Song Is " My Girl " By The Temptations
The military, which prided itself on the records it
kept in Vietnam -- counting the enemy number of
weapons captured, for example -- cannot to this day
say with certainty how many women served. The
army that sent them never bothered to count them.
The estimate most frequently given is that a total of
10,000 served in the military in Vietnam."
kept in Vietnam -- counting the enemy number of
weapons captured, for example -- cannot to this day
say with certainty how many women served. The
army that sent them never bothered to count them.
The estimate most frequently given is that a total of
10,000 served in the military in Vietnam."
After one of the most futile conflicts in the history of war, scorned by flag
burners and shunned by citizens, G.I's returned to find respect for our
troops hitting an all time low. The reaction of the American people to our
military was despicable. It has taken years for many servicemen and
women to get over it- and some have not.
What is truly unconscionable in the annals of American military history is
the fact that little or no data exists on the women who served and, yes,
were injured or killed, in Southeast Asia during the Viet Nam era.
Accurate records on how many women were there, what decorations they
earned, where they served - and most important - what after effects they
have suffered - and continue to suffer - are nonexistent. The nonfeasance
of the VA in this area is beginning to come to light and some top heavy
bureaucratic committees, task forces and research centers have been
created. What they are doing and how they are helping women at the grass
roots level remains to be seen.
However from anecdotal reports, letters, from books by those who were
there, from research papers by military historians, and from the excellent
text "Women in the Military - An Unfinished Revolution", by Major
General Jeanne Holm, USAF (Ret), we can glean the following overview.
Over five hundred WACs were stationed in Vietnam.
Women Marines were in Vietnam.
Over six hundred Women in the Air Force were there.
Army, Navy and Air Force Nurses and Medical Specialists numbered over
six thousand. Untold numbers of Red Cross, Special Services, Civil
Service and countless other women were there.
Women served in Vietnam in many support staff assignments, in
hospitals, crewed on medical evacuation flights, with MASH Units,
hospital ships, operations groups, information offices, service clubs,
headquarters offices, and numerous other clerical, medical, intelligence
and personnel positions.
There were women officers and enisted women; there were youngsters in
their early twenties with barely two years in service and career women over
forty.
Women suffered the same hardships as the men in many cases and were
often in the line of fire from rockets and mortars, particularly during the
Tet offensive with the Viet Cong attacks on Saigon.
The accomplishments of the military nurses and their dedication in saving
innumerable lives has barely been recorded for future generations.
Yet women were there - they sloshed through the same mud and blood as
the men, witnessed the same horrors of war, and suffered the same
ignominous treatment and indignities upon their return to the country
that sent them there.
Almost ten thousand women were In Vietnam
burners and shunned by citizens, G.I's returned to find respect for our
troops hitting an all time low. The reaction of the American people to our
military was despicable. It has taken years for many servicemen and
women to get over it- and some have not.
What is truly unconscionable in the annals of American military history is
the fact that little or no data exists on the women who served and, yes,
were injured or killed, in Southeast Asia during the Viet Nam era.
Accurate records on how many women were there, what decorations they
earned, where they served - and most important - what after effects they
have suffered - and continue to suffer - are nonexistent. The nonfeasance
of the VA in this area is beginning to come to light and some top heavy
bureaucratic committees, task forces and research centers have been
created. What they are doing and how they are helping women at the grass
roots level remains to be seen.
However from anecdotal reports, letters, from books by those who were
there, from research papers by military historians, and from the excellent
text "Women in the Military - An Unfinished Revolution", by Major
General Jeanne Holm, USAF (Ret), we can glean the following overview.
Over five hundred WACs were stationed in Vietnam.
Women Marines were in Vietnam.
Over six hundred Women in the Air Force were there.
Army, Navy and Air Force Nurses and Medical Specialists numbered over
six thousand. Untold numbers of Red Cross, Special Services, Civil
Service and countless other women were there.
Women served in Vietnam in many support staff assignments, in
hospitals, crewed on medical evacuation flights, with MASH Units,
hospital ships, operations groups, information offices, service clubs,
headquarters offices, and numerous other clerical, medical, intelligence
and personnel positions.
There were women officers and enisted women; there were youngsters in
their early twenties with barely two years in service and career women over
forty.
Women suffered the same hardships as the men in many cases and were
often in the line of fire from rockets and mortars, particularly during the
Tet offensive with the Viet Cong attacks on Saigon.
The accomplishments of the military nurses and their dedication in saving
innumerable lives has barely been recorded for future generations.
Yet women were there - they sloshed through the same mud and blood as
the men, witnessed the same horrors of war, and suffered the same
ignominous treatment and indignities upon their return to the country
that sent them there.
Almost ten thousand women were In Vietnam
LINKS TO OTHER WOMEN VETERAN SITES
Emily / A Donut Dollie In Vietnam
A Nurses Prayer
Hear my prayer in silence before Thee as I ask for courage each day.
Grant that I may be worthy of the sacred pledge of my profession And
the lives of those entrusted to my care. Help me to offer hope and cheer
in the hearts of men and my country, For their faith inspires me to give
the world and nursing my best. Instill in me the understanding and
compassion of those who led the way, For I am thankful to You for
giving me this life to live.
Grant that I may be worthy of the sacred pledge of my profession And
the lives of those entrusted to my care. Help me to offer hope and cheer
in the hearts of men and my country, For their faith inspires me to give
the world and nursing my best. Instill in me the understanding and
compassion of those who led the way, For I am thankful to You for
giving me this life to live.
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