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I wish I could forget those endless harrowing hours
Posted by Raven on November 11th, 2005
For almost 50 years, World War II has remained a painful memory or a puzzling mystery in the back of most Americans’ minds; however, with the release of such movies as “Saving Private Ryan” and “The Thin Red Line”, World War II veterans have begun to share their long-buried stories. And none too soon — it is estimated that over 100 World War II veterans are dying daily.
Nurses, of course, are among these veterans. Serving on battlefronts from North Africa to Italy to Normandy to Corregidor and Bataan, the nurses of World War II contributed much to the care of the wounded, the morale of the fighting men, and the development of nursing as a profession. In all, approximately 57,000 nurses served in the Army Nurse Corps and 16,000 in the Navy Nurse Corps by V-J Day. 4,644 nurses were stationed along the European front in 1944; 4000 were serving on the Pacific front in 1945. By the war’s end, 201 American military nurses had died, 16 from enemy fire.
Quotes from WW2 Nurses:
“I can paint no pretty picture of life in the Army…in the loneliness and confusion of a chaotic world, one finds much hard work and sacrifice and little peace…(However) our individual integrity and sense of responsibility is the essence of success and survival of democracy”
“I wish I could forget those endless harrowing hours. Hours of giving injections, anesthetizing, ripping off clothes, stitching gaping wounds, of amputations, sterilizing instruments, settling the treated patients into their beds, covering the wounded we could not save. I had still not grown accustomed to seeing people torn and bleeding and dying in numbers like these”
“The words of a badly wounded man, as he looked at you giving him plasma, were thanks enough for us all. They would say ‘Are you real?’ or ‘You are wonderful’ or ‘You are in hell here with us!’”
Linked @ Stop The ACLU!
November 11th, 2005 at 8:03 am
Veterans’ Day, 2005
Today is the day that our country sets aside to give due honor and thanks to the men and women who have so faithfully served their country. Ever since our country was founded 229 years ago, men and women have stepped forward selflessly to stand for Ame…