Nurses Role In Vietnam War

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When it was Mary Dickenson’s, army nurse corps, time to return home, she had an abundance of mixed emotions. “She was delighted to get out of what she called a hellhole, but miserable at the thought of leaving her friends behind to see the devastation of the severely wounded and the men with shattered lives, to hear the sounds of rocket explosions, and to live in constant fear. She would be safe at home, and they would be among death and destruction” (Gruhzit-Hoyt, 27). The relationships built in Vietnam helped push the nurses through the death and destruction the war could bring to their doorstep. It was indescribable the guilt that many nurses felt leaving these newly formed families behind in the heart of war, where they were constantly …show more content…
There was a stigma that followed the Red Cross companies, a stigma that was not appreciated by the various women. Some soldiers believed that it was the duty of these women to cater to their sexual needs as well as their emotional needs (Gender and the War: Men, Women and Vietnam, 40). Cherie Rankin was one of the many women who participated in SRAO program through the red cross, and faced some of this stigma. Cherie had volunteered for the Red Cross program after her brother was sent to Vietnam. She had an enormous heart to help the men fighting, but didn’t want to be a part of the war (Marshall, 62). One night when Cherie was walking to an Orphanage, a group of American soldiers asked if Cherie needed a ride, and against her better judgement she answered “yes.” That’s when the molestation started. One solider was touching her everywhere that was not permitted. They made sure to say various things like “Well, you do this all the time. You give it to the officers for free—what’s the matter, you gonna charge us?” (Marshall, 69). Eventually, the men let her go after they realized that she had no experience with offering men pleasure. After her experience, Cherie Rankin says: “There were so many rumors. Millions of rumors about the Red Cross women—every guy claimed he had it (sex) with one of us… I did have guys come up to me with money in their hands and
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