Fort Bliss Monitor

Nurses celebrate 104th anniversary

Clarence Davis III
WBAMC Public Affairs

Diane Carlson-Evans speaks at WBAMC’s celebration of the 104th anniversary of the Army Nurse Corps at the Fort Bliss Officers’ Club.

Feb. 2, the Army Nurse Corps celebrated its 104th year of service to Soldiers and the nation. A ceremony to commemorate the anniversary was held at the Fort Bliss Officers’ Club Saturday with more than 125 attending.

According to historical records, the Nurse Corps became a permanent part of the Army Medical Department under the Army Reorganization Act Feb. 2, 1901. July 9, 1918, the Nurse Corps was designated as the Army Nurse Corps under the Reorganization Act of 1918.

The ceremony began with the entrance of the official party, presentation of the colors and a powerful rendition of the national anthem by Staff Sgt. Vivian Sampson, an Army Reserve Soldier at WBAMC. The ceremony also presented senior nurses with a standing ovation who were pioneers of the ANC.

In his opening remarks, Beaumont Commander Col. James J. Leech recognized WBAMC as a full-service medical center that takes care of sick patients.

“We can’t do that without the support of the nursing staff. I am aware of what they do because of my specialty,” said Leech. “Doctors order the treatment and it is the responsibility of the nursing staff to ensure that the patient receives the care ordered by the doctors. It is the nurses who contribute to the excellence of WBAMC and its service to our Soldiers and the nation.”

Attending the ceremony was Dorothy Schwarzkopf, an ANC veteran from World War II. She served aboard a hospital ship in Europe and North Africa. Although there were adjustments to accommodations be-cause they were women, “we knew that we were there to take care of sick and wounded Soldiers,” she said. Although there have been technological changes in health care delivery and technology, “as nurses, we are there to provide patient care,” she added.

Other former members of the Army Nurse Corps served during the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. Since the Vietnam War ended, Army nurses have served in Grenada, Panama, Somalia, Haiti, Persian Gulf, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq.

The guest speaker, founder and chair of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Project, Diane Carlson-Evans, spoke of her experiences as well as those of other Army nurses who served with her in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969.

“I am proud of my service as an Army nurse. I joined the Army to be with the grunts. We treated our fellow Soldiers, women, children and old men. Nothing in our training at Fort Sam Houston prepared us for what we would see in Vietnam,” she said.

“As an Army nurse, we were not issued weapons. We relied on Soldiers to save us and we saved them,” Carlson-Evans added.

She spoke of her pioneering efforts to honor more than 265,000 women who served throughout the world during the Vietnam War. More than 11,000 women served in Vietnam; 5,000 women were members of the Army Nurse Corps. Her desire was to educate the country about the service nurses provide to Soldiers as well as the nation. She gave credit to her many volunteers and supporters who helped make her vision of a memorial commemorating the service of women a reality. Her vision was realized Nov. 11, 1993, when the Vietnam Women’s Memorial was dedicated. It stands on the mall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.

The highlight of the evening was a PowerPoint presentation of the events leading up to the dedication of the memorial.

At the conclusion of the ceremony Carson-Evans was given the com-mander’s coin and a Department of Nursing coin. Several who attended the ceremony asked Carlson-Evans to autograph their program and that she take a picture with them. Many thanks were expressed for her insight and unrelenting advocacy for veterans and the affects on the aftermath of war.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	February 10, 2005

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	Nurses celebrate 104th anniversary Clarence Davis III WBAMC Public Affairs Diane Carlson-Evans speaks at WBAMC’s celebration of the 104th anniversary of the Army Nurse Corps at the Fort Bliss Officers’ Club. Feb. 2, the Army Nurse Corps celebrated its 104th year of service to Soldiers and the nation. A ceremony to commemorate the anniversary was held at the Fort Bliss Officers’ Club Saturday with more than 125 attending. According to historical records, the Nurse Corps became a permanent part of the Army Medical Department under the Army Reorganization Act Feb. 2, 1901. July 9, 1918, the Nurse Corps was designated as the Army Nurse Corps under the Reorganization Act of 1918. The ceremony began with the entrance of the official party, presentation of the colors and a powerful rendition of the national anthem by Staff Sgt. Vivian Sampson, an Army Reserve Soldier at WBAMC. The ceremony also presented senior nurses with a standing ovation who were pioneers of the ANC. In his opening remarks, Beaumont Commander Col. James J. Leech recognized WBAMC as a full-service medical center that takes care of sick patients. “We can’t do that without the support of the nursing staff. I am aware of what they do because of my specialty,” said Leech. “Doctors order the treatment and it is the responsibility of the nursing staff to ensure that the patient receives the care ordered by the doctors. It is the nurses who contribute to the excellence of WBAMC and its service to our Soldiers and the nation.” Attending the ceremony was Dorothy Schwarzkopf, an ANC veteran from World War II. She served aboard a hospital ship in Europe and North Africa. Although there were adjustments to accommodations be-cause they were women, “we knew that we were there to take care of sick and wounded Soldiers,” she said. Although there have been technological changes in health care delivery and technology, “as nurses, we are there to provide patient care,” she added. Other former members of the Army Nurse Corps served during the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. Since the Vietnam War ended, Army nurses have served in Grenada, Panama, Somalia, Haiti, Persian Gulf, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq. The guest speaker, founder and chair of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Project, Diane Carlson-Evans, spoke of her experiences as well as those of other Army nurses who served with her in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969. “I am proud of my service as an Army nurse. I joined the Army to be with the grunts. We treated our fellow Soldiers, women, children and old men. Nothing in our training at Fort Sam Houston prepared us for what we would see in Vietnam,” she said. “As an Army nurse, we were not issued weapons. We relied on Soldiers to save us and we saved them,” Carlson-Evans added. She spoke of her pioneering efforts to honor more than 265,000 women who served throughout the world during the Vietnam War. More than 11,000 women served in Vietnam; 5,000 women were members of the Army Nurse Corps. Her desire was to educate the country about the service nurses provide to Soldiers as well as the nation. She gave credit to her many volunteers and supporters who helped make her vision of a memorial commemorating the service of women a reality. Her vision was realized Nov. 11, 1993, when the Vietnam Women’s Memorial was dedicated. It stands on the mall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. The highlight of the evening was a PowerPoint presentation of the events leading up to the dedication of the memorial. At the conclusion of the ceremony Carson-Evans was given the com-mander’s coin and a Department of Nursing coin. Several who attended the ceremony asked Carlson-Evans to autograph their program and that she take a picture with them. Many thanks were expressed for her insight and unrelenting advocacy for veterans and the affects on the aftermath of war.