photo by Marcia Stevens We're all in this together!
This story was submitted as part of Minnesota Remembers Vietnam. We have faithfully reproduced each story as it was originally submitted for the Story Wall, and have not corrected any spelling or grammar errors.
By Marcia Stevens | U.S. Army 1968-1972 | Da Nang, Vietnam
Less than a year from graduating with a baccalaureate degree in nursing from a state university and with only 6 months of clinical experience I arrived in Vietnam. I joined others like myself who took advantage of a program where the last two years of college were paid for by the Army in exchange for 3 years of service.
I remember feeling so afraid and spent several sleepless nights the first few days in country listening to the unfamiliar sounds of mortars and helicopters landing and taking off during the night. I was assigned to the 95th Evacuation hospital in Da Nang, Vietnam. The sight of the hospital and the “welcome” sign provided little relief for my anxiety.
Over time I became accustomed to the 12 hour shifts, six days a week. Senior nurses and corpsmen taught me so much during those many months. I thought I was an “expert” nurse by the time I left Vietnam. I remember the soldiers that we cared for and the compassion we had for theme during their short stays with us.
I worked on the orthopedic ward. Orthopedics in Vietnam meant gunshot wounds, amputations, and broken limbs. I learned first-hand about the importance of managing pain quickly before it gets out of control; I learned that maggots can actually serve to debride wounds as I cleaned out wounds from a soldier medically evacuated from the field; and I learned to identify the sounds of a Huey helicopter and a Chinook helicopter knowing that the Chinook would be bringing in many more injured soldiers than the Huey.
However, what I remember the most are the people I met and grew to depend on during that 365 days. People who were most often called (and now recalled) by their last names: McClure, Moyer, Viege, Buck, Dr. Schmatzman, Dr. Morgan and many others.
We were truly colleagues doing our best to do the best for injured soldiers and injured Vietnamese civilians. We all cherished “mail call” and often shared in the delights of whatever we had received from home (be it dry lemonade packages or red licorice). As officers, nurses lived in small rooms (hooches) and spent our weekly day off at China Beach or shopping at the PX.
For a girl from Minnesota sleeping during the day in a very hot climate was not easy and myself and others often resorted to using Benadryl to self-medicate. The most challenging holiday for me was Christmas. However, my best friend, McClure, did her best to bring Christmas to Vietnam.
The photos speak for themselves I think! And it is the women and young men who I worked with, lived with and socialized with that made the heartbreak of seeing someone my age wounded somewhat bearable.
photos courtesy of Marcia Stevens
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