And If I Perish

Today our Nurses in World War II paper was due! I'm so glad that it's over with and I can finally stop thinking about it. I really liked my first two paragraphs so I thought I would share them :)

The American holiday of Memorial Day was established to commemorate the men and women who lost their lives while in the military service. With the arrival of the last Monday in May, Americans band together to raise flags to honor the soldiers who sacrificed their lives defending their country. Children in schools color flags and write letters to soldiers currently serving our county and they hear stories of the brave men and women who fought for this country’s freedom. There is one group, however, that is noticeably absent in being honored and recognized during this holiday. The strong, brave women that served as military nurses throughout history have been a crucial component in America’s success, yet they are frequently overlooked. Children are not taught of their bravery and skill, and flowers and flags are rarely placed on their graves. These nurses, however, were an extraordinary group of women that deserve their own place in history.

Many people today, as well as during World War II, imagined military nurses serving overseas in short white dresses, white paper caps and high heeled shoes. Many picture women without a hair out of place, nails flawlessly painted, and legs that can only be compared to a pin-up model. For several individuals, nurses had the image of perfection. It so often seems that Americans painted a picture of nurses applying bandages, whispering words of encouragement, and acting as the object of soldier’s lust and affection. It is through recent research that I have truly come to understand how far this image was from reality. I previously had the opinions that nurses who served in World War II were simply glorified women with skills no greater than the average mother’s intuition. I assumed that the majority of medical assistance provided by nurses was limited to bandaging wounds and controlling bleeding injuries. I have learned that these military nurses were, however, so much more than this.

I actually really liked writing this paper and I felt that it really did give me a lot of insight about how amazing nurses in WWII really were. I think I would have enjoyed writing it more had I not waited until the week before it was due. When was it assigned you may ask? The first day of class. Boom city, I am such a star student.