Born in Syracuse, New York in 1946, Bobbie Trotter has come a long way. Only the second female in the extended family to achieve a college education, she majored in English and began teaching high school in the late 1960’s. Affected by the sacrifice of friends and family in the Viet Nam War, she left teaching and volunteered with the American Red Cross to serve in the Republic of South Viet Nam from 1970-1971 as a “Donut Dollie.”



She kept a journal hoping to one day publish a book about her experiences. Upon her return to the United States in 1971, she felt alienated and sought to be with others who served and understood. She joined “The Boys from Syracuse”, the 174th NY Air National Guard, in the same year that she met and married her husband, Jack. She spent her honeymoon at Basic Training in San Antonio, and returned six weeks later to her home base to begin training as a still photographer, after which she resumed her teaching career.



She and her husband moved to Pennsylvania, where she began to compose her book from scraps of paper stored in a shoe box. Her novel was rejected during the 70’s as something Americans do not want to read, “especially from a woman”. She turned to short stories and poetry with some success. Some of her poetry was published by Boston University’s William Joiner School for the Study of War and Social Consequences after she attended a conference there for women veterans.



She became very active in the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Project and ultimately donated eight of her poems to Visions of War, Dreams of Peace, an anthology of poetry written by women who served in Viet Nam. The proceeds went to the women’s project to help pay for the statue which now stands in Washington, D.C. Bobbie was selected to read two of her poems at the candlelight dedication.



Sgt. Bobbie Trotter, or “Sgt. Mom” as she is often called, is proud to say she has served almost 30 years in the Air Force. She is also a proud mother of her two children, Ross and Megan. She retired from the Air Guard with the rank of Chief Master Sergeant and retired from teaching English and history after nearly fifty years. She resides in Norristown, Pennsylvania with her family, where she continues to write.