UTSA student Mia Burnette
Photo: Tech. Sgt. Tracy English

UTSA alumna, interns find historical facts at Lackland

(Nov. 24, 2003)--Finding the answer to a question regarding military aviation history can be time-consuming and frustrating if you're unsure where to look. Even when the proper repository is located, archival accuracy is essential. Otherwise, the needle remains hidden in the historical haystack.

Dee Mitchell, a UTSA alumna and archivist with the 37th Training Wing Office of History and Research at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, has a special reason to be proud of her efforts to put history in its proper place.

"When Kelly Air Force Base Office of History closed in 2000, more than 500 linear feet of documents and photographs covering 85 years of military aviation support were transferred to Lackland," Mitchell said. "Incorporating all this into our archives is a mammoth undertaking. We're still working on it."

Luckily, she has an almost unlimited source from which to draw talented volunteer archivists -- the UTSA Department of History.

Pictured is Mia Burnette, a UTSA junior history major, doing an inventory of archives for the 37th Training Wing. Burnette is an intern at the history and research office.

"The UTSA-Lackland History Internship Program is a three-semester-hour course designed to provide undergraduate junior and senior history majors the opportunity to gain practical experience while working in a public history office," Mitchell said.

And while students gain course credit and practical experience, Lackland saves money. It's estimated the program saves the Air Force $30,000 to $35,000 per year.

"We are the only Air Force history office to partner with a local university on such a history internship program," she explained.

One of the volunteer archivists serving this semester is student Alberto Coss, a UTSA senior history major. "The Lackland program is a great opportunity to put my education to practical use," said Coss. "It helps prepare me for my future career."

This fall the program expanded to include anthropology students. Vanessa Villanueva, a UTSA senior in anthropology, said the program has given her new insight into a relatively unassociated course of study.

"The program offers real-world experience -- something vital when one considers the competition in today's workplace," said Villanueva.

The intern program was recognized as an Air Force Best Practice during the wing's 2001 operational readiness inspection.

For more information about becoming a Lackland Air Force Base history office intern, call 210-671-2248.

--Ross Day