Women at War: Story of Fifty Military Nurses Who Served in Vietnam

238 Pages·1990·11.633 MB·English

by  Elizabeth M. Norman

Women at War
North Vietnam
Thailand
South
Vietnam
Cambodia
Women
at War
The Story of Fifty Military
Nurses Who Served in Vietnam
ELIZABETH M. NORMAN
University of Pennsylvania Press
Philadelphia
STUDIES IN HEALTH, ILLNESS, AND CAREGIVING
Joan E. Lynaugh, Series Editor
A complete list of books in the series is available from the publisher.
All photographs used by permission.
Copyright © 1990 University of Pennsylvania Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
10 9 8 7 6
Published by
University of Pennsylvania Press
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4011
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Norman, Elizabeth M.
Women at war : the story of fifty miltary nurses who served in
Vietnam / Elizabeth M. Norman.
p. cm.
Outgrowth of author's doctoral dissertation
Includes bibliographical references (p. ).
ISBN 0-8122-8249-3. — ISBN 0-8122-1317-3 (pbk.)
1. Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975—Women—United States.
2. Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975—Medical care. 3. Nurses—United
States. 4. Nurses—Vietnam. I. Title.
DS559.8.W6N67 1990
959.704'37'0922—dc20 90-34487
[B] CIP
To Michael,
Joshua, Benjamin
John and Dorothy
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1 Volunteering for the Vietnam War 7
2 Arriving in Vietnam 17
3 The Professional Strains and Moral Dilemmas of
Nursing in Vietnam 27
4 The Rewards of Wartime Nursing in Vietnam 45
5 Personal Experiences in Vietnam 53
6 The Status of Female Military Nurses in Vietnam 65
7 Different Experiences in the Army, Navy, and
Air Force Nurse Corps 75
8 Factors Associated with the Year the Nurse
Served in Vietnam 91
9 Leaving Vietnam 105
viii Contents
10 Homecoming 113
11 The Years Since the War 125
12 Coming to Terms with the War: Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder 141
13 Lessons Learned from the War 155
14 Conclusions 161
Appendix: Information on the Fifty Military Nurses 169
Notes 185
References 197
Index 207
Acknowledgments
The process of locating military nurses who served in the Viet-
nam War was greatly expedited by Joan Barron, R.N. Her sug-
gestions and contacts were useful in starting the study.
Another nurse, Comdr. Cassie Greeley, USNR, NC, provided
insightful comments on the questions I developed for the inter-
views.
Brig. Gen. Sarah P. Wells, USAF, NC (Ret.) helped me
locate photographs to use in the book. Other nurses shared their
war photographs: Capt. Mary Ann Gallagher Ibach, USNR, NC;
Col. Sharon La France, USAFR, NC; Lt. Col. Mary Jo Rice,
USAR, NC; Maj. Marra Peche, USAR, NC; former lieu-
tenant Nancy Spears, USA, NC; former lieutenant Janice
Stewart, USA, NC, and former lieutenant Martha Mosley, USA,
NC. Thank you for your time and assistance.
Several nurses reviewed and reacted to my ideas presented in
this book: Adm. Frances Shea Buckley, USN, NC (Ret.); Col.
Sharon La France USAFR, NC; Brig. Gen. Diann A. Hale,
USAF, NC (Ret.); Brig. Gen. Sarah P. Wells, USAF, NC (Ret.);
former lieutenant Joan Furey, USA, NC and former captain Sara
McVicker, USA, NC. Their detailed suggestions proved accu-
rate and very useful.