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The history of the Army Nurse Corps (ANC) is Vietnam began in April, 1956 when three Army nurses arrived in Saigon, Republic of Vietnam. These nurses were on temporary duty assignments attached to the Unites States Army Medical Team. The army sent them to train South Vietnamese nurses in nursing care procedures and techniques.

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In January, 1965 the Army had 113 hospital beds and 15 nurses in Vietnam. The buildup medical units was completed in 1968 and included 11 reserve and National Guard medical units. By December, 1968, 900 nurses in Vietnam worked in 23 Army hospitals, and one convalescent center with a total of 5,283 beds.

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Colonel Mildred I. Clark, Chief of the Corps from 1963-1967 and Colonel Anna Mae Hays, Chief of Corps from 1967 to 1971 led the Army Nurse Corps during the Vietnam war. June 11, 1970 COL Hays also became a Brigadier General the first women and the first nurse in American military history to attain general officer rank.
Duties of the Chief Nurse, included assigning all incoming nurses, coordinating all nursing activities in theater, establishing standard operating procedures, and overseeing the quality of patient care.

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They had several different reason including wanting to serve there county, improve there skills and knowledge, help the wounded and have a part in the military. Some of the nurses had very little knowledge before serving in the war with as little as 6 month. On the other hand some had 20 plus year experience that help teach the newer nurse and the war gave them many new circumstances

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The male nurse normal traveled more and did not very good living conditions. there for then send the men as a time they could not shower for a week. They had to sleep in tents on the ground and that way they could be 100% mobile. They had a lot of very dangerous jobs and when they get things setup with good standing they move female nurses to help out.

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Nurses usually worked six days per week, 12 hours per day. The shift often would go longer than scheduled based on soldiers coming in. The nurses were very successful with there job as 98% of solider that made it to the hospitals survived. They also often spend time volunteering in the local town teaching about hygiene, and first aid.

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Army nurses who served in Vietnam averaged 23.6 years of age. Nurses were both female (79%) and male (21%). Married nurses also served in Vietnam. Although, the effort was made to assign married couples together or within a traveling distance of each other, they had to go where they were most needed. Married couples accepted the situation and were willing to be separated if necessary. Wives who became pregnant were returned to the U.S. Regardless of their situation, all nurses learned quickly and willing to work in any clinical specialty where they might be needed.

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11. Medical Treatment Facilities Admissions 

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11. Medical Treatment Facilities Admissions 

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Between January 1965 and December 1970, medical treatment facilities admitted 133,447 wounded, 97,659 of whom required hospitalization. The average bed occupancy rate was 60% which allowed sufficient flexibility to respond to fluctuating casualty rates. The average length of stay per patient as considerably shorter than for either WWII or the Korean War. The average time interval from battlefield injury to hospital admission was 2.8 hours.

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Experiences of a Nurse During the Vietnam War

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As in previous wars, hospital admissions for disease outnumbered battlefield injuries. Disease admissions accounted for 69% of admissions between 1965 and 1969. ANC officers grew familiar with malaria, viral hepatitis, diarrheal diseases, skin diseases, venereal diseases, and fevers of unknown origins, the most frequently treated diseases.

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Lots of the nurses did many things they would never do in the united states. Lots of the practice were not very good because they were always on the move. There were few options and the nurses had to make do with what they had and even do doctors jobs when they were not available.

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Vietnam nurse: "We didn't just take care of physical wounds"

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Grace Moore served in Vietnam in 1968. She was stationed at the 12 evacuation hospital in Cu Chi, caring for amputees, orthopedic injuries and POWs. Video by Kimberly Paynter

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There was not a typical tour for nurses in Vietnam. The size of their hospitals, their location, and year of service all combined to make experiences very different. Similar to American Soldiers, Army nurses served a twelve-month tour in Vietnam. Living conditions also varied. Until 1967, nurses lived in tents, afterwards most all lived in tropical buildings, many of the Quonset hut uniforms. Results revealed that the standard army "baseball" type cap was very unpopular with female nurses. Not until the 1970's did the Army approve the new "jungle" cap for use with field uniform.

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The nurses did not have very many nice place to live. They slept in tents for a while then they when to tropical buildings. After that a very few got to live in trailer that had air condition and individual rooms. When they had to move they were back in the tents that had many bug infested, were loud, and the weather made them extremely hot.

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The nurses had some choice with there uniforms. They were normal white but that cause lots of difficultly with the laundry. So they switch to lightweight olive drab and laundry was still hard but better. The nurses preferred fatigues to wear. They wear not a fan of the baseball style cap so they started to make changes.

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Humor played a vital role in maintaining morale during these trying times and it was encouraged at every level. Without it they may have lost control of situations. Getting together in little groups and recounting funny things that happened relived tension on several very specific occasions.

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14. Evolution in Trauma and Combat Casualty Care

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14. Evolution in Trauma and Combat Casualty Care

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The Vietnam War witnessed an evolution in trauma and combat casualty care. Progress in medical evacuation made intensive care nursing the standard rather than the exception. Trauma care specialization as well as shock/trauma units developed from this experience. Rapid aerial evacuation, readily available whole blood, well established forward hospitals, advanced surgical techniques, and improved medical/nursing management all combined to keep the wounded from dying. Nurses gained respect not only for their technical skills but also for their independent clinical judgments.

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There were many types of medicine used that can be widely use on many patients.  Keflex antibiotic is used to treat a wide group of injections. Another medicine uses was Zinc Oxide. The red cross was also important they helped over 2,168,000 cases. The red cross had bag with many supply that the nurses became very creative with to help give the best treatment they could.

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The officers of the Army Nurse Corps cared for soldiers in their hour of greatest need. They nursed, they comforted, and they made sire no patient died alone. They selflessly endured countless hours of their patient's pain, sorrow, screams, blood, mutilation and at times death. The nations is eternally grateful for the dedication, courage, and sacrifices made by the women of the army Nurse Corps.

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Add to the heat, loneliness of being away from roved ones, the reoccurring gastrointestinal disturbances, the alert that disrupts your sleep, the field of clothing you find unfeminine; the nurses used their resourcefulness to overcome a lack of proper equipment, and their wit deal with stress. They made weights for traction by putting stones in Red Cross bags, they used a piece of gastrointestinal tubing for drinking straw; plastic dressing stands from lumber and discarded scrap.

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18. Emotional Factors as a Vietnam Nurse

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18. Emotional Factors as a Vietnam Nurse

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Despite the physical and emotional demands that could overwhelm nurses, there were many rewards. These included the gratitude of the soldiers they cared for, the feelings of being needed and appreciated, and the camaraderie that developed among them helped offset the disadvantages. One nurse remembered: "The teamwork and comradely extended out into the helicopter unit, the dust-off unit that was attached to the hospital, and into the other line units around us. We seemed to be the greatest contribution to morale because they knew they were going to be cared for if they were injured."

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From a medical and nursing standpoint, Vietnam was indeed a "dirt" war. Assault rifles, rocket propelled grenades and booby traps were chief wound makers. Rapid fire weapons increased the chances of multiple wounds. The proximity of blasts from mines/booby traps caused severe traumatic injuries riddled with tremendous amounts of dirt, debris, and shrapnel that were hurled into the open wounds. Frequently soldiers were hit while in paddy fields or long waterways where human and animal excreta collected. Serious infection and complicated resuscitation frequently resulted.