MUSIC PLAYING ON THIS PAGE


 


 

Tribute by Jeff "Doc" Dentice
Medic - CuChi,Vietnam - 67/68
Muskego, Wisconsin


E-mail Doc
docdentice@wi.rr.com

 
 


 
 


 


 
 
 

]
    Jeff Doc Dentice (Medic) & Diane Carlson Evans (Army Nurse) (Founder of the Vietnam Womens Memorial)
"Best Friends Forever"
Doc & Diane worked together on many events leading up to the
dedication of the Vietnam Womens Memorial in Wisconsin & Wash .D.C.
He supported Diane from the beginning with the Vietnam Womens Memorial.



 
 
 

 NOW AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE

 

DIANE CARLSON EVANS
Vietnam Army Nurse & Founder Of The Vietnam Womens Memorial
Prayers For Diane On Her Journey Through 2024 with Inoperable Cancer
******************
November 2024
Hello Doc
I  am doing ok on the immunotherapy- so far so good.
One day at a time  -  Making every day a good day.
Like you and so may others keeping me uplifted in spirit and love.
Talk soon but please know I am pain free and in good spirits.
Love you Doc
Diane

MINNESOTA WELCOMES HOME DIANE


 


 
 


 
 
 


U.S. Army veteran Diane Carlson Evans, a nurse in the Vietnam War, was awarded
The American Legion's Patriot Award during the 58th Washington Conference in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 27, 2018.
Photo by Clay Lomneth/The American Legion
 


 
 


 
 
 



 
 


 
 


 

VIETNAM NURSES


 

'Hello Girls' Are Recognized For World War I Heroics
CLICK HERE TO READ THEIR STORY

 


 
 
 

 DIANE CARLSON EVANS - VIETNAM NURSE

 DIANE CARLSON EVANS - AMERICAN LEGION STORY
 

Combat Nurses and Donut Dollies
New York Times
January 31, 2017

25th Infantry Division Association News 12.2017

 

THIS PHOTO WAS SENT TO DOC DENTICE FOR HIS USE ONLY
IT IS COPY RIGHTED - DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

 
 
 


 
 
 


 
 

 TRIBUTE TO THE WOMEN THAT SERVED IN VIETNAM
 
 

"Special" Military Nurses Story
Featured by Doc
From the VFW Military Woman Edition
 

Army, Navy and American Red Cross nurses in WW I
A total of 296 nurses in total died in WW I largely of the Great Flu Pandemic of 1918, caring
for over over 25% (1.2 million) out of 4.7 million stricken soldiers and sailors in CONUS and with the
AEF in Europe (over 51,000 troops dying of the flu)...as well as  including ARC nurses caring for
25 million out of a 105 million population on the home front where 675,000 Americans died.

In WW I, six (6) Army nurses from Wisconsin died of the influenza/end stage pneumonia
associated with this killer flu as Army nurses cared for 1.2 million soldiers deathly ill out
of a 4.0 million man Army: (1) Nellie M. Dingley of Ashland, WI, died 8/28/1918, AEF Mobile Operating
Unit #1; (2) Eileen L. Forrest of Gilmanton, WI died 10/9/1918, AEF Base Hospital # 60; (3) Elma Groves
of Lodi, WI died 10/19/1918, AEF General Hospital #9; (4) Dorothy B. Millman of Richland Center, WI
died 10/10/1918, AEF Base Hospital # 31; (5) Mary Murphy of Manitowoc, WI (3 nurses named "Murphey"
on ARC list with middle initial "M"..can't distinguish which one is her) ; and (6) Orma A. Schreiber of
Alma, WI died 10/19/1918, AEF Base Hospital # 49.

From American Red Cross records, Army Nurse Nellie Dingley of Ashland, Wisconsin
received a French military decoration for her actions in the 1918 flu pandemic with the AEF
in France, the Medaille d'Honneur des Epidemies. She also won a second award of this medal, called
the Medailles de Vermeil). The a fore mentioned website states: "The Medal of honor of the
Epidemics rewarded individuals who had shown exceptional devotion combating epidemic
diseases: (1) by caring for infected patients or (2) undertaking actions to contain the spread
of an infectious disease, while exposing themselves to dangers of contamination." The French gave
many American nurses the Medaille d'Honneur des Epidemies for service in the Great Flu Pandemic of 1918 in WW I.

The Army Nurse Corps dates to 1901.  The Navy's dates to 1908.  The Red Cross both furnished
ARC nurses for service overseas and recruited nurses for the Armed Services nurse corps.
Three (3) members of the Navy Nurse Corps received the Navy Cross in WW I and also died
from influenza that they contracted in the course of performing their duties.

France bestowed the Croix de Guerre on twenty-eight (28) members of the Army Nurse Corps
and Great Britain acknowledged sixty-nine (69)  American Army nurses with the British
Royal Red Cross and gave two (2) nurses the British Military Medal.

