Life as a Nurse in Vietnam

Women at Vietnam went through more than one would suspect. To many women that served, Vietnam meant many things. Many women experienced their first exposure to another culture, sex, trauma and death (252).

At one point during the war the American nurses were relocated to a Vietnamese hospital. The American women had to train Vietnamese women about nursing. First exposure to this culture was difficult. A woman remembered trying to explain scabies to the Vietnamese women and they laughed at the ridiculous thought of mites being located under the skin. A woman remembers it being very difficult to demonstrate and convince this culture to participate in the "better way" of doing things without being taken seriously (233). On the flip side women began to learn the language and respect the Vietnamese culture. They found the Vietnamese to be just as curious as they about each other; "They would come up and touch you, and heart what your voice sounded like" (235).

There were nurses making lots of money during the war and it was not for their voluntary services of nursing. Some nurses were known to come home pregnant and rich. It was not uncommon to find a woman that served as a nurse who; "always had visitors" from males at night (253). One woman recalls receiving many offers from pimps during her time as a nurse. Unfortunately the women that merely created friendly relationships with males were labeled "sluts" as well.

These nurses would do more than treat wounded men with medication, they were there to listen and care. Many nurses recall listening "about the girl back home." They would even wear makeup and ribbons in their hair to cheer the men up. This type of upbeat spirit allowed soldiers and the nurses to cope with the terror of war.

It became more severe as nurses became involved in the battle. One instance a woman recalled  when they were sleeping and awoke with "Viet Cong troops shelling the area" at two o’clock in the early morning (237). Another instance is where a woman experienced a mortar hitting straight on into their ward. This caused lights from the ceiling to come down and the water pipes to burst onto electrical wires. Children and nurses were instantly killed before her eyes (246). Such trauma had caused many nurses to become psychologically traumatized and sent home.

After serving in the war as heroes, it wasn’t until years later that these women were considered heroes. In their time they would go home and people would view these women as "…either a whore or lesbian." One woman complained; "Why else go half-way around the world with all those men?"(247).