"Swell Patients and Sports"
Diary entry excerpt from the WWII diary of US Army Nurse F. DeWitt
This item is actually an excerpt from the World War II diary of US Army Nurse F. DeWitt, spanning from 1943 to 1944. DeWitt clearly has a sense of humor even when discussing dark topics, and seems to try to make the best of things throughout her diary. However, the following entry from August 15, 1943, truly exemplifies the tough parts of being a military nurse;<br /><br /><span style="text-decoration:underline;">"<em>No rest for the wicked. A very busy day in OR. 12 cases. Had first hours. Had a memorial mass</em></span><br /><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>for Thurman. Unable to go. Saw 5 horrible burn cases dressed in OR. Many boys. What these</em></span><br /><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>poor soldiers go through. Legs, arms, hand, feet. Off. All are a mess with shattered bones. But in</em></span><br /><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>spite of all they are swell patients & sports. Makes me want to cry to see them. 20 new nurses</em></span><br /><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>arrived with Colonel (?) wait till Chamberlin gets a hold of them. Poor kids. On call. Saw (?)</em></span><br /><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>Flannigan, on her way to Sicily</em>."</span> <br /><br />Few, if any historians, could have said it better themselves.
Nurse F. DeWitt
UNC Greensboro: Women Veterans Historical Project: "00-Transcript: Diary of F. DeWitt, 1943-1944," August 15, 1943 entry, page 29 of 33, WV0245 F. DeWitt Diary, WV0245.3.001: <a href="http://libcdm1.uncg.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/WVHP/id/2636/rec/3">http://libcdm1.uncg.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/WVHP/id/2636/rec/3</a>
Digitally published by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University Libraries, PO Box 26170, Greensboro NC 27402
Accessed April 28, 2020
Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, UNCG University Libraries: <a href="http://libcdm1.uncg.edu/cdm/search/collection/WVHP/field/reposi/searchterm/Martha%20Blakeney%20Hodges%20Special%20Collections%20and%20University%20Archives,%20UNCG%20University%20Libraries/mode/exact">http://libcdm1.uncg.edu/cdm/search/collection/WVHP/field/reposi/searchterm/Martha%20Blakeney%20Hodges%20Special%20Collections%20and%20University%20Archives,%20UNCG%20University%20Libraries/mode/exact</a>
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US Army Nurse Diary of F. DeWitt, excerpt entry August 15, 1943
US Army nurses of WWII, Women of WWII, Medical care in WWII
The Iron Lung
Navy nurse treats patient in an iron lung
This image depicts another type of medical equipment used during the war, the iron lung. A type of ventilator that has since (thankfully) been replaced by the modern respirator machines we see in hospitals today, this device helped patients who were having trouble breathing on their own by applying negative pressure to the chest area. As you can see, these machines were bulky and a bit frightening. These were also used during the polio epidemics happening in the United States before, during, and after World War II. This particular machine is shown being used by a navy nurse on the US Navy Hospital Ship, USS Relief, AH-1.
Unknown Photographer, Donated to source by Arthur Stanley Riggs
Women of World War II Website: "Navy Nurses: Navy Nurse Tends to Sailor in an Iron Lung," by Margie Bedell-Burke, November 4, 2017, image donated by Arthur Stanley Riggs and courtesy of the National Museum of the US Navy: <a href="https://www.womenofwwii.com/navy/navy-nurses/navy-nurse-tends-to-sailor-in-an-iron-lung/">https://www.womenofwwii.com/navy/navy-nurses/navy-nurse-tends-to-sailor-in-an-iron-lung/</a>
National Museum of the US Navy, Donated by Arthur Stanley Riggs
Accessed April 26, 2020
Public Domain
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US Navy Nurse Treating Patient with Iron Lung USS Relief WWII
US Hospital Ships in WWII, US Navy Nurses of WWII, US Medical Equipment of WWII
Geographical Know-How
US Flight Nurse Jane Kendeigh looks at a map of the Pacific
Here is an example of one of the things nurses had to learn and understand in training before they could serve in the field, especially overseas; geography. Nurses were trained to read maps of the various areas of the front where they would be serving, so that they would be familiar with where they were and what operations were happening there. This was especially important for flight nurses, as they would be helping evacuate patients from multiple different places during the war, instead of remaining in one location during their service. This specific image is of US Ensign Flight Nurse Jane Kendeigh in 1945, the first flight nurse to step foot in Okinawa and Iwo Jima, who served on the battle front in the Mariana Islands and Hawaii, and a member of the NATS Pacific Wing Air Evacuation Squadron.