Here is a listing of WW I AEF Army Base Hospitals with brief histories taht show where
the above-mentioned nurses served
http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwi/adminamerexp/chapter24.html

These WW I nurses, the first Army & Navy and ARC nurses, revived a baptism of fire in World  War I
in a terrible battle with disease that killed more solders than combat...yet have gotten little recognition
for their courage and sacrifice in WW I historical accounts to date.
Hopefully that can change during the WW I Centennial.

Credits Go To David Thompson Of Rosemont, MN. For The Information Above
 
 


 


 
 



 
 
 
 

 LIFE IN THE ARMY NURSE CORPS
 

Diane Carlson Evans at the opening ceremony for the parade commemorating the
25th Anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial November 10th, 2007
We've had an extraordinary journey together since Vietnam.
265,000 women served around the world during the Vietnam Era. Some of us went to Vietnam.
All of us went when we were needed and where we were needed.
After Vietnam, we entered a minefield of challenges and were tested again. The wounds of Vietnam,
national and privatebecame another battle for us to face -
men and women, out of uniform, linked forever.

Ann Cunningham & Sarah Blum served together at the 12th Evac


Sarah L. Blum, ARNP is a decorated nurse Vietnam veteran who earned the Army Commendation Medal serving as
an operating room nurse at the 12th Evac Hospital Cu Chi, Vietnam during the height of the fighting in 1967.
Because Cu Chi sat on the edge of the Hobo Woods, where all the fighting took place in 1967, her hospital handled mass
casualties regularly and their operating room became the largest user of fresh blood in all of Vietnam
Back in the United States, Sarah received her brother soldiers of Vietnam with their wounds and amputations, cared for
them directly and saw how their physical wounds did not heal when their heads and hearts were deeply affected. She was
awarded the Certificate of Achievement for exemplary service as head nurse of the orthopedic ward at Madigan
Army Hospital in 1968, where she was also the assistant director of nursing on evening and night shift in 1970.
 


 

"10 Years of Honoring Women's Service to  America:

 

WE NEED YOUR HELP




The Vietnam Women's Memorial Foundation (formerly the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project)
is continuing its effort to educate the country about the vital services provided by over 265,000 women, military
and civilian, during the Vietnam war and to provide a network of healing and hope. Your donation, large or small,
will help ensure that an important chapter in America's history continues to be told.
Mail your tax-deductible donation to:
Vietnam Women's Memorial Foundation, Inc.
1735 Connecticut Ave. NW, 3rd Floor
Washington, DC 20009
Toll Free 1.866.822.VWMF (8963)

In Honor Of Women Patriots: KIA/POW/MIA Vietnam War
 

Women veterans are one of the fastest growing segments of the veteran
population.  There are approximately 1.7 million women veterans.  They
comprise 6.5 percent of the total veteran population and 6 percent of
all veterans who use VA health care services.  VA estimates that by 2010
women veterans will comprise 10 percent of veterans using VA health care services.
 


The Last Breath

WHERE AM I?…I am afraid
Your in the hospital…it's okay…I will stay right here for you
I don't hurt anymore but it is hard to breathe
I have given you something to take care of the pain
Promise me you will stay until I go
Don't worry…I am here just for you…you're my date tonight

Your hair looks like my moms when she pulls her back
I bet she is very proud of you
You smell just like the lemon trees back home
I am Kathleen, my friends call me Kath
My name is Tom but the guys call me Sunshine cause I am from Florida

Kath, you're so beautiful
Thanks, you ain't so bad yourself, you got a girl back home
No one special, just friends, I am only 19
Kath…does it hurt to die?  I am seeing a bright light…Kath I don't want to go
Tommy, it's wonderful where you are going

Tommy go in peace my friend
I am sure am glad I got to know you
That's it let it all out, I am here for you, helping you cross over
Close your eyes follow the light
I love you Tommy, you are my Sunshine

Kerry "Doc" Pardue
June 16, 2004



 


In The

SHARON LANE,
The All-American Girl
She came to Vietnam not to fight or warrior to be
but to serve a higher purpose across the sea.
She knew the hurt, the pain, the dying
Sharon came to heal them and to stop the crying.
With purpose in her steps, she made her rounds
To give hope to soldier and to turn his frown upside down.
Whether it be the boy from back home or the Viet Cong
She did her job with care--she knew this is where she belonged.
She was cut down in the middle of the night
A piece of flying metal took her life.
She died alone
So far from home.
Her life was taken from us
Sharon's presence we still miss.
Let us never forget that freedom has a cost
Sharon became our hero-our hearts are empty by her loss.
Sharon was the All-American girl
She was perfection in an imperfect world.
©Copyright 2001 by  Kerry "Doc" Pardue
The Sharon Ann Lane Foundation
www.sharonannlanefoundation.org
 


 
 

WW1 NURSES
From the Wisconsin Veterans Museum


A group photograph of Nurses at Base 22 Hospital taken in France in 1917
Base Hospital 22 was formed from Milwaukee County Hospital personal.

