Interviewer(s): Lauren Penney; Joanna Stone; Colleen O'Donnell. Morgan City, LA

Affiliation: University of Arizona

Inez's husband, John Henry Poncio, was a POW in Japan and with the help of his niece wrote a book about his experiences (Girocho: A GI's Story of Bataan and Beyond). He died in 1998, but Inez is still recognized locally in Morgan City in part because of the success of this book and is often invited to the high school to talk with students. This interview mainly covered her experiences in the WAC during WWII and there is no direct connection to the oil industry.

Inez Pierron Poncio was born in Morgan City, Louisiana in 1919. She grew up in Morgan City with her mother, and older brother and sister, graduating high school as valedictorian at the age of 15. She had trouble finding a job, but eventually waited tables and then worked for the Ford Motor Company and Mr. Boudreaux (boat business serviced the oil industry) before enlisting with the Women's Army Corps where she served from April of 1943 to April of 1946. She worked in finance and was stationed at Camp Davis, North Carolina and Camp Shelby, Mississippi. She returned to Morgan City and resumed her job with Boudreaux after being discharged and married John Henry Poncio a few months later. He was still in the military, and she moved around with him before settling down in Morgan City. She currently volunteers through her church with the Good Samaritans.