Vietnam War Nurses

Eighteen nurses who served in the United States military nurse corps during the Vietnam War present their personal accounts in this book. They represent all military branches. They served in the theater of combat, in the United States, and in countries allied with the U.S. They served in front line hospitals, hospital ships, large medical centers and small clinics. They speak of caring for casualties during a conflict filled with controversy—and of patriotism, of the nursing profession, of travel and the adventure of friendship and love.

Patricia Rushton is a retired associate professor of nursing at Brigham Young University. She is a veteran of the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm. She retired as a commander in the United States Navy Nurse Corps Reserve.

Edited by Patricia Rushton

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 196
Bibliographic Info: 31 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2013
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7352-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0208-0
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction  1
Elizabeth R. Barker  5
Catherine (Kay) M. Bauer  11
Lou Ellen Bell  22
Karen Born  43
Mary Breed  55
Linda Caldwell  64
Alene B. Duerk  78
Merlan Owen Ellis  90
Lois Gay  100
Sandra Kirkpatrick Holmes  107
Lynn Calmes Kohl  119
Mitchel A. McDonald  128
Mary Lou ­Ostergren-­Bruner  135
Ruth E. Purinton  142
Maria V. Rossi  151
Mary Ellen Warne  157
Harry A. Wesche  166
Odette P. Willis  173
References  183
Index  185

• “An important contribution to the existing literature about the experiences of American Military nurses during the Vietnam War…. They speak of caring for causalities during a war filled with controversy, pain and suffering, as well as patriotism…this book is rated four stars”—Military Bookshelf
• “Valuable piece of scholarship…because it offers personal accounts of a group of understudied Vietnam veterans and emphasizes an important era in American nursing”—H-Net Reviews
• “Collects the personal narratives of 18 female and male nurses who served in the US military nurse corps during the Vietnam War, as part of the Nurses at War Project”—Reference & Research Book News