During World War I, the entire nation was mobilized for service. As in the Civil War and other previous conflicts,
women answered the call by  volunteering as nurses.

Helen Bulovsky was born in Madison in 1895, of immigrant parents. She trained at Madison General Hospital, and after her graduation in October
of 1917 practiced as a registered nurse. Bulovsky had a heart defect, which it seems she was aware of, at the point
of her enlistment in April 1918. She was assigned to Base Hospital 22.

 The doctors became officers, but nurses were not given military ranks at this time.
The staff was then supplemented with soldiers from regular Army sanitation units.

Aimee O'Keefe was born on a small farm in St. Croix County in 1889. She trained as a nurse in St. Paul, Minnesota. After being certified she
practiced in Los Angeles, California; Lewiston, Montana; and Seattle, Washington. O'Keefe was called to active duty in April, 1917. She was assigned
to Base Hospital 50, organized through the University of Washington Hospital.

As of the declaration of war on April 16, 1917 the Army Nursing Corps consisted of a mere 235 regulars and 165 reserve members.
By the end of the war, the ranks of the Nursing Corps would swell to 21,480. The U.S. Army made the decision to employ sanitary personnel
at a rate of 7.65%, lower than the recommended 10% of total troop strength. By these calculations, this number of nurses was adequate for an
army of 1,000,000 men. The U.S. drafted 4,000,000 men, creating a serious shortage of medical personnel

A page from the Base Hospital 22 scrapbook showing the nurses' daily lives. At the upper left, nurses indulge in some sweets.
At upper right, two nurses pose in the nurses office, where the scheduling and administration was done. At lower left, Nurse
Hoyt assists Dr. Senn in one of the wards. At lower right, nurses make the daily rounds, changing patients' dressings.

Some nurses died during service, usually of illnesses such as influenza. Nurse Florence Kimball died on
October 21st, 1918 and was buried in the military cemetery at Base Hospital 22. She was 24 years old.

The nurses enjoy Thanksgiving dinner at Base Hospital 22.


"Today a bunch got newspapers and they think the war will end in a couple of weeks. It certainly won't end any too soon to suit me."
– Helen Bulovsky in a letter to her parents, November 9th, 1918. The war ended on November 11th, 1918, a mere two days later.
A page from the Base Hospital 22 scrapbook, showing the nurses assembled and the trucks moving out when the unit departed for the U.S.

 

"DOC DENTICE"
I wrote these about the women who served.
You have my permission to display them.
©Kerry "Doc" Pardue  2003


EMILY (Milwaukee,Wisconsin)
From one of your guys..

In the midst of the 60's
She found herself confused
She was challenged to come see and do her part

So instead of becoming a part of the problem
She became part of the solution instead
She came to make a difference

The odd thing about the Vietnam War
It makes no difference if your male or female
Soldier or civilian it impacts your soul

She bore the risks of combat
Same as you and me
She served us all with fidelity

Some will say she didn't serve
I will tell them that they are wrong
She is as much a Veteran -as us all

Emily, raised in Atlanta
With her charm and her grace
Became a Donut Dollie in a far away place

She became a beacon of light. she brought us hope
With her smile and round-eyes
She took us to another time and place - away from the war

She didn't carry a weapon
She came with fun and games - she did her part
More importantly she became a part of the soldiers heart

As I look back on memories of the past
I recall with a certain fondness
Her beauty with a southern voice

Thanks for doing your part
You are not forgotten
You became part of our heart

The gal from Georgia-our Donut Dolly
A soldier's friend indeed
WELCOME HOME EMILY-my sister.
WELCOME HOME indeed

©Kerry "Doc" Pardue  2003

WELCOME HOME MY SISTERS
(Written to honor the 10th anniversary of the Women's Memorial)
We are standing here behind the WALL on the other side of life. It has been a long time since we have seen you.
We are here today to say Thank you once again.
It is your time today that we stand here waving, cheering, and so proud that you came.
The time is short so some of us have been selected to say what we all feel.
Thank you for caring and loving us and most of all for just being there.

My name is Mike; I was a Marine, stepped on a mine, during Operation Allenbrook. I lost both legs.
You were my nurse who told me I was going home.
You bathed me, kept me out of pain; you talked to me about beginning a new.
It was not easy but you gave me hope. Today, I just retired; I have thought of you often…
I don't even remember your name.
I remember your face… thank you for being there for me, giving me that hope.

My name is Roger; I was killed during a mortar attack, in Plieku. You worked in graves registration.
You made sure all my personal effects made it home to my wife. I was there at night when you cried over all of us.
I know it is hard my sister. Thanks for the prayer for my family and me. Yes, God does care and He remembers you.

My name is Tan, I was a little child in Ban Me Thout, and you cared for me and helped me. I have leprosy.
I was there when they took you away in the middle of the night. I missed your singing to me.
You were my missionary. My daughter has your name.