Unknown Photographer, US Navy
Women of World War II Website: "Navy Nurses: Flight Nurse Examining Map of Pacific," by Margie Bedell-Burke, October 31, 2017, image courtesy of the National Museum of the U.S. Navy: <a href="https://www.womenofwwii.com/navy/navy-nurses/flight-nurse-examining-map-of-pacific/">https://www.womenofwwii.com/navy/navy-nurses/flight-nurse-examining-map-of-pacific/</a>
National Museum of the US Navy, US Navy
Accessed April 27, 2020
Public Domain
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US Flight Nurse Jane Kendeigh Examines Map of Pacific 1945
US Flight Nurse Jane Kendeigh WWII, US Flight Nurses of WWII
Jungle Training
US Army nurses in jungle training in WWII
This is a picture of a group of US Army nurses during their training in the jungles of the Caribbean. These women were going to be serving with the Air Force, and would need to be knowledgeable about the climate of the Caribbean and the jungles they would possibly have to serve in. They are wearing a modified uniform created specifically for nurses serving in hot climates, which was something that was not always made readily available for nurses, especially at the beginning of the war. This shows not only a different type of uniform worn, but also the grit that nurses were expected to have by the end of their training, in order to deal with the conditions they were to encounter overseas.
Unknown Photographer, US Army and National Archives
Women of World War II Website: "Army Nurses: Army Nurses Marching Through Jungle," by Margie Bedell-Burke, February 2, 2018, image courtesy of the US National Archives: <a href="https://www.womenofwwii.com/army/army-nurses/army-nurses-marching-through-jungle/">https://www.womenofwwii.com/army/army-nurses/army-nurses-marching-through-jungle/</a>
US National Archives
Accessed April 27, 2020
Public Domain
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US Army Nurses training in Caribbean jungle
US Army Nurses of WWII
Penicillin
US Flight Nurse giving penicillin to a patient on evacuation flight
This image shows US Navy Flight Nurse Ensign Miriam R. Serrick, from North Carolina, giving a patient a penicillin injection during an evacuation flight in 1945.
Penicillin, discovered by bacteriologist Alexander Fleming in 1928, was used worldwide by medics and nurses in World War II. American nurses, like many other nurses around the world, were trained to give penicillin injections and did so frequently, as the drug helps prevent infection and was one of the only proven antibiotic treatments available for protecting soldiers from gangrene and other infections in wounds.
Unknown Photographer, US Navy
Women of World War II Website: "Featured: Navy Nurses: Flight Nurse Gives Patient Penicillin Injection," by Margie Bedell-Burke, November 5, 2017, image courtesy of the National Museum of the US Navy: <a href="https://www.womenofwwii.com/navy/navy-nurses/flight-nurse-gives-patient-penicillin-injection/">https://www.womenofwwii.com/navy/navy-nurses/flight-nurse-gives-patient-penicillin-injection/</a>
National Museum of the US Navy, US Navy
Accessed April 27, 2020
Public Domain
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US Navy Flight Nurse Gives Penicillin to Patient 1945
US Navy Flight Nurses of WWII, Penicillin in WWII
Freezing Conditions
Group of navy nurses at hospital in Adak, Alaska
The group of women shown here, while looking relatively pleased and smiling, are standing in what is clearly a cold and unforgiving climate in Adak, Alaska in 1943. These US Navy Nurse Corps members are serving at the US Naval Hospital in Adak, and are dressed in gear fit for winter weather, except for maybe the white skirts and tights they have on.
If you look closely, you can see that these nurses are wearing the traditional navy nurse uniform of a white dress and white shoes and tights, complete with cap, but have modified the uniform for practicality reasons, adding a large coat. Nurses were expected to serve in all kinds of climates, and even those on the US home front dealt with difficult weather conditions during their service.
