Officer, Nurse, Woman: The Army Nurse Corps in the Vietnam War (War Society Culture)

302 Pages·2009·3.33 MB·English

by  Vuic

Officer, Nurse, Woman
War/Society/Culture
Michael Fellman, Series Editor
Officer, Nurse, Woman
The Army Nurse Corps in the Vietnam War
Kara Dixon Vuic
The Johns Hopkins University Press
Baltimore
© 2010 The Johns Hopkins University Press
All rights reserved. Published 2010
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Vuic, Kara Dixon, 1977–
Officer, nurse, woman : the Army Nurse Corps in the Vietnam
War / Kara Dixon Vuic.
p. cm.—(War, society, culture)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8018-9391-9 (hardcover : acid-free paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8018-9391-7 (hardcover : acid-free paper)
1. Vietnam War, 1961–1975—Medical care—United States. 2. United
States. Army Nurse Corps—History—20th century. 3. Militarynursing—
United States—History—20th century. 4. Military nursing—Vietnam—
History—20th century. 5. Vietnam War, 1961–1975—Women—United
States. 6. Women and war. I. Title.
DS559.44.V85 2010
959.704(cid:1)37—dc22 2009012215
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For Duke
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: “Lady, you’re in the army now” 1
1 “The Bright Adventure of Army Nursing”:
Meeting Nursing Demands for the Vietnam War 13
2 “An officer and a gentleman”:
Gender and a Changing Army 43
3 “A wonderful, horrible experience”:
Nursing Education and Practice 71
4 “Helmets and hair curlers”:
Gender and Wartime Nursing 89
5 “I’m afraid we’re going to have to just change our ways”:
Wives, Mothers, and Pregnant Nurses in the Army 113
6 “You mean we get women over here?”:
Gender and Sexuality in the War Zone 136
7 “Not All Women Wore Love Beads in the Sixties”:
Postwar Depictions of Vietnam War Nurses 161
Conclusion: Officers, Nurses, and Women 187
Notes 195
Essay on Sources 259
Index 265
Illustrations follow pages 82 and 178.
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Acknowledgments
When I was an editorial assistant at the American Historical Reviewduring grad-
uate school, my favorite part of the work was to read the acknowledgments of
the books I assigned for review. Sometimes the author’s words were sweet,
sometimes funny, and sometimes even a bit sappy. Faced now with the privi-
lege of thanking the many people who have been a part of this project, I have
a new appreciation for the humility that comes with the task. I doubt these ac-
knowledgments will be sweet, or funny, or sappy, but I hope that at least the
people mentioned here understand the sincerity of my thanks.
My path to becoming a historian has been nurtured by two history depart-
ments. As a graduate student at Indiana University, I was fortunate to have the
sound advice and encouragement of Michael McGerr. He pushed me to think
in new ways about this subject matter and has made me a better historian.
Joanne Meyerowitz also challenged me to consider the broader meanings of
these nurses’ experiences and has been instrumental to this book. I could not
have asked for more supportive mentors. My thanks also to Steven M. Stowe
and John Bodnar for their careful attention to the project, and to Claude
Clegg, Jim Madison, and Ann Carmichael for their enthusiasm for my work.
When, as a junior history major at Marshall University, I wanted to combine
my interest in women’s history with my interest in the Vietnam War, this proj-
ect began. The questions I asked and the implications I have drawn evolved
over the years, but I will always be indebted to the nurturing environment the
department provided to an aspiring historian. In particular, Montserrat Miller
was a model historian and professor who became a good friend. She stood as
my proof that a Wayne County girl could become whatever she wanted to be.
David and Rainey Duke encouraged me to see a world outside my own and
supported me when that journey was difficult. I hope they both know how
much they have meant to me.
I feel quite fortunate to have worked with the Johns Hopkins University
Press on this book. My editor Bob Brugger demonstrated much enthusiasm for