Carol Nachtrab Collection
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Oral history interview with Carol Nachtrab
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Documents Carol Nachtrab's service in the Army Nurse Corps during the Vietnam War. Nachtrab briefly discusses her education and nurses' training, including being removed from the Toledo Hospital program. She briefly talks about her employment at Riverside-White Cross Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and recalls the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Nachtrab recalls enlisting in the air force, but then joining the Army Nurse Corps when the air force lost her paperwork. She shares her family and friends' reaction to her enlistment, her desire to serve in Vietnam, and her opinion of anti-Vietnam War protests." Topics from her subsequent training at Fort Sam Houston include: different types of nurses; forming study groups; Camp Bullis; and learning to shoot M16s. Topics from Nachtrab's tour in Qui Nhon and Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, include: the plane ride there; weather; bugs and rodents; food; the typical day's work schedule; and the evacuation hospital structure. She also describes the common illnesses and injuries that were treated at the hospital; treating a young Vietnamese boy who suffered from burns; her down time and socializing; her continued friendship with nurses and soldiers; the room where soldiers were taken to die; taking phone calls from soldiers in the field; the need for humor in the field; military payment coupons [MPCs]; Vietnamese maids; the black market; white phosphorus; and punji stick injuries. She also recalls the explosion of the ammo dump near the base, the nurses' actions to protect the patients, and the recovery of a soldier trapped at the dump. Other topics from Vietnam include: going on R and R in Australia, Taiwan, and Japan; getting hepatitis, possibly from improper needle disposal; a USO show at which a soldier said the nurses were more beautiful than the performers; her concern for patients once they returned home; and her refusal to accept a Bronze Star medal. " Nachtrab also discusses her return to the States. Topics include: the difficulty she has had in discussing her Vietnam experience; her struggle to adjust back to civilian life and nursing; Agent Orange and health problems; the poor treatment veterans received on returning to the States; her opinions of the anti-war movement; the problems with the Veterans Affairs system;" and veteran homelessness and mental illness.
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To save a life
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First 6 pages of a color brochure highlighting the history, achievements, personnel, and commendations of the U.S. Army's 67th Medical Group, which at the time of printing was on its fourth tour in Vietnam. Includes a map of areas served in Vietnam and photographs of the 67th Evacuation Hospital's facilities and nurses. Edited by Captain Karl E. Case II