My name is Tony; my helicopter was shot down in the Plain of Reeds. I was on your burn ward.
You were the Red Cross worker that wrote letters home for me.
I told you that I loved you and you said all the guys said that to you.
You don't understand I still do. It was love at first sight.
I didn't mean to die in my sleep. I miss your smile.

My name is Wayne; I was killed when our base camp got over run at Bihn Phouc.
I remember the times when you came to play games with us. You were our Donut Dolly.
You took my mind off the war, you made me forget. I was from Indiana.
I told you that you reminded me of my girlfriend.

My name is Susan, I was a nurse on Operation Baby lift and we are still caring for the Children.
Thank you for your help in getting the children out and caring for them.
I tried to save them; they took two little ones out of my arms who made it. I am forever thankful.

My name is Johnny, they called me "lucky" 'cause you pointed to me to come dance with you on stage
of the Bob Hope Show in Dong Tam. Thanks Ann Margaret, thanks for letting me be your leading man.
I died during a firefight in the Delta with the Mobile Riverine Force. Thanks for the kiss on the cheek.

My name is Joe, and I am from Memphis. I rode on your plane coming over to the Nam.
You told me it was okay to be scared and you were going to pray for all of us.
You took my last letter I wrote to my mom and mailed it for me. I remember your perfume and your beautiful green eyes.
I was killed by a mine that blew up my truck my first day.

My name is Sharon; I am from Ohio. I was a nurse at the 312th Evac. Mom, it's okay.
I have missed you all. Thank you for helping build the Clinic in Vietnam.
The people are needy and they don't hate us.
I did the right thing and I am so proud of you. Daddy is here and he misses you so very much.

My name is Jimmy, I was a medic and taken as a POW,
you were the unit clerk that typed up the letter telling my parents that I was
Missing In Action and told them that all that could be done was being done.
I died 12 years later in Laos. No medicine, there were others. I know you think of all of us
but just know; some of us are still alive and waiting to be found. Please keep searching.

My name is Stan and I flew Phatoms.  I was shot down over Hanoi.
You were the Air Traffic Controller who marked my location and sent in the teams to get me out.
But the NVA shot and killed me. It is not your fault—I took the risk… it was worth it.

Hello Dusty my name is David. I never got to tell you thanks for being there for me. For holding
my hand and telling me I was going to be okay. Thanks for writing the letter to my mom;
she told me she so appreciated it when she got up here last year. Dusty… thank you for staying
with me when I passed over. It is so beautiful here. I will be there for you when it is your time to come.
I will call your name and I will hold your hand. I love you.

So our sisters, one and all, you all did a job well done. Please be easy on yourselves.
Do you realized how many of us you saved, do you realize how many of us still have legs and
arms that should have been removed. You helped ease our pain. You took our minds off the war.
Do you realize that you are the best and we appreciate all that you did we love you so very much…
thank you, WELCOME HOME MY SISTERS.
 

©Copyright November 2, 2003 by Kerry "Doc" Pardue

755TH Medical Detachment, 170th Assault Helicopter Company, Pleiku, Vietnam

8th Medical Detachment, 155th Assault Helicopter Company, Ban Me Thout, Vietnam

HHC, Scouts, 2/47th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, Bihn Phouc, Vietnam


 

American Women Who Died in the Vietnam War(1959-1975)

Eight Women - Vietnam
chiseled into the black granite of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.
265,000 women in country - 10,000 of those women served within combat.

Sharon Ann Lane

First Lieutenant
312TH EVAC HOSP, 67TH MED GRP, 44TH MED BDE
Army Of The United States
07 July 1943 - 08 June 1969
Canton, OH
Panel 23W Line 112
Army Nurse

Elizabeth A Jones

Second Lieutenant
51ST FLD HOSP (ATTACHED), 3RD FIELD HOSPITAL, 68TH MED GRP, 44TH MED BDE
Army of the United States
12 September 1943 - 18 February 1966
Allendale, South Carolina
Panel 05E Line 047
 44TH MED BDE  3RD FIELD HOSP
Army Nurse

Carol Ann Elizabeth Drazba

Second Lieutenant
51ST FLD HOSP (ATTACHED), 3RD FIELD HOSP,
68TH MED GROUP, 44TH MED BDE, USARV
Army of the United States
Dunmore, Pennsylvania
December 11, 1943 to February 18, 1966
Panel 5E, Line 46
Army Nurse

Pamela D Donovan

Second Lieutenant
85TH EVAC HOSP, 44TH MED BDE, USARV
Army of the United States
25 March 1942 - 08 July 1968
Brighton, MA
Panel 53W Line 043
Army Nurse

Annie Ruth Graham

Lieutenant Colonel
HHD, 91ST EVAC HOSP, 44TH MEDICAL BDE, USARV
Army of the United States
07 November 1916 - 14 August 1968
Efland, North Carolina
Panel 48W Line 012
Army Nurse

