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The American Military
Nurse:
A Comparative Analysis of Setting |
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Wartime literature by the American Military Nurse provides a glimpse
into a time and place that is unique in American history. Their
words take us on a journey few can comprehend. A place outside
civilized society; where the oath to take life coexists alongside
that to preserve it. This unique circumstance creates conflict
within the setting represented by violence evoking compassion. It is
acknowledged that these experiences can only truly be conveyed by
those who have witnessed this sacrifice through the horror and
anguish of war. Through a comparative view of setting from the both
the Civil and Vietnam War eras, we learn war forces adaptation,
bridging courage and compassion, from both those who struggled for
life and those who worked to save it. |
| To better
understand this unique wartime setting, we look to the contributing
symbolism of death and sacrifice. Historical statistics reveal
staggering numbers of service and mortality during both of these
American wars. The Civil War saw nearly 2.5 million serve, while
620,000 of those died during service (Civil War Home). The Vietnam
War a century later sent 2.6 million soldiers overseas, resulting in
200,000 casualties and 58,000 deaths (Dept. of Veterans Affairs). To
visualize the magnitude of this sacrifice, one could stand those 2.5
million soldiers shoulder-to-shoulder, for a distance that stretched
from New York to Kansas. The complexity of this setting emerges from
the constant and overpowering presence of death, and nurse’s role to
absorb its devastating aftermath. |
| The Civil
War of 1861 spread across thousands of rugged miles as American
fought American over slavery and succession. This
citizen-against-citizen component created an underlying mood of
despair, as every able-bodied man took-up arms against his rival
countryman. North and South divided into Union and Confederate, and
nurses served her division accordingly. Transportation and medical
techniques were primitive at best, accounting for significant loss
of life; requiring medical staff travel beside the troops as they
moved from battle to battle. In addition to mass losses in battle,
Typhoid became epidemic, filling makeshift hospital wards with
fevered, suffering men for whom there was no cure. Nurse Clara
Barton describes her views of a hospital camp as she faces a new day
of dying. "The acres of little shelter tents are dark and still
as death, no wonder for as I gazed sorrowfully upon them, I thought
I could almost hear the slow flap of the grim messenger's wings, as
one by one he sought and selected his victims for the morning
sacrifice (Civil War Home). |
| The
setting for receiving and treating the wounded differed dramatically
over a century. During Civil War battles, treatment was primitive,
hindered by inadequate supplies and constant fighting. Once
casualties were reached, they were either treated or pronounced upon
the very earth in which they had fallen until they could be safely
moved. From "Nurse and Spy in the Union Army", Nurse Edmonds
describes: "There was no time to carry off the dead; we folded
his arms across his breast, closed his eyes, and left him in the
cold embrace of death. Still the battle continues without cessation;
the grape and canister fill the air as they go screaming on their
fearful errand; the sight of that field is perfectly appalling; men
tossing their arms wildly calling for help; there they lie bleeding,
torn and mangled; legs, arms and bodies are crushed and broken as if
smitten by thunder-bolts; the ground is crimson with blood; it is
terrible to witness" (Edmonds, 42) . |
| One
hundred years of history resulted in an evolution of the American
military, who were now deeply involved as international allies in
the Vietnamese Civil War. It was now 1964, and battles were waged
from the air and ground. The wounded were airlifted if possible, to
mobile surgical units that offered improved sterility and
well-trained medical teams. Advances in weaponry and the use of
chemicals created new and devastating wounds. Despite the ability to
pump blood and administer anesthesia, men still faced horrible
deaths in great numbers. |
| Nurse
Theresa Hudler describes the triage scene on the helipad as a fresh
batch of wounded arrive. "Crouching beside a soldier on the
stretcher, I observed a massive head wound. He would die if we did
not get him to a head-trauma unit. I motioned for the IV equipment
and leaned toward the soldier’s ear. "Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll
get you out of here. We’ll get you someplace safe. Just hang on".
Hudler accompanies her critical patient, describing the airlift
mission she hoped would save her patient’s life. "The engine and
rotors throbbed through the metal roof, and the wind rushed past the
open doors. The sounds were deafening. The roar increased as we
began to move a hundred miles an hour. We bobbed just above the
contours of the terrain, up and over the jungle, down over rice
paddies and canal" (Hudler). After safe delivery, Hudler never
found out if her patient made it. |
| There
were also cultural considerations upon entering Vietnam, making
adaptation necessary to work in a foreign country. Upon arriving in
Vietnam, Nurse Gayle Smith describes the immediate realization that
she had arrived to a completely different world. "I came into
Vietnam at Long Binh. There was a replacement camp there. On the bus
from the airport to this camp, the first thing I saw was some
Vietnamese guy peeing on the side of the road. I thought, "Oh geez,
this is a backward country." The next thing that I saw was the
Coca-Cola signs. I thought; this is very strange. This is a very
unusual mixture. I saw barbed wire all over the city" (Smith). |
| Despite
differences in location and culture, it was clear death showed no
exclusivity in war. From "Nurse and Spy in the Union Army" Emma
Edmonds writes: "The tide of battle rolled on more fiercely than
before, until the enemy made a desperate charge on our troops,
driving them back and taking full possession of the spring. Chaplain
B.'s horse was shot through the neck and bled to death in a few
moments. Then Mrs. B. and I dismounted and went to work again among
the wounded. Not long afterwards Col. Cameron, brother of the
Secretary of War, came dashing along the line, shouting, "Come on
boys, the rebels are in full retreat." The words had scarcely been
uttered when he fell, pierced to the heart by a bullet. Surgeon P.
