A family walks down the pathway toward the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier at Patriots Point, surrounded by American flags and calm waters.
A family walks down the pathway toward the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier at Patriots Point, surrounded by American flags and calm waters.
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Capacity crowd comes to hear nurses at "Angels of the Battlefield"

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Panelists at the "Angels of the Battlefield" symposium shared their experiences as nurses in combat zones[/caption]

On Thursday, March 31st, a panel of military nurses took the stage of the Smokey Stover Theater on the USS Yorktown in front of a capacity crowd to discuss their service during times of war.  The event, entitled "Angels of the Battlefield: the Unsung Heroes," featured panelists who shared their experiences in the Vietnam War as well as more recent conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.  In addition, the panelists were joined by video with a nurse who served in the Korean War.  Their stories of caring for soldiers who had been injured on the front lines of war was often emotional and sometimes even humorous.

The panelists were:

  • Captain Linda Caldwell, a resident of Aiken, SC, served in an evacuation hospital in the Vietnam War from 1967-1968.
  • Commander Doris Pearce currently resides in Mt. Pleasant, SC and served in the Navy Nurse Corps for 20 years— including time aboard the USS Sanctuary hospital ship during the Vietnam War.
  • Colonel Elizabeth “Libby” Steadman lives in Mt. Pleasant, SC and served in the Gulf War and the War in Afghanistan (flight nurse); she retired after 30 years in the Army Nurse Corps as a reservist.
  • Irene Green served as a nurse anesthetist with the US. Army and was stationed in an evacuation hospital at Chu Lai for a year during the Vietnam War.
  • Cathy Drake, a resident of Evansville, Indiana, joined the program by video and recounted her service in the Korean War serving in two mobile Army surgical hospital (MASH) units from 1950-1952. Her stories inspired the book that became the movie and television series, M*A*S*H.
The stories of these servicewomen gave the audience unique insight into the difficult tasks faced every day by nurses witnessing the traumatic injuries of war.  Medal of Honor recipient Major General James Livingston also took the stage to offer his thanks to these women and all who have served as nurses in the military.  He recounted his own experience with nurses and how much their presence, skill and compassion meant to him and others serving on the front lines.

At the end of the program, the All Saints Quilters of Summerville, SC presented the panelists, as well as two other military nurses in the audience and Major General Livingston, a specially-made quilt as part of the “Quilts of Valor” program. One of the recipients was Ms. Francis Bernard, of Summerville, SC, who served as a nurse in theater with the American Red Cross during World War II.  The audience gave a standing ovation to Ms. Bernard, who will be 100 this week!

Also in attendance was Lt. Colonel Eileen Hadbavny, USAF (retired) who served as a flight nurse for 28 years with the reserves. She was recently honored by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society with the 2016 Citizen Honor Award for her volunteer work with the American Red Cross, the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization and the American Legion.

Check out the gallery below for photos from the event (Click on any photo to view it at full size).

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