After WWII ended in 1945 and most of the soldiers returned to their homes, the hospitals started to close down and the nurses were not needed. Lt. Marie and the other nurses were given the choice of being discharged (actually placed on the inactive list) or signing up for an additional FIVE years. Being the only child, Lt. Marie elected to be discharged and return home to keep an eye on her mother. (Note: if she stayed for five years, she would have been pulled into the Korean War with several more years committed.) Here’s the discharge orders that sent her home.
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Truly nurses who volunteered in WW-II were part of what has been called “The Greatest Generation.” But I count those who labored here at home in fields and factories supporting those in the military as part of that same “Greatest Generation.”
You’re so right. The cost of the war was high in human sacrifice by those who served n the military and those who stayed at home and worked in the war effort. Those who were unable to serve for health reasons and those who had war-critical jobs wore pins called “Wounded Duck” (I think). My family has one (in a box somewhere) . A family member who was a welder at a shipyard in Virginia wore it. He eventually quit his welding job so he could serve in the military, but ended up repairing the damaged ships in England. Fortunately, he took loads of pics of the ships and war-damaged London which I’ll feature next Nov.