DIY
Dublin Core
Title
DIY
Subject
US Army Nurse Flies with Wounded Soldier WWII, and US Army Flight Nurse stands with evacuation flight crew
Description
In one picture shown here, Lt. Mae Olsen of the United States Army Nurse Corps, is shown writing down the name of the soldier who is being placed by gurney into an US Army Air Force aerial evacuation plane in Guadalcanal on the Solomon Islands.
Olsen and other army flight nurses like her performed this task of taking names of wounded soldiers, and then flew on the evacuation planes with them to the modern hospitals where they could be properly treated for their injuries.
The unique thing about Olsen is that she hailed from the town of Little Falls in Minnesota. This town, and this entire section of the United States, was known to have been populated by Swedish immigrants, and still is today.
Another important factor about this picture, besides the image of care taking place, is the fact that Olsen is the only women and only female nurse in the photo. This related to the second photograph in this set, of the crew of a medical evacuation flight.
In this photograph, like Olsen, only one woman is present with the crew; flight nurse Lt. Katye Swope, of the 802nd Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron. This picture, along with showing the obvious camaraderie between nurses and the men they worked with, also brings to light something else about nursing in World War II. These women were often alone on a flight full of men, the only female medical personnel on board. In a patriarchal society, with discrimination of women in the military at every turn, nursing wounded soldiers was often a one-woman job, making that nurse a vital member of the evacuation flight.
Olsen and other army flight nurses like her performed this task of taking names of wounded soldiers, and then flew on the evacuation planes with them to the modern hospitals where they could be properly treated for their injuries.
The unique thing about Olsen is that she hailed from the town of Little Falls in Minnesota. This town, and this entire section of the United States, was known to have been populated by Swedish immigrants, and still is today.
Another important factor about this picture, besides the image of care taking place, is the fact that Olsen is the only women and only female nurse in the photo. This related to the second photograph in this set, of the crew of a medical evacuation flight.
In this photograph, like Olsen, only one woman is present with the crew; flight nurse Lt. Katye Swope, of the 802nd Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron. This picture, along with showing the obvious camaraderie between nurses and the men they worked with, also brings to light something else about nursing in World War II. These women were often alone on a flight full of men, the only female medical personnel on board. In a patriarchal society, with discrimination of women in the military at every turn, nursing wounded soldiers was often a one-woman job, making that nurse a vital member of the evacuation flight.
Creator
Both Photos: Unknown Photographers, Olsen Photo: Office for Emergency Management, Office of War Information, Overseas Operations Branch, New York Office, News and Features Bureau, 12/17/1942-9/15/1945, Crew Photo: US Army Air Force
Source
Olsen Photo: US National Archives: Series: Photographs of Allied and Axis Personalities and Activities, 1942-1945, Record Group 208: Records of the Office of War Information, 1926-1951, Item 535779: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/535779
Crew Photo: Sarah Sundin Author Website and Blog: "Medical Air Evacuation in World War II: The Flight Nurse," by Sarah Sundin, November 13, 2018, image courtesy of the United States Air Force:https://www.sarahsundin.com/medical-air-evacuation-in-world-war-ii-the-flight-nurse/
Crew Photo: Sarah Sundin Author Website and Blog: "Medical Air Evacuation in World War II: The Flight Nurse," by Sarah Sundin, November 13, 2018, image courtesy of the United States Air Force:https://www.sarahsundin.com/medical-air-evacuation-in-world-war-ii-the-flight-nurse/
Publisher
Olsen Photo: US National Archives and Records Administration, Crew Photo: US Air Force
Date
Accessed April 25, 2020
Rights
Unrestricted
Format
Photograph (tif), photograph (jpg)
Language
English
Type
Still Images
Identifier
US Army Nurse Flies with Wounded and US Flight Nurse poses with evacuation flight crew
Coverage
US Army Nurses in WWII, WWII Nurses, Women in WWII, Flight Nurses of WWII
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
black and white photographs
Physical Dimensions
Olsen Image: 3000 X 2677 pixels
Collection
Citation
Both Photos: Unknown Photographers, Olsen Photo: Office for Emergency Management, Office of War Information, Overseas Operations Branch, New York Office, News and Features Bureau, 12/17/1942-9/15/1945, Crew Photo: US Army Air Force , “DIY,” US Nurses in World War II, accessed April 29, 2024, https://usnursesww2.omeka.net/items/show/33.