Our tribute to the American Women in the Vietnam War will begin with a look at the US ARMY NURSE CORPS. The DoD (Department of Defense) reported there were approximately 7,500 women on active duty in Vietnam between 1962 - 1973 but the VA (Veteran's Administration) places that figure much higher, at around 11,000.
In Honor of All The Women Who Served in Vietnam
Thank You
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Not long ago, I came to the realization that I am a terrible golfer. Before that, I would practice at the driving range from time to time.
ReplyDeleteOne afternoon on a visit to the range in Niskayuna, I found myself as the only customer. One other vehicle there belonged to the fellow selling buckets of balls. We had identical veteran’s license plates, the one with a flag displayed, so we began to chat.
Turns out we both served in Chu Lai, Vietnam, which is a rarity as it was not a very large place. After this came to light, the first thing he said was, “It’s a shame about that nurse.” Forty-five years had passed and as if he had waited all that time to say it, “It’s a shame about that nurse.” The two of us stood there in silence remembering a woman we had never met.
Sharon Lane was born in Ohio in 1943, graduated high school and attended nursing school in Canton, Ohio. After working in a hospital for a couple of years, she entered the Army. She took her training at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, and by 1969 she was First Lt. Sharon Lane and serving at the 312th Evacuation Hospital in Chu Lai.
In one of her last letters home she wrote, “Still very quiet around here, haven’t gotten mortared in a couple of weeks now.” Then early one morning while working in the Vietnamese ward, a 122-mm. rocket hit just outside where she stood. She died instantly. In a war that saw 58,220 American soldiers killed, First Lt. Sharon Lane was the only woman to die as a result of direct enemy action.
She volunteered to help save lives, only to become a casualty herself. Her story and others like it are the reasons we have Memorial Day. That fellow at the driving range knew it. He remembers.
This was a letter to the editor I wrote in 2016. A day after it was published I received a phone call from a fellow who lives nearby, he was a relative of Lt. Lane. We talked for a while, and I came to realize how important it is for families of those lost to be assured that they are not forgotten.
Thank you for sharing this first-hand account. Is this the 'letter' you refer to? Many thanks. And Welcome Home.
Delete~Smith
VMWT