Women in the Warzone: Recent Episodes
Cassie Franks
This is a podcast about the role of Army Nurses during the Vietnam War. Each episode highlights a different component of their work and experiences and is largely centered around audio recorded by Lynne Morgan Ruyle, a woman who served at the 71st Evacuation Hospital in Pleiku, Vietnam from 1969-1970. During her time in Vietnam, she recorded tapes of her experience and sent them back home to her parents in the states. This podcast is meant to shed light on the role women served in the Vietnam war, and showcase their hardships, triumphs, and lasting legacies.
In this episode we discuss what it was like for these women to come home, and the hardships that they were faced with upon returning back to the United States. We will also discuss the controversies that surrounded nurses who served in Vietnam, and the creation of the Vietnam women memorial, and how the Vietnam War, and the experiences of Army nurses shaped the lives of these women.
Editing for this episode done by, Samuel J. Baylie.
Episode 4 BibliographyKara Dixon Vuic, Officer, Nurse, Woman: The Army Nurse Corps in the Vietnam War (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010)
Kathryn Marshall, In the Combat Zone, (New York, Penguin Books, 1987.)
Keith Walker, A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American Women who Served in Vietnam (New York, Ballentine Books, 1987.)
Ron Stenman, Women in Vietnam; The Oral History, (New York, TV Books, 2000.)
Iris J., West, “The Women of the Army Nurse Corps During the Vietnam War”, Accessed November 15, 2019, http://www.vietnamwomensmemorial.org/pdf/iwest.pdf.
Winnie Smith, American Daughter Gone to War; On the Front Lines With an Army Nurse in Vietnam. (New York, William Morrow and Company, Inc, 1992.)
Laura Palmer, The Nurses of Vietnam Still Wounded, (The New York Times, November 7, 1993.)
Elizabeth Scannell-Desch, The Culture of War: A Study of Women Military Nurses in Vietnam. (Journal of transcultural nursing : official journal of the Transcultural Nursing Society, April 2000, Vol.11(2), pp.87-95.)
Robert Stretch, James Vail, Joseph Moloney, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Army Nurse Corps Vietnam Veterans, (US : American Psychological Association, 1985.)
Rebecca Leung, The Forgotten Veterans, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the- forgotten-veterans-01-07-2003/
Lynda Van Devanter, Home Before Morning (New York, Beaufort Books, Inc, 1983)
Audio clips included are by Lynne Morgan Ruyle, recorded in 1969-1970 Pleiku, Vietnam. Property of the Ruyle Family.
In this episode, we will discuss the nature and type of work that women did as nurses while in Vietnam. There will be discussion of types of wounds, weapons, hospital etiquette, and the role of women as leaders within the Army Nurse Corps.
Warning: This episode discusses sensitive subject matter pertaining to war injuries, wounds, and weaponry.
Editing for this episode done by, Samuel J. Baylie.
Bibliography Episode 3
Kara Dixon Vuic, Officer, Nurse, Woman: The Army Nurse Corps in the Vietnam War (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010)
Kathryn Marshall, In the Combat Zone, (New York, Penguin Books, 1987.)
Keith Walker, A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American Women who Served in Vietnam (New York, Ballentine Books, 1987.)
Ron Stenman, Women in Vietnam; The Oral History, (New York, TV Books, 2000.)
Iris J., West, “The Women of the Army Nurse Corps During the Vietnam War”, Accessed November 15, 2019, http://www.vietnamwomensmemorial.org/pdf/iwest.pdf.
Winnie Smith, American Daughter Gone to War; On the Front Lines With an Army Nurse in Vietnam. (New York, William Morrow and Company, Inc, 1992.)
Laura Palmer, The Nurses of Vietnam Still Wounded, (The New York Times, November 7, 1993.)
Ruth Tam, Vietnam War nurse: ‘I saw people do stuff they’d never do at home’, (Washington Post, November 8, 2013.)
Audio clips included are by Lynne Morgan Ruyle, recorded in 1969-1970 Pleiku, Vietnam. Property of the Ruyle Family.
In this episode we will be discussing the general question of "What was it like there?" There will be an explanation of the layout of a hospital, what it was like being a woman in a male dominated place, and the relationships and social scene of the nurses.
Warning: This episode includes discussion of sensitive matter pertaining to sexual assault and harassment.
Editing for this episode done by, Samuel J. Baylie.
Bibliography Episode 2.
Kara Dixon Vuic, Officer, Nurse, Woman: The Army Nurse Corps in the Vietnam War (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010)
Kathryn Marshall, In the Combat Zone, (New York, Penguin Books, 1987.) Maps and Areial Photographs of the Pleiku Area, 2012, https://linearparts.com/vietnam/maps.html.
Keith Walker, A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American Women who Served in Vietnam (New York, Ballentine Books, 1987.)
Ron Stenman, Women in Vietnam; The Oral History, (New York, TV Books, 2000.) Iris J., West, “The Women of the Army Nurse Corps During the Vietnam War”,
Iris J., West, “The Women of the Army Nurse Corps During the Vietnam War”, Accessed November 15, 2019, http://www.vietnamwomensmemorial.org/pdf/iwest.pdf.
Winnie Smith, American Daughter Gone to War; On the Front Lines With an Army Nurse in Vietnam. (New York, William Morrow and Company, Inc, 1992.)
Audio clips included are by Lynne Morgan Ruyle, recorded in 1969-1970 Pleiku, Vietnam. Property of the Ruyle Family.
In this episode, we cover the education, and deployment of nurses to Vietnam. We hear accounts of nurses about their experience in deployment and what their preparation and education looked like going into their time in Vietnam as well as the recruitment of nurses. We also take a look at the number of women who served, and where these women were stationed throughout the war. In depth discussion is about the 71st evacuation hospital in Pleiku, Vietnam.
Editing for this episode was done by, Samuel J. Baylie.
Bibliography, Episode 1Kara Dixon Vuic, Officer, Nurse, Woman: The Army Nurse Corps in the Vietnam War (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010)
Jessica Ghilani, Glamour-izing Military Service: Army Recruitment for Women in Vietnam-Era Advertisements, (American Journalism. Spring2017, Vol. 34 Issue 2, p201-228.)
Kathryn Marshall, In the Combat Zone, (New York, Penguin Books, 1987.) Rebecca Leung, The Forgotten Veterans, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-
forgotten-veterans-01-07-2003/
Ron Stenman, Women in Vietnam; The Oral History, (New York, TV Books, 2000.) Maps and Areial Photographs of the Pleiku Area, 2012, https://linearparts.com/
vietnam/maps.html.
Col. Constance J. Moore, “Fallen Army Nurse Corps Warriors from the Vietnam War.” Accessed November 17, 2019, https://e-anca.org/History/Topics-in-ANC-History/ Fallen-RVN-ANCs
Keith Walker, A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American Women who Served in Vietnam (New York, Ballentine Books, 1987.)
Audio clips included are by Lynne Morgan Ruyle, recorded in 1969-1970 Pleiku, Vietnam. Property of the Ruyle Family.