Air Force rating, not Navy, and was trained as a Flight Traffic Specialist. That job consisted of many different duties. On passenger flights such as picking up Turkish troops and flying them to South Korea my duties were much like a steward or stewardess on a commercial flight. If the flight was delivering cargo I was the one who had to sign off on where everything weighty was stowed in order for the plane to fly level without wasting gas trying to react to an unbalanced load. We were also somewhat cross-trained to take over any flight position temporarily to let other crew members take a break. If a pregnant passenger decided to have her baby on one of my flights I was expected to deliver it! It was exciting flying and there were few countries in the world we did not fly to.
After my navy service I joined the Peace Corps and served in South India from 1965 to 67 as a Public Health worker based out of a Primary Health Center with two other volunteers, Peter Breyer and Diana Grace. My older and younger brothers, Bill and Tom as well as my only daughter, Katrina were also Peace Corps Volunteers. Bill served before me in North India, Tom after me in Western Samoa and Katrina long years later in Bolivia. We were a Peace Corps family for sure and we all just loved the experiences. I feel sorry for volunteers serving now because I’m sure they are always having to try to explain our idiot president in the White House and that can’t be fun. Let’s hope he’s a one term idiot!