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

(Hardback)

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Description

A topical presentation of firsthand accounts from some of the thousands of army and navy nurses who served both stateside and overseas during World War II, this book tells the stories of the brave women who used any and all resources to save as many lives as possible. Although military nurses could have made more money as civilians, thousands chose to leave the warmth and security of home to care for the young men who went off to war. They were not saints but vibrant women whose performance changed the face of both military and civilian nursing. Jackson's account follows both army and navy nurses from the time they joined the military, through their active service, to their lives today. The jobs done by military nurses were valuable and varied. Some worked in clean stateside hospitals. Some found themselves nursing in tents or bombed-out buildings. Others entered hospitals so recently occupied by Axis forces that Nazi propaganda still covered the walls. While often treating ordinary accidents and illnesses, they were responsible for men with wounds so disfiguring that it took all of their willpower to maintain the hopeful attitude that the men so desperately required. From the humorous account of a nurse in her forties, who joined the war effort despite the smirks of those much younger, to the sorrow shared when men and women were separated and became prisoners of war, these are the stories of women who lived under extraordinary circumstances in an amazing time, women who, even today, bear emotional scars along with their lasting pride.

Reviews

"Kathi Jackson's loving chronicle of American military nurses in World War II brims with vivid information and first-person accounts of their experiences. As the World War II generation passes away, this book provides a fitting record of these women's heroism, humor, and endurance."-Paula Mitchell Marks Associate Professor of American studies St. Edward's University, Austin, Texas
.,."a valuable resource. Women's, nursing, and military medical historians, who have a particular interest in World War 2, will find it a valuable anecdotal reference. Nurses contemplating a military nursing career would well do to read the volume so they understand some of the career's potential challenges and the dangers during wartime."-The Journal of Military History
...a valuable resource. Women's, nursing, and military medical historians, who have a particular interest in World War 2, will find it a valuable anecdotal reference. Nurses contemplating a military nursing career would well do to read the volume so they understand some of the career's potential challenges and the dangers during wartime.-The Journal of Military History
The author's thorough and captivating depiction of nursing from stateside general hospitals to overseas battlefronts surpasses all expectations....To read They Called Them Angels is to acquire a deep sense of respect and admiration for all World War II nurses-and to have an enjoyable experience doing so.-Aerospace Power Journal
This book is a wonderful story...[t]his well-written account provides the reader with a plethora of enjoyable stories, heartwarming accounts of war nursing, and splendid pictures. For general and academic readers.-Choice
This well-written book describes the role played by the women who served as nurses in WWII and is based on interviews, augmented by an extensive review of the literature, both during the war and up to the present.-MILITARY
"This book is a wonderful story...this well-written account provides the reader with a plethora of enjoyable stories, heartwarming accounts of war nursing, and splendid pictures. For general and academic readers."-Choice
"The author's thorough and captivating depiction of nursing from stateside general hospitals to overseas battlefronts surpasses all expectations....To read They Called Them Angels is to acquire a deep sense of respect and admiration for all World War II nurses-and to have an enjoyable experience doing so."-Aerospace Power Journal
"This book is a wonderful story...[t]his well-written account provides the reader with a plethora of enjoyable stories, heartwarming accounts of war nursing, and splendid pictures. For general and academic readers."-Choice
"This well-written book describes the role played by the women who served as nurses in WWII and is based on interviews, augmented by an extensive review of the literature, both during the war and up to the present."-MILITARY
..."a valuable resource. Women's, nursing, and military medical historians, who have a particular interest in World War 2, will find it a valuable anecdotal reference. Nurses contemplating a military nursing career would well do to read the volume so they understand some of the career's potential challenges and the dangers during wartime."-The Journal of Military History

Author Bio

KATHI JACKSON is a freelance writer whose essays have been published in The Seattle Times, The Denver Post, Everett's The Herald, and The Mukilteo Beacon. She has also had articles published in Kaleidoscope and Navy Medicine magazines, and a radio spot she wrote for the Texas Sesquicentennial was aired over a local Austin radio station.