ne worked in one” (Scannell-Desch, 4). Along with the lack of experience, to make things worse, the nurses would receive 20 to more than 100 patients within a few hours. An army nurse recalled, “The day I arrived in the O.R., we had a ‘mass-cal’, 185 casualties. They came in Chinooks (large helicopters). They were on the floor, all over. Every Chinook was overloaded…I just remember that every ward in Nam was full. We had body bags lying around the hospital and the morgue was full” (Scanell-Desch, 4). The nurses experienced so much trauma in such a little time, that most suffered from PTSD. The experiences that brought on this PTSD was the shock of conflict in Vietnam, the problematic return to a country that did not understand their participation or experiences, the denial of their work in Vietnam, and a sense of isolation from their male counterparts in Nam and their female counterparts back home as well as absence of veterans service groups upon returning to home. The nurses were not recognized for the job that they had done, which allowed many soldiers to return home to their families. Eventually, in Minneapolis, Minn., the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Project was formed to acknowledge the females who had served during the war. This memorial helped nurses and women who took part in the Vietnam War to come together and help each other with the damaging memories of their experience in Vietnam.The profession of nursing would not be near what it is today if it weren’t for the times of war. In a time of such animosity it is surprising that something good can come out of it. The men and women who suffered physical and life-long emotional wounds, gave a part of their lives for their country and their patients, and hopefully have gained the deepest respect and admiration from this country. ...
