WOMEN IN VIETNAM
Approximately 11,000 American
military women were stationed in Vietnam during the war. Close to ninety percent
were nurses in the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Others served as physicians, physical therapists, personnel in the Medical
Service Corps, air traffic controllers, communications specialists, intelligence
officers, clerks and in other capacities in different branches of the armed
services. Nearly all of them volunteered.
By 1967, most all military nurses who volunteered to go to Vietnam did so
shortly after graduation. These women were the youngest group of medical
personnel ever to serve in war time.
Because of the guerilla tactics of Vietnam, many women were in the midst of the
conflict. There was no front, no such thing as "safe behind our
lines." Many were wounded; most spent time in bunkers during attacks. The
names of the eight
military women who died in Vietnam are listed on the "Wall."
Medical personnel dealt with extraordinary injuries inflicted by enemy weapons
specifically designed to mutilate and maim. During massive casualty situations,
nurses often worked around the clock, conducted triage, assisted with emergency
tracheotomies and amputations, debrided wounds and inserted chest tubes so
surgeons could get to the next critical patient. Over 58,000 soldiers died in
Vietnam; 350,000 were wounded.
It is estimated that approximately 265,000 military women served their country
during the Vietnam war all over the world in a variety of occupations. Thousands
of women served in Japan, Guam, the Philippines, Hawaii, and other stateside
hospitals caring for the wounded and dying who had been stabilized and flown out
of the war zone. Many Navy women were stationed aboard the USS Repose and the
USS Sanctuary, hospital ships stationed off the coast of South Vietnam. Air
Force nurses served both "in country" and on air evacuation missions.
An unknown number of civilian women also served in Vietnam as news
correspondents and workers for the Red Cross, the USO, the American Friends
Service Committee, Catholic Relief Services and other humanitarian
organizations. Like their military counterparts, many of these women were
wounded in the crossfire. More than 50 civilian American women died in Vietnam.
Many Vietnam women veterans have never told their friends, colleagues or even
loved ones about their tour of duty in Vietnam. The majority of them were only
in their early 20s when they returned to a country that did not understand what
they had just experienced. Although most were there to save lives, they received
the same hostile treatment as the returning combat soldiers.
When the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project was started in 1984, Project leaders
(all volunteers) were struck by the lack of information about the women who
served during the Vietnam era. Veterans groups and the government had few
records of them – there were no networks established and no easy way to find
out where these women were. Although the Foundation is making steady progress in
researching available documentation there is still no official, accurate record
of the number of women who served during the Vietnam era.
According to a recent Veterans Administration report, 48% of the women who
served during the Vietnam conflict will suffer from some form of post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) during their lives. Yet, few have sought documented help
for it. Many women also have suffered health problems associated with Agent
Orange exposure. Some have committed suicide.