No Time For Fear: Voices of American Military Nurses in World War II by Diane Burke Fessler is a collection of personal narratives and oral histories that she bound together in order to provide “an important counterpoint to the strategy and planning of warfare so often chronicled by the male warrior”. She believes there is a “serious lack of recognition of nurses who were overseas with the soldiers, close to fighting, and caring for the wounded men”, so her goal for this collection is that the nurses who volunteered to join the Army and Navy in the 1940s will have their stories “recognized as an important part of that war’s strategy” because “American troops were not sent to battle in World War II without plans for medical care”. It was also …show more content…
The “narratives were recorded, transcribed word for word, and were edited for flow, continuity, and chronologically”. “The book is about memory and the experiences of those who went to war more than fifty years ago” and knows that memory may be faulty, so she was given yellowed copies of their transfer orders to properly cite dates and locations if vital to the story. The book is a collection of personal narratives that are separated into 12 sections that different major countries/campaigns and the last two chapters are snapshots and when the war ends. Each chapter has the narratives of the nurses who were involved in that specific country/campaign, and each chapter can vary from five narratives to nine narratives depending on who responded for an interview. The chapters are primary sources due to it being a collection of personal narratives, but the introduction is the only part of the book that involves an opinion or general conclusions on the topic of World War II
World War Two was a massive war that occurred from 1939-1945, this war is known as the most violent war in the history of mankind spanning across many countries who were affected immensely. This war has had a great impact on our knowledge and there were many political, social and military implications of the war. During this time period, American life evolved from temporary changes to long term changes in various fields. World War Two brought about major expansion in medicine and nursing. More treatments were needed to heal wounds and infections on the battlefield. Also, researchers and medical experts helped to create new drugs. World War Two lasted around six years and during this time the army nurse corps was a great support. Although war naturally produces casualties resulting in medical and nursing advancements, World War Two had profound impact in the fields of medicine and nursing.
The Vietnam War was a perplexing, unjustified conflict where both historians and the media over-generalized service members’ experiences. They constantly failed to speak for all people with firsthand combat experience and focused solely on the male’s perspective. Lynda Van Devanter, a former member of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps (ANC) and Vietnam veteran was the first woman who educated America on the female’s position during the Vietnam War and systematically destroyed the stereotype of an undamaged, inessential Vietnam nurse. Contrary to popular belief, the Vietnam War distorted the mentality of both men and women who served overseas, according to Devanter. Historians and the media, rather than acknowledging the Vietnam Nurses’ distinct perspective as a key element of the morally ambiguous altercation, they focused solely on male veteran experiences and failed to accurately portray the war. By changing the subject of Vietnam War stories through her forthright memoir, Home Before Morning, Devanter wrote about the fallacious stereotypes nurses
In addition, the content of the introductory section reveals the need for this study. It shows the gap in the literature, primarily the absence of studies that have investigated personal strategies applied by female nurses during the war. Scannell-Desch (2000) laments that “personal strategies used by nurses to buffer or reduce these stresses
The medical division of each battalion played a huge role in the success of the military force at war, because without the medical workers, specifically the nurses, many of those who faced the treacherous war zones would have never returned home. Life before the War Anne Donnell, born on the 31st of October 1875, was one of the many invaluable nurses who served during the Great War. She was born in Cherry Gardens, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, a tranquil suburb in comparison
The nurses experienced so much trauma in such a little time, that most suffered from PTSD. The experiences that brought on this PTSD was the shock of conflict in Vietnam, the problematic return to a country that did not understand their participation or experiences, the denial of their work in Vietnam, and a sense of isolation from their male counterparts in Nam and their female counterparts back home as well as absence of veterans service groups upon returning to home. The nurses were not recognized for the job that they had done, which allowed many soldiers to return home to their families.
You know what dreadful scenes you may have to go through when you reach Waterloo…” (Lancey). During this time period, women of higher social class and higher status where thought of frail and delicate, not able to withstand the horrors and aftermath of war, all while those of lower class, women included, used their own homes and resourses to help better the wounded of the battle, witnessing the injuries of war and possably putting them themselves through traumatizing expericances. Today, Nurse’s stationed to “Forward Surgical Teams provide acute care nursing and surgical nursing far forward on the battlefield to stabilize and resuscitate soldiers with life- and limb-threatening injuries. These teams are on the front lines” (American Nurse Today) almost as much as a typical grunt caught in a firefight. As time and society move from 1815 during The Battle of Waterloo, to 1945 when the Germans failed to complete their objective in The Battle of The
At the time of the release of this poster the war had been raging on for around four years. The need for more medical volunteers and supplies was immense, the United States knew that calling on the women and families back home was the only way they would obtain these much needed contributions. This poster provides a different perspective on World War One propaganda compared to the other posters due to a shift in the purpose and audience of the poster. The audience targeted by this piece, is able bodied women who have the ability to serve as nurses in the war. The imagery the poster depicts is a towering Red Cross Nurse wearing a flowing white gown, and cradling a wounded soldier immobilized by a stretcher.