Hedwig Diane Orlowski

First Lieutenant
67TH EVAC HOSP, 67TH MED GRP, 44TH MED BDE, USARV
Army of the United States
13 April 1944 - 30 November 1967
Detroit, Michigan
Panel 31E Line 015
Army Nurse

Eleanor Grace Alexander

Captain
85TH EVAC HOSP, 44TH MED BDE, USARV
Army of the United States
18 September 1940 - 30 November 1967
Rivervale, New Jersey
Panel 31E Line 008
Army Nurse

Mary Therese Klinker

Captain, US Air Force
Flight nurse  U.S. Air Force C-5A Galaxy crashed on April 4, 1975 near Saigon
 


Women's Organizations

vetmem2.JPG (4737 bytes)
Unveiling of Vietnam Memorial, 1993 Smithsonian Institute


American Women Who Died in the Vietnam War
(1959-1975)


 MILITARY NURSES IN VIETNAM


 IN-COUNTRY WOMENS GUESTBOOK/LOCATOR


 REDCROSS IN VIETNAM


AUSTRALIAN NURSES IN THE NAM


 MILITARY MEDICAL ASSOC'


 
 

TIM O'BRIEN
"A Soldier's Sweetheart" based on O'Brien's novel, "The Things They
Carried"  will be shown Nov 8 & 12 at 8:00 PM EST on Showtime.

 
 


 


 CENTER FOR WOMEN VETERANS


PICTURE by Manoj Khiani!
COPYRIGHT VWMP
This is a very powerful, but not well-known monument
to the women who served in the Vietnam War.
It's a nurse holding a dying soldier with a third person crying out.
Nobody says a word when they are looking at this monument.
 
 
 


CHINA BEACH' DANA DELANEY
Researchers Need Help from Female Vietnam Nurse Veterans
The "Vietnam Nurse Veteran Psycho-physiology Study"
sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
is looking for female Vietnam nurse veterans to participate.
Little is known about the long-term consequences of
combat theater assignment on female military
personnel. Through anecdotal accounts and survey/
interview studies, researchers leave come to appreciate
the psychological stressors that were experienced by
women who served in Vietnam. About 50% of women
who served "in country" have reported some
symptoms of distress after coming home.
Research efforts so far have provided some basic
information but much more is needed in order
to understand the complex issues surrounding
combat theater assignment of female military
personnel. The purpose of this study is to expand
this knowledge base by exploring the biologic
responses of female Vietnam nurse veterans.
Although there is more than a decade of research
and numerous publications looking at psychobiological
consequences of combat on male theater veterans,
there are no published biologic trials with female
Vietnam theater veterans. Results of studies with
male veterans can not necessarily be applied to female
veterans. The new study will provide data that will
help researchers to better understand the similarities
and differences in the ways that females and males
respond to stressful experiences.
The study is being conducted with a national outreach
that is unique, and provides an opportunity to gather
a large enough data pool to provide important
information about female Vietnam veterans.
Interested female Vietnam nurse veterans will be
contacted for an initial screening which will be accom-
plished by telephone or mail. Qualified nurse veterans
will be invited to travel to the laboratory in New
England for further testing. Travel expenses will be
paid by the study.
In order to qualify for the study, a female must have
served in an active duty nurse assignment in the U.S.
Armed Forces during the Vietnam era in Vietnam,
Laos, Cambodia or in the surrounding waters or airspace
of these countries. Participation will include an in-
depth interview, and a physiological assessment
including heart rate, skin conductance, an EEG, and
neuroendocrine measures.
To obtain more information about this study, contact
Meg Carson, R.N., Ph.D.
Vietnam Nurse Veteran Psychophysiology study
VA Research Service, 228 Maple St.
2nd Floor
Manchester, NH 03103.
Dr. Carson may be reached by phone at (603)626-6588.*


 ARMY NURSE PICTURES

Army Nurse Corp
          Most of the women who went to Vietnam as members
           of the Army Nurse Corps were just coming of age.
           And what a place it was to complete your journey to
           adulthood. Their age, on average, was 23 &151;
           most were just out of nursing school and looking for
           adventure, or looking to serve. Of the more than
           5000 Army nurses in Vietnam, few had more than 2
           years of experience. All of them were volunteers.

           The nurses worked six days a week, 12 hours a day.
           When heavy casualties came in, everyone worked as
           long as it took, until there were no soldiers left to fix
           or save. The ANC nurses treated US GIs and Viet
           Cong POWs, American and Vietnamese civilians,
          women and children side by side.

           In 1973, two months after the cease-fire was
           declared, the last of the Army nurses left Vietnam.
           Most bore no visible scars. For many, the marks left
           on them were emotional and spiritual, good and bad.
           Says former Army nurse, Diana Dwan Poole, "My
           experience was both horrible and wonderful. Horrible
           because of the destruction I saw to human lives...
           Wonderful because of expansion of my heretofore
           limited world. I learned at a very young age, of the
           frailty of human life, and the... strength of the
           human spirit... This knowledge has helped me
           throughout life."

