Bertha Nichols McClure Oral History
-
-
Oral history interview with Bertha Nichols McClure
-
Documents Bertha "Nicki" McClure's childhood in New Jersey and Maine during the Depression and her service in the Army Nurse Corps (ANC) during World War II and the Korean War. McClure discusses attending nursing school at Muhlenberg Hospital in Plainfield, New Jersey and the beginning of World War II during her third year. She recalls joining the ANC after her graduation in 1944, basic training at Atlantic City, New Jersey, before being stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and being shipped out to the Pacific, working in Saipan, Guam and Iwo Jima until the war ended. She recalls the boat ride across the Pacific, the people in Hawaii and her reaction to seeing the devastation at Pearl Harbor, the beauty of Guam, the fighting on Saipan where Major General Patrick was killed, her typical work day at the Guam hospital on the upper respiratory ward, caring for wounded soldiers, the pain of having patients die and attending funerals, and praying as her mode of coping. Her description of Iwo Jima includes hiding in caves during Japanese bombing raids, living in Quonset huts, her thoughts on President Truman and the atomic bomb, and hearing about the end of the war." McClure discusses leaving the army after her return to New Jersey and working for the Veterans Association (VA) until becoming a private duty nurse. She recalls using the GI Bill to attend Columbia University, rejoining the ANC at the start of the Korean War, and being stationed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky where she worked for almost two years. There she married her husband, and her first pregnancy ended her military career. Also included are her thoughts on a career for women in the military.