Unknown Photographer, US Navy
Women if World War II Website: "Navy Nurse: Navy Nurse Corps at Adak, Alaska," by Margie Bedell-Burke, November 29, 2017, image courtesy of the US Navy: <a href="https://www.womenofwwii.com/navy/navy-nurses/navy-nurse-corps-at-adak-alaska/">https://www.womenofwwii.com/navy/navy-nurses/navy-nurse-corps-at-adak-alaska/</a>
US Navy
Accessed April 27, 2020
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US Navy Nurses in Adak, Alaska 1943
US Navy Nurses of WWII, US Nurse Uniforms of WWII, US Navy Hospitals of WWII
"Courage Under Fire"
Unit Commendation for the work of the 95th Evacuation Hospital in Anzio, Italy
The document shown is of a Unit Commendation issued to the 95th Evacuation Hospital on April 10, 1944, by the CG Fifth United States Army. The unit is commended for their choice to set up tents and continue treating patients while being bombarded by aerial enemy fire, and then for their continued efficient service in a field outside of the bombing. This is commending the staff (including the nurses serving there, such as Lt. Helen Talboy) at the hospital for their calm and brave reaction to the circumstances they were experiencing, showing that women serving as nurses were not only in danger, but were also able to receive recognition from the military for their sacrifice, just like the soldiers they cared for and their make colleagues.
CG Fifth United States Army
World War 2 United States Medical Research Centre: "95th Evacuation Hospital, Unit History," Photo of "Text of Unit Commendation Awarded by the CG Fifth United States Army," April 10, 1944, Accessed April 28, 2020: <a href="https://www.med-dept.com/unit-histories/95th-evacuation-hospital/">https://www.med-dept.com/unit-histories/95th-evacuation-hospital/</a>
CG Fifth United States Army and the World War 2 United States Medical Research Centre
Accessed April 27, 2020
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Unit Commendation for the 95th Evacuation Hospital, April 10, 1944
US Military Hospitals in WWII, Nurses in WWII, US Army in WWII
The Anzio Ordeal
Comic page of "The Anzio Ordeal" and photograph of damage to 95th Evacuation Hospital from enemy fire
These images show the bombing and enemy shelling of the 95th Evacuation Hospital in Anzio, Italy, on February 7, 1944. One is of the damage done to the hospital by the bomb, which killed 28 people, including 22 hospital staff. <br /><br />The colorful image is of a page from the <em>TrueComics </em>issue number 43, from 1945, entitled, "Anzio Ordeal." This comic was published by "The Parents' Institute," and was meant to be educational. It shows an American nurse, Leiutenant Helen Talboy, as she rushes to get patients into the 95th Evacuation Hospital and care for them amidst the chaos of the bombing and its aftermath. The hospital itself was actually constructed under enemy fire. <br /><br />These images, collectively, are another example of the harrowing conditions nurses serving the military in World War II faced. These women had to make split second decisions, and put the care of patients above all else.
Unknown Photographer, <em>TrueComics, </em>and "The Parents' Institute"
World War 2 United States Medical Research Centre: "95th Evacuation Hospital, Unit History:" <a href="https://www.med-dept.com/unit-histories/95th-evacuation-hospital/">https://www.med-dept.com/unit-histories/95th-evacuation-hospital/</a>
World War 2 United States Medical Research Centre and <em>TrueComics </em>and "The Parents' Institute"
Accessed April 27, 2020
Photograph (jpg), digital copy of comic book page (jpg),
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The Anzio Ordeal and the bombing of the 95th General Hospital in Anzio, Italy, 1944
US Military Hospitals of WWII, Overseas Nurses of WWII
Blood Pressure
Nurse at the 15th General Hospital in Belgium checks blood pressure of patient
This picture is a great representation of the type of blood pressure equipment any nurse may have encountered both at home and overseas during the war. This device looks much different from the kinds of blood pressure cuffs we are used to today, except for the obvious stethoscope-like attachment used for listening to patient's pulse while taking their blood pressure. This photo was taken at the 15th General Hospital for American troops in Belgium, which opened in September of 1944. The nurse pictured is unidentified and may or may not be American. The hospital staff would often meet with the medical faculty at the local university to discuss future projects and medical activities.
Another useful part of this picture is to show the method used to identify patients throughout the war, by many different nations. The white card tagged onto the headboard rail of the bed in which the patient lies is the document identifying the patient and his condition, and is something that can be seen in other photos of patients during the war.
