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An Army Nurse Remembers _____________ NAME CLASS DATE An Army Nurse Remembers Grace Barolet O’Brien served as a nurse in an army hospital in Vietnam from January 1966 to August 1967. Like many others, she had to ignore her emotions in order to survive the constant stress under which she lived and worked. As you read, try to visualize the conditions in the makeshift medical units set up in Vietnam. went into the Quonset hut and felt overwhelmed of responsibility in caring for the patients. I even I seeing all those guys either on stretchers or the tually ended up working on the surgical floors all small metal beds. My first recollection was of old, the time, The overflow from ICU would come funky green fatigues that had mud all over them over to us, and I used to always think, “God, are and those brown gauze bandages that were all they going to be really hairy cases? Am I going to bloody. I remember feeling almost in shock. I didn’t be able to do a good enough job?” know what to do and said something like, “Well, I remember one lieutenant who had a bad what should we do?” I was told to help take vital belly wound. He really hurt an awful lot. It was signs. , Later, I was assigned to a young soldier very difficult for him to get out of bed. Once I got who was on a stretcher. He was unconscious, and very aggravated with him and told him that he I was supposed to take his blood pressure. They better get out of that bed or he was never going to told me he would probably die, and all I could get better. He was very angry with me. Days, or think of was, “What in the world am I taking his weeks later, whatever it was, he was up and blood pressure for?” I didn’t want to accept the walking around and doing well. His last evening fact he was going to die. That night I came back to on the ward, he asked me if he could walk me out our villa and cried, because it just overwhelmed to the bus that took us back to our quarters. I’ll me. Somehow I got through that first night. never forget him giving me a big hug and saying, If there were casualties coming in on the heli “I’m so glad you got mad at me and made me get copter and we were crowded, I’d either send a out of that bed. I’m really grateful, because I don’t runner up to ER to find out what was coming in, or think I would’ve ever gotten out of it.” one of the corpsmen would cover and I’d go myself. I really tried to spend time getting to know Sometimes the doctors came running down to the the guys and listening to them. I remember wards and would say to us, “Who can we move feeling that they had been hurt so much out in the out of here? We’ve got so many coming in—we field, I didn’t want to hurt them any more. I need to make room for them.’ We nurses would found myself saying things like, “Now, I don’t go around and say, “So-and-so is stabilized. I want to hurt you. so let me know if it hurts and think he can be air-evacked.” We had a great deal I’ll stop.” From A PIECE OFMYHEARTby Keith Walker. Copyright © 1985 by Keith Walker. Published by Ballantine Books, a division of Random House, Inc. QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS 1. How have women in war been portrayed in popular media in television pro grams and movies such as G.I. Jane? Do you think this is an accurate picture of women in war? 2. The United States paid tribute to women who served by erecting a statue in their honor next to the Vietnam Memorial. How else might the government acknowledge women’s contributions to the war? Chapter 31 Survey Edition Primary Source Activity • 37 Chapter 21 Modern American History Edition NAME CLASS DATE (continued,) PRIMARY SOURCE ACTIVITY LBJ Withdraws from the Race Increasing frustrations about the U.S. involvement in Vietnam created a turbulent climate at home during a great C time of social change. In 1968 LBJ announced a H decision he had thought about for a long time—not to seek reelection, in the A hopes that his decision would lead to peace at home and abroad. p T As you read this excerpt from President Johnson’s memoirs, think about the assumptions E R that may have led to LBJ’s decision to withdraw from the presidential race. hen I took the oath as President in January At this point, there isjust one near certainty W 1965 to begin my first full term in office, I about the ‘68 elections. Lyndon Johnson, health felt that it would be my last, and this feeling grew permitting, will be the Democratic nominee for a stronger with every passing week in the White new term as President. House... Carl Rowan, in his February 17 column in the I have very strong feelings about work. When Chicago Daily News, declared that the odds of my it is there to be done, I do it. And the work of the not running again “can’t be better than a million Presidency is demanding and unrelenting. It is to one.” Only a few months before, late in 1967, always there to be done. Of all the 1,886 nights I reporter Tom Wicker had written in The New York was President, there were not many when I got Times: to sleep before 1 or 2 AM., and there were few Isn’t it possible that Johnson will withdraw? mornings when I didn’t wake up by 6 or 6:30. It This wistful proposition can be demolished with became a question of how much the physical some confidence, It is as likely that Lyndon Johnson constitution could take. I frankly did not believe will get out of the White House and go back to Texas in 1968 that I could survive another four years of as it is that Dean Rusk will turn dove, Dick Nixon the long hours and unremitting tensions I had just will stop running, orf. Edgai’ Hoover will retire. gone through. These were typical of virtually all the press These were considerations I had lived with speculations about my plans. A great misconcep from the beginning. Others had developed in the tion had been built up by the press that I was a course of events, On that last morning in March, man who was hungry for power, who would not as I moved toward one of the most significant conceivably give up power willingly. Those who hours of my life, several factors relating to the believed this estimate did not understand that state of the nation fed into the decisions I was power can lose its charm when a man has known preparing to announce. First, we faced the it as many years as I had. absolute necessity of an increase in taxes. I used the power of the Presidency proudly, Second, we faced the possibility of new riots and and I used every ounce of it I had. I used it to turmoil in the cities in the summer of 1968. We establish programs that gave thousands of young had experienced widespread disturbances the sters a head start in school, that enabled thou previous summer, many of them exploited, I sands of old folks to live in clean nursing homes, believe, by men who took advantage of distressed that brought justice to the Negro and hope to the people to advance their own political causes, poor, that forced the nation to face the growing There were strong indications that rioting might problems of pollution. In this exercise of power, I be repeated or increased. knew a satisfaction that only a limited number of I believed that because of the “informed guid men have ever known and that I could have had ance” the press had given the people, all the in no other way. Men, myself included, do not nation—except a dozen or so individuals—would lightly give up the opportunity to achieve so be shocked and surprised. On February 5, for much lasting good, but a man who uses power example, the U.S. News and World Report had effectively must also be a realist. He must under assured its readers: stand that by spending power he dissipates it. © Prentice-Hall, Inc. Chapter 31 Primary Source Activity • 127 NAME CLASS DATE In the Oval Office the television cameras were peace in the balance every day, I do not believe that waiting. The TV broadcast was being supervised I should devote an hour or a day of my time to any by Deputy Press Secretary Robert H. Fleming, a personal partisan causes or to any duties other than C former television executive. I saw a look of shocked the awesome duties of this office—the Presidency of H surprise on his face when he read the last portion your A country. p of the teleprompter tape. George Christian brought Accordingly, I shall not seek, and I will not T a small press pool to the door of the office to watch accept, the nomination of my party for another term E the proceedings. I thought to myself: “They’re in as your President.
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