A History of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps (Studies in Health, Illness, and Caregiving) [Hardcover]

Mary T. Sarnecky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0812235029 | ISBN-13: 978-0812235029 | Edition: 1

Thousands of women have served in the Nurse Corps of the U. S. Army. Many of them worked in war zones, where their extraordinary courage, resourcefulness, and toughness first astonished and then won the respect of male officers. Their skill and dedication helped to save tens of thousands of lives and made the Army Nurse Corps an essential part of the American military establishment. Until now, there has been no comprehensive work that tells that story.

In this book Mary Sarnecky describes the major stages in the development of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, discusses the political and social context in which this development occurred, identifies the factors that have influenced the Corps' stature and reputation within the nursing community, and explores the impact of the Corps upon the profession of nursing. At the same time, she described the experiences of the nurses themselves—often in their own words.

The history is as surprising as it is violent: during World War I, nurses were the first American Army units to fly the United States flag in France from their base hospitals in support of British troops. In World War II, Army nurses served at every front, from Alaska to the Philippines, from England to the beaches of Anzio, where several died in bombings while tending to the wounded. With the advent of helicopters to transport wounded soldiers rapidly to hospitals, MASH units and their nurses became immediate caretakers of severely traumatized patients from front-line action in the Korean War. These units continued their work in the next decade during the Vietnam War.

The story of these women and of the organization they created in the midst of one of our most deliberately masculine institutions is important to both the history of the military and the history of women in America.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Extraordinary."—American Journal of Nursing

"This volume celebrates and illuminates the significant contributions, arduous labors, and formidable challenges of the hundreds of thousands of women and men who have served as Army nurses since the earliest history of the United States of America in times of peace and war."—Maj. Gen. Nancy R. Adams, Chief, Army Nurse Corps, 1991-1995

"Using official sources, personal letters, and a wealth of published secondary and primary materials, [Sarnecky] provides a detailed account of military nursing from its Revolutionary War origins through the Vietnam era. Her documentation is meticulous and her anecdotes are illuminating. . . . A work essential to any study of the corps or military medicine."—Choice

"A significant contribution to the history of military medicine in the U.S. Army, one that will prove invaluable to students and researchers alike."—Bulletin in the History of Medicine

About the Author

Mary T. Sarnecky, RN, DNSc, CS, FNP, is a Colonel, Army Nurse Corps (ret.).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 536 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press; 1 edition (August 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812235029
• ISBN-13: 978-0812235029
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,385,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly researched and well written, November 14, 1999

By 

Constance J. Moore - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps (Studies in Health, Illness, and Caregiving) (Hardcover)

Dr. Sarnecky tells the story of the Army Nurse Corps in a compelling manner. She discusses the impact of the first female organization on the Army. She accurately discussed the work and changes in nursing practice brought about by this group of nurses.

My favorite chapter deals with nursing in Vietnam. For once, we are not treated to the"poor overwhelmed nurses" as has been the theme in most books written about nurses veterans of this war. She discusses the challenges facing these nurses and the ways that they dealt with them.

I hope that she will write volume two for the period 1972 until the present.