           Though seven Army nurses(and 1 Air Force Nurse)
           died in Vietnam, only one, Army Nurse Sharon Lane,
           died as the result of enemy fire.
 


 
 


 


In February 1967,
 24-year-old Judy Elbring arrived in Saigon. She
  wanted to put her nursing skills to the test
       and she wanted to serve her country.
"The day we arrived — oh God — it was hot, it was
           sticky, it was smelly, it was dangerous, there were
           things that were booby trapped ... Everything was
           green, and dust, and fences, and wire, and noise ...
           And I thought, what a fool I'd been ... This didn't
           look like an adventure to me; this looked very
           serious."

           "I wasn't ready for seeing those kids with holes in
          their heads ... and with brains coming out of their
           heads and — and that they were going to die. I
           wasn't prepared to look in a man's face and know
          that he wasn't going to make it. I don't know that
           there's any preparation for that."

  In 1967, Liz Allen arrived in Vietnam with
         her master's degree in psychiatric nursing. She
     was a commissioned captain and assigned to
   a base in Cu Chi with the 25th Infantry Division.
"All those soldiers belong to somebody ... They
           belong to somebody. They got moms. They got
           wives. They got kids. They got somebody that loves
          them. I can decide to stay home. This is during the
           draft; they can't make that decision. They have to
           go. They're 19. They're 18."

           "And it was absolutely the loneliest time of my life.
          Because there is nobody to go to. Nobody to talk to
           ... and so you learn to keep your own counsel. You
           get set apart."

           "Women are warriors the same as men are warriors,
           and what this country owes them, if 'owe' is the word,
           is the same as we give any warrior. And that every
           time we sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" ... and we
           really get off on 'the rockets red glare, bombs
           bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our
           flag is still there' — that there are soldiers, both men
          and women, that have given that assurance, and you
           'owe' for that assurance. And if you don't want to pay
          it, don't sing the song."

Diana Dwan Poole
NamNurse6971@aol.com

Army Nurse Corps 66-71
Letterman Hosp, Presidio of San Francisco, 67-69
67th Evac Hosp, Qui Nhon, 69-70, 70-71
------------------------------------------------
Diana Dwan Poole, 22 years old, was already a
     two-year veteran when in 1969 she re-enlisted
     for a tour in Vietnam.
"A woman came up to me and asked me, 'How in the
           world did you keep your white uniforms clean over
           there?' What white uniform? This is what I wore [she
           grabs the lapels of her Army fatigues jacket] — same
           thing the guys were wearing: jungle boots, you know
           [she laughs] ... White uniforms!"

           "And the idiots that ran the place put this POW on
           my ward ... and in the bed next to him was the kid
           that the POW had blown his legs off ... Put 'em right
           next to each other. I had a fit. That kid is screaming,
          'Why is he there; he's the one that did this to me!'
           and he's right in the bed next to him. And that POW
           kept spitting in my face ... and I got in the bed and I
           tried to kill him. And that is very hard to admit [she
          laughs nervously]. I had my hands around his throat
           and I was str ... strang ... I was trying to kill him."


Kathy Splinter enrolled in the Women's Army
    Corps after her junior year of nursing school.
She was assigned to the intensive care ward of
   the evacuation hospital at Chu Lai
."We were all brand-new kids on the block ... doing
           our best ... flying by the seat of our pants. When we
           were on duty, acting as nurses, I really felt that we
           were treated as queens or as angels, I mean, the
           guys really respected us, I felt, and treated us well.
           Step out of that role, and you were a piece of meat."

           "And then, deathly, deathly quiet. Now we were all in
           night clothes, and flack jackets, and helmets,
           walking up to see the destruction of the unit. And it
           was then that we heard Sharon [Lane] was dead.
           When she died ... I was furious that she died.
           Because she didn't hurt enough to die, because
           death was really a release ... the pain. Death was
           much more merciful than having to continue on. And
           one of the quotes that was attributed to her after her
           death was her admiration of the Vietnamese people.
           And I remember when I heard that, saying, 'That's
           because she hasn't been here long enough ... She
           hasn't learned to hate.' And I can remember saying
           that, and writing home, and saying that, and being
           ashamed because I hated that much now, and yet
          we put on these happy little faces as though we
           didn't feel that way."

LADIES WHO DIED IN VIETNAM


2nd Lt. Carol Ann Elizabeth Drazba
Dec. 11, 1943 – Feb. 18, 1966
Carol Ann Drazba
was one of the first two women to die in Vietnam.
Described by family and friends as always adventurous, Carol joined the Army while in
her second year of nursing school.
After basic training she was assigned to Fort
            Huachucha in Arizona, where she built her reputation as an excellent OR nurse.
As the Vietnam conflict escalated, the need for
            nurses and physicians also grew. In 1965, Carol
      volunteered for service in Vietnam.
She arrived in November 1965 and was attached to
            the Third Field Hospital near Saigon.
After weeks of endless hours in surgery, Carol was
            finally able to take off for a weekend of rest.
She never made it.
The helicopter that was taking her to her weekend
            R&R crashed, killing Carol, 2nd Lt. Elizabeth Ann
            Jones, another Army nurse, and five others.


