European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 3, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday. November 3, 1966 the stars and stripes fag Peru in 62 sex peace corps Volunteer reflects on her adventures is fico to of my Mowna Etem lifer wuer2.burg. Germany living in a peruvian slum Wax harsh bul Elsie Miller has wonderful Mem ories of that Lime nearly 25 Yean ago. Now the supervisor Tor 3rd inf div courier in the administrative services division Miller went 10 Arequipa Peru in 1962 As a peace corps Volunteer. In was such an adventure i can t really say there was a wont part she said. Miller left a full time Job at Waller Reed army medical Center and a part time Job As a shoe Model making Iso an hour for $210 a month and a Chance to repay a by Mike Heronemus staff writer i was railed in tic Philippines and we went through a terrible War said Miller now a . Citizen. The americans were so generous after the War i thought someday i la return the the peace corps came along i thought Here s my Chance. Ill go. Miller was 26, Tingle and had a degree in Home economic. She joined More than 30 volunteers mostly 20 or 21 Yean old and was sent to Arecibo puerto Rico for six weeks of 5-foot-tall Volunteer said the physical training was lot of us thought we could t Hack it bul we did. It Este milk forma face Corpa Volunteer i show pouring reconstituted milk into the Cap of a peruvian Indian girl to 1942 Nearia Zooi a Peru Miller we in charge of peace corp program to feed local school Uuna. Was something new. And maybe we found it rougher than mos because we were � pampered before Milter said the peace corps gave Volun Leen a Good orientation about what to expect in did indicate there would be privations and that it would not be an easy life. It would be a rugged life a pioneering Type Deal. Of course no matter How hard they depict it once you really gel Here ii i quite a Shock. And it was quite a Shock for All of us she said. The first night 1 just sat there and or five members of the Peru group were sent Home. Miller could t Hack it the first she said her life in the Philippines helped her adjust. Miller said even though living conditions were and another Volunteer were sent to a ramada outside Arequipa in a desert at the foot of an extinct were Ica Dingus to slum areas. We had to live like oar counterpart. The houses there were just Adobe hone that they piled up and then put a tin roof on. There was no running water. There were no toilets. We were issued Little also received pots and pans a camping stove first Aid kit bed and had to pay the equivalent of half a Penny to go to town where they bad Public Baths. Once a week we d do that in the meantime we d just do the Best we could.1 that meant keeping her hair Short and using Only milk can lid full of water to Wash each evening. Miller like the other volunteers in her group is i Peru to improve the nutrition of die indians who bred m the slums. They distributed surplus mid flour and butter primarily through a feeding program for our program began at 4 m the morning because we served breakfast to the kids Milter said. Breakfast was bread and reconstituted powdered milk an sometimes that would be the Only Square meal for the kids the natives were not willing to come out in the beginning. Miller recalled. Not that they were antagonistic. They just did t know what to expect. But they slowly came Miller s group of peace corps volunteers left Peru Many changes had come to the Plum Deena by latrine new Wells a new school and an enlarged group of Volute in for general development projects sanitation workers and real two or three Kidi had first come to the school when Miller started her feeding program. By the time her is months were up. Miller and the other nutritionists were feeding 24,000 he hardships of Peru Miller returned to Washington d.c., in 19m to work with the peace corps As an administrative assistant. She left about a year and a half later to retire for 10 years to raise her lit 1976 she was Back with the peace corps working As confidential Secretary to Sam Brown then the direct to she left the peace corps for the last Lime in 197. When she began moving to assignments in other parts of the world with her husband an Engineer with the army corps of Engineer. There have been reunions throughout the Yean with others in that lint group to go to Peru although those have dwindled she said. Bul what she Learned during those two years of adventure has stayed with her Milter said. I be become More compassionate to others needs. When i finally retire i would like to Volunteer for one More two years but not to Peru. I be been there t d go wherever they need