Unknown Photographer
World War 2 United States Medical Research Centre: "WW2 Military Hospitals, European Theater of Operations:" <a href="https://www.med-dept.com/articles/ww2-military-hospitals-european-theater-of-operations/">https://www.med-dept.com/articles/ww2-military-hospitals-european-theater-of-operations/</a>
World War 2 United States Medical Research Centre
Accessed April 27, 2020
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15th General Hospital nurse takes blood pressure of patient
Military Hospitals of WWII, Nurses of WWII, Medical Equipment of WWII
Captain Della H. Raney, US Army Nurse Corps
African American US Army Nurse Della Hayden Raney's story as a nurse in World War II
This is a photo of US Army Nurse Della Hayden Raney Jackson. Born in 1912 in Virginia, Jackson attended nursing school in Durham, North Carolina, graduating from the Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing in 1937. Jackson worked as an operating room supervisor at Lincoln, and when the war came, decided to join the US Army Nurse Corps. Jackson, however, was denied entry into the corps because of her race. <br /><br />Before 1941, the army would only take white nurses. Jackson sought the endorsement of the Red Cross, and persisted in pursuing a military career. The Red Cross, especially in the South, was still reluctant to allow black nurses into the armed forces, and Jackson finally had to write Miss Mary Beard directly, asking to serve her country as a nurse. Beard, the director of nursing for the American Red Cross at the time, sent Jackson her membership card, pin, and certificate in response. <br /><br />Thus, Jackson was finally able to join the ANC in April of 1941 as a 2nd Lieutenant. She was the first African American nurse to serve in the US Army Nurse Corps. After this, the lack of available nurses and nursing volunteers for the war effort forced the military to allow black nurses to serve their country, with a limit of 56 nurses. They were prohibited from caring for white patients, and the first groups were sent to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, and Camp Livingston in Louisiana. The hospital wards on these bases were segregated, and Jackson was sent to the former, in NC. She served there for six months as head nurse, before passing the chief nursing exam and being promoted to 1st Lieutenant. She then became the leader of the first five African American nurses assigned to serve at the Tuskegee Air Field in 1942. This made her the first African American to serve as Chief Nurse in the US Army Nurse Corps. <br /><br />Jackson went on to serve in several other bases and army camps throughout the country, and in 1946 she was awarded the rank of major, and served in Japan. Jackson became the highest ranking African American nurse to serve during the war. <br /><br />"When I entered nursing more than forty years ago, it was serious business with me. It was a commitment to give my life for a cause--that of caring for those who were ill...It was this strong desire to elevate my profession that led me to volunteer..." --- Nurse Della H. Raney Jackson, 1983 <br /><br />Jackson's story is an extraordinary example of an American nurse determined to serve her country and help those who needed her, regardless of the roadblocks in her way. Her story is a reminder of the darker parts of American society during the war, and how that impacted military nursing, and it highlights the fact that Jackson, along with many other nurses of all racial, ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds, chose to push her career as a woman in military service forward through becoming a nurse.
Unknown Photographer, Office of Emergency Management, Office of War Information, Overseas Operations Branch, New York Office, News and Features Bureau, 12/17/1942-9/15/1945
United States National Archives, Series: Photographs of Notable Personalities, 1942-1945, Record Group 208: Records of the Office of War Information, 1926-1951, Item 535942: <a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/535942">https://catalog.archives.gov/id/535942</a><br /><br />Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Overseas Operations Branch. New York Office. News and Features Bureau.<span> </span><i>Capt. Della H. Raney, Army Nurse Corps, Who Now Heads the Nursing Staff at the Station Hospital at Camp Beale, CA, Has the Distinction of Being the First Negro Nurse to Report to Duty in the Present War...</i><span> </span>Series: Photographs of Notable Personalities, 1926 - 1951, 1945.
United States National Archives and Records Administration
Accessed April 26, 2020
Unrestricted
Appalachian State University Nursing History Webpage: "Della Hayden Raney Jackson African American Trailblazer WWII Nurse," Accessed April 28, 2020: <a href="https://nursinghistory.appstate.edu/biographies/della-hayden-raney-jackson">https://nursinghistory.appstate.edu/biographies/della-hayden-raney-jackson</a>
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Della H. Raney, US Army Nurse Corps, WWII
African American Nurses in WWII, African American Women in WWII