2nd Lt. Elizabeth Ann Jones
  Sept. 12, 1943 – Feb. 18, 1966
Even as a little girl growing up in South Carolina,
Elizabeth Ann Jones
wanted to be a nurse.
She graduated from the Medical
College of South Carolina School of Nursing in 1964,
    and the following year joined the Army Nurse Corps.
She was an ICU nurse at Fort Jackson, S.C., before
 she was assigned to the Third Field Hospital along
with Carol Ann Drazba.
She was engaged to be married to a soldier she'd
    met "in country," Lt. Col. Charles M. Honour Jr., and
 the wedding was to be in Vietnam. Her mother had
            even sent her a wedding gown.
She died along with 2nd Lt. Drazba and five others
            in a helicopter crash. The helicopter pilot was her fiancé.
 

1st Lt. Hedwig Diane Orlowski
            April 13, 1944 – Nov. 30, 1967

            Hedwig Diane Orlowski was a graduate of the Hurley
            Medical Center School of Nursing in Flint, Mich.

           She had been in Vietnam for nearly a year, assigned
            to the 67th Evacuation Hospital in Qui Nhon, when
            she was temporarily transferred to Pleiku to assist
            with the wounded.

            She was returning to her permanent post in Qui
            Nohn aboard a C-47 transport when it crashed,
            killing all aboard...


Capt. Eleanor Grace Alexander
Sept. 18, 1940 – Nov. 30, 1967

Though no "flower child," Eleanor considered herself a political activist
     concerned with the conflict in Vietnam.
Six years as a surgical nurse in New
            York City's Madison Hospital left her feeling restless.
In 1967, she joined the Army Nurse Corps and
            asked to be assigned to Vietnam. She was stationed
            at the 85th Field Evac Hospital at Qui Nhon.
She was on the same C-47 as 1st Lt. Hedwig Diane
            Orlowski, returning from Pleiku, when it crashed.
            Everyone aboard was killed.
The city of Riverside, N.J., named a park in honor of Eleanor, a native.


2nd Lt. Pamela Dorothy Donovan
March 25, 1942 – July 8, 1968
Pamela was born in Ireland, but grew up in Boston.
After graduating from nursing school in 1965, she stayed on at the
            hospital, where she learned her profession until 1967.
In November of that year she joined the Army Nurse
            Corps and was assigned to the 85th Field Evac
 Hospital at Qui Nhon.
She was only there for three months when she became seriously ill and died.
A road leading to the St. Gabriel's Monastery in
           Brighton, Mass., where her parents worked, was
            named in her honor in 1969.


Lt. Col. Annie Ruth Graham
Nov. 7, 1916 – Aug. 14, 1968
Annie Graham had been a career Army nurse since graduating from
 nursing school in 1942.
She served in Europe during World War II and left active duty in 1945, becoming a
            reserve officer as she completed her Bachelor of
            Science in Nursing degree at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
She returned to active duty in during the Korean
            War, and in the following 13 years completed tours
in Europe, Africa and the United States.
In 1967, she was assigned as chief nurse, 91st Evac
Hospital in Tuy Hoa, Vietnam.
While on duty, she suffered a sudden internal
            hemorrhage and was taken by air to Japan for
            surgery. Never regaining consciousness, she died three days later.


1st Lt. Sharon Ann Lane
July 7, 1943 – June 8, 1969
Sharon Ann Lane was the only nursein Vietnam to die under enemy attack.
She was stationed at the 312th Evac
Hospital at Chui Lai. To the west and south were
American marine bases, which often came under enemy mortar fire.
On the morning of June 8, after coming off duty
            from caring for Viet Cong prisoners, she returned to
            her hut for a brief rest. A rocket, overshooting one
            of the nearby Marine bases, struck a metal supply
            shed next to her hut and exploded. Sharon died
            instantly from flying shrapnel.
Though she joined the Army Nurse Corps in 1968,
            she had been in Vietnam for only two months when
            she was killed.
In her home of Stark County, Ohio, a statue of
            Sharon was erected to honor the men and women
            who served in Vietnam.
She was posthumously awarded the following medals:
the Purple Heart
the Bronze Star with a "V" for gallantry
the National Defense Service Medal
the Vietnam Service Medal
the National Order of Vietnam Medal
the (South) Vietnamese Gallantry Cross (withPalm) .


