Customer Reviews

They Called Them Angels: American Military Nurses of World War II

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In this well-organized book, Dallas native, Kathi Jackson taps a rich vein of diaries, letters, memoirs, period magazine and newspaper articles to spotlight the story of the 77,000 American military nurses who served in World War II.

These nurses witnessed many of the same horrors as a combat solder. They came under bombardment at Anzio, were taken prisoner at Bataan, battled the williwaw winds on Attu, were torpedoed in the North Atlantic, and crash-landed in the mountains of China. They worked in mobile units and clearing stations near the front lines administering plasma, controlling hemorrhage, and closing sucking chest wounds, often under fire.

In an armed forces outfitted strictly for men, they dealt with a lack of latrines, privacy, and feminine supplies. As one nurse at an evacuation hospital in Africa described it: "We live in tents ... we don't take baths, wash our hair, shave, or wash clothes -- just one big, dirty, happy family." And an Army flight nurse remembered a 90-minute fight that lasted seven hours because of fog: "The worst part of it was that we had no place to go to the little girls' room."

But despite the long hours and the hardships, a little fun did creep in now and then. Some of the nurses recalled dances onboard troop ships, or just on spread-out pieces of canvas with Jeep headlights for illumination. Wherever they were stationed, the nurses were always outnumbered by the men. A couple of nurses in the South Pacific wondered why there was so much air traffic over their sunbathing spot. And nurses at Gibraltar were terrified by the American gun turrets that followed them everywhere they went, until they were told the gunners were simply admiring them through their telescopic sites.

Jackson has done her homework and it shows. She began her search for the subject of her book in the archives at the U.S. Army Medical Department Museum at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. From there she located two retired nurses, who provided her with other leads. She even got one of her nurses from an episode of the Sally Jessy Raphael Show. She put notices in newsletters and medical publications, and eventually twenty-five former WWII nurses provided her with her source material.

The book is a joy to read, especially the excepts from unpublished memoirs and letters. Not only is the heroism and courage of these women apparent, but so is a feeling for the harrowing times they lived through and the dedication of the country to the war effort. The G.I. Generation is fast leaving us. I hope there will be more books like this one to record their astonishing experiences.

As the "Greatest Generation" begins to pass away into history, so do the books and resources which recount what they went through in WWII. This book is an excellent account of both the Army and Navy Nurse Corps, and the courage and sacrifice they exhibited at a time when the world thought women were weak and unable to fulfill men's duties. A relatively easy read, suitable for high school students, as well as adults. This is a not-to-be-missed part of history, that needs to be remembered by those who did not participate. Not enough books remain that detail women in the military in WWII, and although this is an expensive book, it's well worth it. The personal, one-on-one accounts make history come alive. If you can read this book with a dry eye- something is wrong!

This book besides being a historical document is easy to read and very accurate. Alot of time and research by the author has produced a book that can bring tears to your eyes as you relive WWII and the hardships and trials that generation had to endure. My sister was one of the army nurses in the book so it is an invaluable treasure to me,but feel anyone who is a nurse or a lay person would find it a "good read".

As a very busy Cadet Nurse and then Army Nurse of WW2, I was happy to be called an "Angel" by some of my patients. After reading this book and others. I realized that we did not really know (and the general population) what some of our "Angels" had suffered in the Pacific area. We all suffered heart ache every day caring for the "wounds of war" which we never forgot. I am nearing 89 yrs. and remember. Our men were great, always had a joke someplace, somehow. Rose.

... that my wife found this book by accident, and that is her mother's picture on the cover (the color pic at the top).

This is an incredibly-researched book about an often-neglected topic from World War II - the military nurses who served in it. Kathi Jackson discusses their recruitment and training, then goes on to write about the experiences of the nurses in the various theaters of the war, including in the air and on board ship. The book concludes with stories of fun and friendship (and romance), as well as what happened to the nurses at the end of the war.

Thoroughly documented with endnotes for each chapter, appendices and index, and an extensive bibliography, the book is appropriate for scholarly use. Jackson used many primary source materials, mainly interviews with and letters and other writings of the nurses who served. The use of excerpts from these firsthand accounts humanizes the book and makes what could have been a dry subject come alive. There are also 20 black-and-white photographs in the center of the book.

It is a review of literature, reports from nurses and historical nursing textbooks. Would like it to more in story format.