A Minnesota PBS Initiative
Nurses of the Vietnam War Roundtable
Approximately nine thousand U.S. military nurses served in Vietnam during the U.S.- Vietnam war. Though women did not serve in combat, nurses encountered the consequences of war on a daily basis as they cared for its casualties — military and civilian, American and Vietnamese.
Like so many other Vietnam veterans, they struggled with their wartime experiences once they returned home. The fact that they were women veterans added another layer of difficulty to their readjustment, however. The assumption was that all veterans were men.
In Minnesota, a handful of nurses who had served in Vietnam banded together as sister veterans and offered each other the help, support, and recognition that no one else had.
Dr. Kim Heikkila, author of Sisterhood of War, led a discussion of Minnesota nurses’ experiences during and after the war at the March Roundtable at Concordia.
There was a real feeling of being together in this.
Joan Paulson- 67th Evac Hospital
“The GI's really cared for each other and they helped one another. They shaved each other, helped with dressings. There was a real feeling of being together in this.”
I went from babies to the battlefield.
Jeanne Mahafey- USS Sanctuary
"I joined because I was a Navy brat. My dad was a blimp pilot in the Navy. I thought, ‘If I want to travel, I'll have to do it myself.’ My father swore me in and to swear his daughter in was one of his proudest moments. I requested to go to Vietnam and be on a hospital ship. I went from babies to the battlefield.”
WOMEN WHO SERVED
265,000 women served during Vietnam
11,000 served in in Vietnam
9,000 of those who served were nurses
20% of Army nurses were men
There was a 98% survival rate for men who made it to a military hospital
10 nurses in total died in service in Vietnam- 8 women, 2 men
I grew up on WWII movies. WWII was in black and white. Vietnam was in Technicolor.
Mary Lu Brunner - 71st Evac Hospital
"If they had given me a tour of those hospitals, I would have run away. I grew up on WWII movies. WWII was in black and white. Vietnam was in Technicolor.
The most memorable time was when I returned for the dedication of the Vietnam Womens Memorial and Parade on Veterans Day '93. At the end of the parade, there was a man that I treated there to greet me. For someone to remember me was the best feeling."
Elain Heiss - 85th Evac Hospital
“The young Viet Cong were just kids- trying English words, camaraderie and helped each other. They told me to go home and have many babies… and I did! I felt humanity and connection that altered my whole life perception. People are people. They were worried as well. They didn't know how to connect with their families."
I felt humanity and connection that altered my whole life perception.
The war didn't end in Vietnam. Those memories, the trauma and the hurt are not erased.
Biographical Details
Story Subject: Military Service
Veteran Organization: Army Nurse Corps, Navy Nurse Corps
THE VIETNAM WAR ROUNDTABLE
This new series at Concordia University is an opportunity for veterans, students, and those interested in the war and its legacy to gather the third Monday of each month to honor, remember and understand this tumultuous time. mnvietnam.org/roundtable
A partnership of TPT, Concordia University and the Minnesota Military Museum.
Mary Breed - 95th Evac Hospital
"The war was very personal for me. It was my generation going over. I went back to Vietnam with a Vietnam veteran. The Vietnamese said, 'We honor you for doing what your country asked you to do and we can be friends.' We shared tea. The veteran I went with needed to hear that.
The war didn't end in Vietnam. Those memories, the trauma and the hurt are not erased."
Watch Mary's Perspectives story.
Story Themes: Army Nurse Corps, Concordia University, Jean Mahaffey, Kim Heikkila, Minnesota Military Museum, Navy Nurse Corps, Sisterhood of War, TPT, Vietnam War Roundtable