More than a few patrons have walked up to me at the front desk and shared how much they enjoyed Kristin Hannah’s latest novel, The Women, the story of a sheltered, good girl from Southern California who enlists in the Army Nurse Corps and joins the Vietnam War effort. When I asked why and what about the book spoke to them, without hesitation, each of them said they related to it, its time and/or its characters. They also told me about themselves.
One patron was a nurse in the Vietnam War era.
Another shared that she spoke out vehemently against the war.
Another patron had dated Vietnam veterans.
Still another was a mother to a recent veteran.
While all of them identified as women and appreciated seeing themselves in the story to a degree, they certainly were not the same woman. Above all, it seems to me upon further consideration, they enjoyed peering through the relatable lens of a particular gender in order to experience a less than traditional veteran’s story – that of a woman during wartime.
While we might not hear or read stories of women serving as often as those of men, “265,000 women served during the Vietnam War,” and “11,000 women were stationed in Vietnam.” Of those, according to a March 2021 news article published by the VA, 90% or roughly 9,900 total served as nurses like the protagonist of Hannah’s novel. Those numbers surprised me since I was less familiar with those veterans’ stories.
Given that the Army Nurse Corps women of the Vietnam era all worked in medical settings, we might assume their experiences were similar, but they could only be so to a degree. Like the patrons who have spoken with me on the desk, the veterans’ socio-economic status, race, rank, personal history, and more altered their perspective of events as well as their interactions with fellow nurses, soldiers, and beyond. How am I sure of this fact? I looked into these women’s stories further by visiting the Library of Congress’s Veterans History Project. This Veterans Day, I invite you to do the same.
This Veterans Day, thank a veteran you know. And, if you’d like to take a step further, I encourage you to explore what it means to be a veteran in the United States. Listen to, watch, or read about the experiences of veterans like and unlike yourself through investigating the below resources.
Recent stories of women during wartime
If you are a fan of Hannah’s novel or even if you heard about it for the first time today, listen to the stories of real women who served in Vietnam like Elizabeth A. Allen, Ann Catherine Cunningham, Narvelle L. Colding, or Suzanne M. McPhee. Or explore the narratives of women veterans like Jaden J. Kim, Jamie Fox, or Rose Marie Noël who served in more recent wars like Iraq and Afghanistan. I welcome you to read all that the Library of Congress Veterans History Project has to offer and, if you are a veteran, consider participating.
A veteran can be almost anyone
Explore the lives and experiences of a range of veterans living today through listening to and reading oral histories related to the subject. Edited works of oral history, audio recordings, and transcripts are available in our catalog and at the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.
Through the Library of Congress’s extensive efforts, you might casually browse their veteran-focused oral history archives or delve into a particular point-of-view. For example, explore this story map to gain a better understanding of the places of Vietnam from those who lived there and served during the Vietnam War.
Visit our California Room digital archive and learn about two different perspectives of WWII from two Marin County veterans: Wat Takeshita (“incarcerated at an internment camp during WWII and later joined the U.S. Army” and James D. Adams (“a WWI flyer and served in the Navy during WWII”).
Sample a selection of oral history works and similar titles related to wars of the last fifty years available in our catalog or through the Link+ service: The Blog of War: Frontline Dispatches from Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan by Matthew Currier Burden
Bloods, An Oral History of the Vietnam War
Nam: The Vietnam War in the Words of the Men and Women Who Fought There
The blog of war : front-line dispatches from soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan
Are you a veteran?
Every 2nd Wednesday from 2-4pm at the Civic Center Library, the Veterans Resource Center is available to the public. There, speak with a knowledgeable veteran volunteer about benefits and resources for veterans in the County of Marin. Thank you for your service!
What is Veterans Day?
Veterans Day is a day for honoring all veterans, those who served during wartime and peacetime. Unlike Memorial Day, which honors those in the armed forces who died in battle or because of wounds sustained, November 11 honors all veterans and living veterans in particular.
While the holiday began as “Armistice Day,” a celebration of the moment the Allied nations and Central powers signed an agreement ending World War I, American involvement in World War II and other wars changed how we defined and understood the holiday. Today, celebrations extend beyond the more traditional musical programs, talks, and parades to include things like free entry into national, state, and regional parks.
The County of Marin will be hosting a program beginning at 9:30am at 20 Avenue of the Flags in San Rafael. All library branches will be closed Monday, November 11 in observation of the holiday.
For further information on Veterans Day, visit the Department of Veterans Affairs Facts and Information website.
Contributed by Sarah Broderick
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