The war promoted the development of health services in military situations. Vietnam was very dangerous because this was the first time that there were people sabotaging at any time. Whether nurses were on the planes, ships or battlefields, they witnessed and participated in an evolution in trauma and combat casualty care. Rapid evacuation, readily available blood, well-established hospitals, advanced surgical techniques, and nursing management all combined to keep the wounded from dying. More specifically, “the rapid evacuation system for the wounded saved many lives that would have been lost in previous wars. Causalities from the battlefield could arrive at hospital receiving wards within minutes of injury” [1]. For example, each air force nurse carried dozens of wounded soldiers through the aircraft doors on bloodied ponchos or litters. She checked the snugness of their dressings to make sure that no one hemorrhaged during the short flight. She joked with patients who reacted to their injuries [2]. Many nurses
From 1914 to 1918, the infantry fought valiantly and courageously on the front line, however, the nurses that were integral to the war effort were often overlooked throughout history (King, 2014). During world war 1 over 2000 nurses served with the Australian Army Nursing Service, working tirelessly to provide medical and emotional support to the soldiers, often in horrific and dangerous conditions (Centenary of World War 1 in Orange, 2014). Without the work of these nurses, the war may have had a different outcome. The Australian nurses showed immense resilience, courage and selflessness in order to help the war effort and contribute to the Anzac spirit and legacy. While serving in the army, the Australian nurses had to show enormous amounts
Being a Nurse in the Vietnam War Becoming a Vietnam War nurse was not effortless because it required the appropriate training to know how to react to varieties of injuries. When becoming a nurse, it demanded the courage to be transferred into another country, in this case, Vietnam. For some nurses, they had to have the necessary training to help prevent diseases and maintain the patients’ condition by providing medicine and surgical procedures. The process of becoming a nurse consisted of concentration, dedication, and commitment because soldiers relied on these nurses to save their lives and make sure they got back home safely to their families.
Especially, the nurses who worked near the battlefields and were able to treat the soldiers as quickly as possible were very significant presence for the soldiers to fight for the battle with their greatest energy. They were the nurses who worked for Army Nurse Corp(ANC). During WWII, more than 59,000 American nurses worked for the ANC and worked closer to the front lines than they ever had before. Nurses worked in evacuation hospitals, under fire in field hospitals, on hospital trains, hospital ships and medical transport planes. The skill that the nurses had and the effort they had made lead to prevent low damaged soldiers from passing away in almost every combat theater compared to the other wars carried out before WWII.
During the early years of the Civil War, medical care for the troops was rudimentary, and thousands of soldiers died from infections and disease in army hospitals. In response, the world’s first professional nursing service was created by American hero Clara Barton. Born in Massachusetts in 1821, Barton was a humble clerk who transferred to the Army Quartermaster’s Department in 1862, grew dedicated to hospital work, and became a beloved and skilled nurse. Nicknamed “The Angel of the Battlefield”, Barton was the most famous women in the
These female nurses provided medical help for the wounded soldiers at Gallipoli and also on the Western Front. As most of the hospital stations were near the front line many nurses were exposed to aerial bombs and shelling. They were expected to work in primitive conditions; some hospitals were equipped for a mere 520 people yet held 2500 during the wartime. As a result of the long hours and poor conditions many nurses suffered serious illnesses. A total of 2139 Australian nurses served overseas and of these 25 died. Through enduring such adverse conditions nurses proved extreme dedication towards the war effort and their country.
Back in the 1900’s, women did not have the same social standing as men in both Vietnam and America. One of the many jobs available for women at the time was being a nurse, which happened to be one of the most needed occupations in the war - besides being in the military.. The American nurses worked hard for many hours, meeting everyone who came to the hospital.
After 1917, when women were allowed to join the military, the most popular job was nursing. 33,000 women served as nurses during the last two years of World War One, for the first time women were officially considered apart of America’s military (Time Line: Women in the U.S. Military). The more years that passed with women involved in the military, the more respect they gained in the