Capt. Mary Therese Klinker
Oct. 3, 1947 – April 9, 1975
Mary Klinker was the last nurse, and the only member of the Air Force
Nurse Corps, to be killed in Vietnam.
She entered the service just a year after graduating from nursing school and was
            assigned to Travis Air Force Base in California. There
she worked with U.S. servicemen wounded in
Vietnam and released American POWs.
She was later assigned to the 10th Aeromedical Evac
            out of Travis, where she cared for seriously wounded
           soldiers as they were being flown from hospitals in
Vietnam to hospitals in Japan, the Philippines, Hawaii or the mainland.
While on assignment at Clarke Air Force base in the
            Philippines, she volunteered for a humanitarian call
            to airlift orphans out of Saigon as the city was falling to the North Vietnamese.
She and her medical crew were on the plane, a C-5,
            with the infants and toddlers, when just after
            take-off, an explosion ripped through the rear of the
            fuselage. As the cabin lost pressure, the pilots tried
            to turn back toward the airport, but the plane
            crashed in a rice field two miles short of Saigon.

            Mary was posthumously awarded the Airman's Medal
            for Heroism and the Meritorious Service Medal.


A Brief Chronology of the Vietnam
Women's Memorial Project

              — excerpted from "Celebration of Patriotism and
               Courage," Vietnam Women's Memorial Project, Inc.
 

           1983 – The idea for the Vietnam Women's Memorial
           is conceived by Diane Carlson Evans, RN, who served
           in Vietnam as an Army Nurse

           1984 – To place the statue at the Vietnam Veterans
           Memorial in Washington, D.C., the Vietnam Women's
           Memorial Project is incorporated as a nonprofit
           volunteer organization.

           1985-1986 – Resolutions are passed at the national
           conventions of major veteran organizations
           supporting the efforts of the Vietnam Women's
           Memorial Project.

           1986 – First approval is obtained from the Vietnam
           Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc.

           1986-1987 – With the first approval hurdle cleared,
           fund-raising and education efforts begin.

           1987 (September) – Second approval is obtained.
           The secretary of the interior approves the concept.

           1987 (October) – A public hearing by the Fine Arts
           Commission rejects the Women's Memorial proposal.

           1987 (November) – The Senate and House submit
           companion bills authorizing the Vietnam Women's
           Memorial at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the
          Mall.

           1988 (February to October) – The political process
           drags on as House and Senate hearings over the
          memorial air out the details of the project and
           debate its ultimate fate.

           1988 (November) – President Reagan signs the
           Senate bill into law, authorizing the Vietnam
           Women's Memorial.

           1989-1990 – Desirable locations for the memorial
           are determined, and possible sites begin their
           journey through the approval process.

           1990 (August) – A national competition is launched
           for the design of the memorial.

           1990 (Veteran's Day) – Co-finalists and honorable
          mentions are announced from the design
         competition.

           1991 – Glenna Goodacre of Santa Fe, N.M., an
         honorable-mention winner, is selected by the
           Vietnam Women's Memorial Project board of directors
          to design the memorial.

           1991 (Autumn) – Glenna Goodacre's design is
           approved by the appropriate federal agencies.

           1992 (November 12) – A plaque-unveiling ceremony
           takes place at the site of the Vietnam Women's
           Memorial.

           1993 (July 29) – The groundbreaking ceremony for
           the Vietnam Women's Memorial occurs.

           1993 (August) – A 21-city whistle-stop tour of the
           Vietnam Women's Memorial kicks off in Santa Fe,
           N.M., en route to its final destination of Washington,
           D.C.

           1993 (November) – The dedication of the Vietnam
           Women's Memorial takes place.
 


 FEMALES IN THE MILITARY


VIETNAM WOMEN'S MEMORIAL PROJECT
          A Legacy of Healing and Hope
         Diane Carlson Evans, RN
           Founder
        265,000 military women served throughout the world during the Vietnam war.
      More than 10,000 served in Vietnam. 90 percent of them were nurses.
    Diane Carlson Evans is the Founder and Chair of the Vietnam Women's
    Memorial Project. Having served six years as an Army Nurse during
 the Vietnam war, Evans went to battle again, leading a nationwide
  crusade for nine years -- to realize her vision -- a monument to honor
  and portray women at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington,
    D.C. Wrestling with government agencies and Congress, enduring
     individuals and journalists who vilified her and her effort, Evans'
      perseverance, stamina and tenacity kept the dream of this tribute alive.
     Her leadership and testimony before every Congressional and
       bureaucratic hearing in the nation's capital inspired thousands to join in
     her mission which finally won victory for the women who served on
    November 11, 1993, with the dedication of the Vietnam Women's
  Memorial -- the first memorial in America's history to honor military
   women in the nation's capital. Like her sister veterans, Evans' story is
   one of compassion and justice -- women risking their lives for humanity
   in the midst of a horrific war. And, ultimately what it takes to
build a public reminder of courage and sacrifice.Our War
I don't go off to war, so they say,
 I'm a woman.
   Who then has worn my boots?
     And whose memories are these,
       Of youth's suffering?
         Please don't forget me.
            I've been through war's hell and if only you will listen.
             I've a story of those chosen to sacrifice for us all.
1983, Diane Carlson Evans, Vietnam 1968-9


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