When thinking about war one might think about the battle of a soldier and their gun. However, there is more than just the fighting side to every battle. This is where the women of the war come into play; to assist the fallen. Women were not always willing to jump up to fly overseas to help assist in the harsh environment of Vietnam. While nurses played a vital role in the war, they were recruited under false pretenses that led to ethical dilemmas as not being treated fairly after the war was over. Imagine being promised your own civil rights when returning from your year of service and returning to find out it was a lie. This would be devastating to anyone not just the females of the war.
Most nurses were brand new to the field and were young and unsure of what to expect when heading over to the battle zone. “The Army nurses who served in Vietnam averaged 23.6 years of age and were relatively new to nursing, only 35% had more than two years nursing experience” (West 1). Normally when thinking of nurses in the Vietnam War one would picture a young woman in a white uniform with a small cap that matched. However, according to West there were both male and female nurses serving in the Vietnam War (West 1). These women nurses still outnumbered the male nurses at this …show more content…
The recruiters only wanted to blame other’s instead of looking at the big picture. The word was getting out that these women were working long days and nights and that they were not always promised safety. Sometimes they were even awakened at night by horrific nightmares about the sights they saw earlier in the day or even the week. Praying that they do not have to send another soldier out in another body bag or see another bombing victim. Making these young women wonder if the fully paid education was honestly worth all this heartache and pain from seeing others
Most nurses were brand new to the field and were young and unsure of what to expect when heading over to the battle zone. “The Army nurses who served in Vietnam averaged 23.6 years of age and were relatively new to nursing, only 35% had more than two years nursing experience” (West 1). Normally when thinking of nurses in the Vietnam War one would picture a young woman in a white uniform with a small cap that matched. However, according to West there were both male and female nurses serving in the Vietnam War (West 1). These women nurses still outnumbered the male nurses at this …show more content…
The recruiters only wanted to blame other’s instead of looking at the big picture. The word was getting out that these women were working long days and nights and that they were not always promised safety. Sometimes they were even awakened at night by horrific nightmares about the sights they saw earlier in the day or even the week. Praying that they do not have to send another soldier out in another body bag or see another bombing victim. Making these young women wonder if the fully paid education was honestly worth all this heartache and pain from seeing others