"Men Who Know"
Dublin Core
Title
"Men Who Know"
Subject
Thank you letters and letters of farewell from POW patients to nurses at Madigan General Hospital in WA
Description
US Army Nurse Dorothy Managan, whose story can be found in the "Nurse Profiles" collection of this website, worked with her fellow nurses at Fort Lewis, to train nursing recruits for the army during the war. However, she also served as the head of a ward at the Madigan General Hospital in WA, treating American soldiers returning from the Pacific theater after having been prisoners of war. Below, Managan describes her work at the hospital;
"I have a lot of written memories from these former POWs that they gave me. They were so happy to be back in the United States, and what they needed were hugs and a lot of tender loving care. They had a lot of different medical problems. Some amputees, some malnourished, some not able to use limbs, some with chronic diseases. They had a lot of different problems they had not been getting any treatment for." --- Dorothy Tonjes Managan
The returning POWs were extremely grateful for the care they received at Madigan General, and wrote special notes of gratitude to Managan and some of the other staff at the hospital. The images attached to this item set are all short notes written by the soldiers to their nurses.
One note reads;
"God bless all army nurses. Take it from men who know."
Another reads;
"Lt Dear, there won't be any noise made by us tommorrow nite. So long Dearest."
These notes show the powerful impact these women had on the men they cared for, and a testament to the importance of these nurses, as well as to the happiness and gratitude of recovered patients that made an often stressful and emotionally damaging job worth the fight for so many World War II nurses.
"I have a lot of written memories from these former POWs that they gave me. They were so happy to be back in the United States, and what they needed were hugs and a lot of tender loving care. They had a lot of different medical problems. Some amputees, some malnourished, some not able to use limbs, some with chronic diseases. They had a lot of different problems they had not been getting any treatment for." --- Dorothy Tonjes Managan
The returning POWs were extremely grateful for the care they received at Madigan General, and wrote special notes of gratitude to Managan and some of the other staff at the hospital. The images attached to this item set are all short notes written by the soldiers to their nurses.
One note reads;
"God bless all army nurses. Take it from men who know."
Another reads;
"Lt Dear, there won't be any noise made by us tommorrow nite. So long Dearest."
These notes show the powerful impact these women had on the men they cared for, and a testament to the importance of these nurses, as well as to the happiness and gratitude of recovered patients that made an often stressful and emotionally damaging job worth the fight for so many World War II nurses.
Creator
Unknown POWs under the care of Nurse Dorothy Managan
Source
Letters from the personal collection of Dorothy Managan, emailed and shared courtesy of Janis Allen
Date
Accessed April 25, 2020
Rights
Property of Dorothy Managan and shared with Janis Allen
Relation
World War II Veterans of the Carolinas: Their Stories in Their Own Words: An Honor Project of the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas by Janis Allen: https://www.amazon.com/World-War-II-Veterans-Carolinas/dp/1699033064/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=janis+allen&qid=1581536778&sr=8-1
Format
Photos of written letters (jpg)
Language
English
Type
Text Letters
Identifier
Letters to Dorothy Managan and Fellow Nurses from POW Patients WWII
Coverage
US Nurses in WWII, POWs in WWII, Nurses on the Homefront in WWII, Dorothy Managan's Story WWII
Text Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Letters
Collection
Citation
Unknown POWs under the care of Nurse Dorothy Managan , “"Men Who Know",” US Nurses in World War II, accessed April 26, 2024, https://usnursesww2.omeka.net/items/show/53.