was on the ground in an instant, but nothing could be done for him;
his wound was mortal, and he soon ceased to breathe" (Edmonds, 42). |
| During
the Vietnam War, Jeanette Wolfe is startled during triage when a
friend from back home calls her name. He is mortally wounded and
requests to have his pain permanently eased. "Jen… Jen…" he
softly called to me. I went over to him, not able to understand how
anyone here might be able to recognize me. He was very young, of
course, but had no legs. His right arm was gone also. His right eye
was merely a bloody socket. The right side of his face seemed to
have melted. He seemed filthy until I was able to see that he had
been burned almost past recognition. He had taken direct machine gun
fire, which had severed his legs and possibly his arm. A bullet had
set off the Willie Peter (a white phosphorus grenade) that had been
attached to his web gear. There was obviously nothing I could do for
him. He would surely die" (Wolfe). |
| The nurse
is torn between feelings of compassion and ethics. The solider
pleads with his nurse and friend to help him die easily. He knows he
is mortally wounded and that she possesses the medicine to ease him
into permanent sleep. The nurse knows her actions conflict with her
moral obligations as a nurse, but driven by human compassion she
calmly begins pumping morphine to ease the soldier’s suffering.
"God bless you, Jen", he said. "Please write to Mother and Mary as
soon as you can. Tell them you were with me at the end. It will make
them feel better to know I wasn’t alone. Don’t let them know how it
was, Jen, they’d only grieve more. It’s best they don’t know all of
it" (Wolfe). Sharing last moments, last thoughts and last
breaths with her friend, the nurse formed a bridge of care and
compassion, as she eased his fears and promoted peace within,
granting him easy passing. |
| Another
form of compassion was in receiving soldier’s last wishes. From the
Civil War Edmonds writes: "On turning round I was beckoned to the
side of one who was laid in a corner, on the floor, with his face
toward the wall. I knelt beside him and asked: "What can I do for
you, my friend?" He opened his eyes, with an effort, and said, "I
wish you to take that," pointing to a small package which lay beside
him. " Keep it until you get to Washington, and then, if it is not
too much trouble, I want you to write to mother and tell her how I
was wounded, and that I died trusting in Jesus." He was almost
gone-just ready "to lay down the cross and take up the crown."
Willie signed to me to come nearer; and as I did so, he put his hand
to his head and tried to separate a lock of hair with his fingers,
but his strength failed; however, I understood that he wished me to
cut off a lock to send to his mother with the package. When he saw
that I understood him he seemed pleased that his last request was
complied with. Chaplain B. came and prayed with him, and while he
was praying, the happy spirit of Willie returned to Him who gave it
(Edmonds, 47). As men faced their mortality, thoughts focused on
reconciliation and a desire to be remembered well. Symbols of
remembrance and last letters home helped ease the pain of knowing
their passing caused suffering beyond the dieing soul himself.
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| The
constant presence of death and dying erased any differences seen
between the two wars. Casualties became the landscape in which the
nurses existed. Unconscious self-preservation transformed the bitter
setting into a numbing expected reality. From "In Memory of the
Young Bleeder", Nurse Lynda describes the effects of overexposure
the constant trauma of war. "Soon things started to look
familiar. Face meant nothing to me, as there wasn’t time to learn
their names, but the wounds were beginning to ring bells. Wasn’t
that the same suture I’d put in a while back? It was all happening
in a blur of fatigue; we were all running on full automatic" (DeVanter).
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| A similar
reality is expressed by Edmonds who finds balance in compassion, for
herself among others, during the long and wearing war. "Some of
my readers will pronounce me a stoic, entirely devoid of feeling,
when I tell them that two hours after I wrapped the unconscious form
of my late patient in his winding sheet, I enveloped myself in my
patchwork quilt, and laid me down not far from the corpse, and slept
soundly until six o'clock in the morning. Feeling much refreshed I
arose, and after spending a few moments by the side of my silent
companion, contemplating the changes which the King of Terrors had
wrought, I cut a lock of hair from his temple, took the watch and a
small package of letters from his pocket, replaced the blanket
reverently, and bade him farewell" (Edmonds, 160). Last letters
home become an important wartime symbol of compassion, achieving
closure for both soldier and nurse. |
| As
battles were fought and history written nurses continued to absorb
the fallout. In roles unique to many, violence and compassion
existed as a necessary cause and effect relationship. One without
the other would not exist in either wartime environment. This
setting exists as a realm of its own, requiring the removal of its
characters from conventional society into a reality designed for
death and destruction. These events within civilized society would
be deemed murderous by any other standards. |
| Nursing
set in the Civil War ear reflect unique challenges in transportation
and technology. Political issues surrounding in-country conflicts
created despair among the citizens. As America evolved, nursing
benefited from technology but suffered from international warfare.
Cultural differences created barriers to lasting peace, resulting in
renewed loss of lives. Nursing supported the evolutionary gap
between successful politics and peace. In the absence of world
peace, the services of the American Military Nurse will undoubtedly
be needed for ever more. |
| These
images of wartime setting have affected deeply of late, and I cannot
help but think of soldiers as mortal tools for death. I am reminded
of this fact as drove home recently under the dimming light of day.
I came upon a convoy of student soldiers practicing for some future
event. As a student nurse I find the scene impressive - in its
stately progression, but dwell upon their future fate. The moist
evening breeze dances with the open canopy and I am offered a clear
view of young, thoughtful faces. As hard eyes practice stern regard,
my radio announces another three lives lost. I pass, maintaining a
respectful gaze - their waves means "hello" but mine means
"goodbye". To me the scene resembles death, perhaps, in its infancy.
The green men with red blood fade from my sight, leaving me tearful
and disconnected. Future instruments for life crossing future
instruments for death. At the cusp, a need, fulfilled by the
American Military Nurse. God Speed. |
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