From Publishers Weekly Monahan and Neidel-Greenlee, two former military nurses who have co-written previous books about American nurses in World War II Japan and Albania, have collaborated again to produce this popular account of the Army nurses who served in the war against Germany. Based on interviews, correspondence and diaries, as well as on published sources and archival material, this book employs a descriptive, matter of fact style that makes a nice foil to its vivid use of reconstructed dialogue and primary source quotations. Though the book is divided into chapters that recount individual campaigns (e.g. "Chapter 5: Nurses in the Sicilian Campaign," "Chapter 6: The Sinking of the HMHS Newfoundland"), Monahan and Neidel-Greenlee do follow the experiences of several nurses throughout their history, bringing a narrative cohesion to what might have otherwise been a fragmented series of anecdotes. Particularly fascinating are their graphic descriptions of medical conditions, like gangrene and malaria, and of hospital procedures, such as the then-cutting-edge operation of transfusing whole blood into wounded soldiers. Though the extensive background material explaining battles and campaigns can sometimes threaten to swamp the narrative, overall this volume provides a valuable account of an often-neglected historical topic: the frontline experience of the women of the Greatest Generation. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. Read more From Booklist Their valor was unrivaled, their patriotism undeniable, but their contribution to the war effort was largely unacknowledged. Long before there were women in the military, flying sorties and commanding tanks as they do today, there were women in combat zones: more than 59,000 voluntarily served their country as U.S. Army nurses during World War II. Yet their story has seldom been told, for no veterans groups nor military bureaucracy ever claimed them. Witness to the abominations of the war's most gruesome battles, from the D-Day invasion of North Africa to the triumphant V-E Day defeat of Nazi Germany, they endured the horrors of the battlefield alongside their GI counterparts, eluding death by sheer luck and split-second timing. Forced to work under primitive conditions with insufficient supplies, they nonetheless tended soldiers' physical and psychological injuries with unflagging grace and unwavering dedication. Battle by battle, in vivid, newsreel-like fashion, the authors dramatically portray the heroic efforts of courageous women who experienced the war at its most horrific and heartrending levels. Carol HaggasCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Read more See all Editorial Reviews
D**R
gritty heroism from an unsung corner
Evelyn Monahan's and Rosemary Neidel-Greenlee's AND IF I PERISH is an exceptional—I am tempted to say 'must-read'—book for two reasons.First, the story of U.S. Army nurses in World War II's European theatre is largely an untold tale. Who knew that these women, for whose work almost no forethought paved the way, played such a critical role in the Allied forces' campaigns in North Africa and Europe? Once told, the story seems inevitable. Yet it is alarming how much one can read about and ponder World War II history without ever giving a thought to the *nurses* who saved so many lives and provided final comfort to those whose bodies could not be repaired.Second, the story is told in exceptional style. The authors weave in military strategy in unexpected volumes, which provides a welcome context for the self-sacrificing labor of this nearly all-volunteer cadre of frontline nurses. One of the book's virtues is that it is not a 'soft' history over against the 'hard' history of soldiers and generals. The result is compelling history and a very fine read.I purchased and read this book as a small means of honoring the legacy of a nurse from my Pennsylvania hometown who died on the Anzio beach head. The poignantly tragic way in which Carrie Sheetz and too many others died is told movingly in these pages.Others lived, who perhaps reluctantly and nearly always self-effacingly relieved themselves of the burden they carried in late-in-life interviews with the authors.The Greatest Generation was comprised of both genders. We have grown to know and honor the stories of the generation's soldiering men. We are only learning the deep debt we owe to our mothers and grandmothers. Sisters and daughters belonging to that same generation, they are no less great for the shadow in which they labored, sacrificed, died, and healed.
H**L
Every nurse shoud read this.
Absolutely superb book. I was amazed to read how the US did not have nursing staff at the beginning of the war. As an RN, a truly inspiring story of what nurses can and will do to give their patients the care they need, even under such horrific conditions. But the nurse were treated as second class service people, with their "pseudo" rank. I could not put the book down. Every nurse should read this.The British have had the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corp (Nursing Sisters) in place as part of the frontline care. The Americans soon caught up. These nurses deserve such a well researched book that is never boring. As a WWII survivor from England and a nurse, I felt privileged to belong to a profession that produced such amazing women. Notice I did not say men; men were not allowed to be active nurses until after WWII.Field Marshall Montgomery said the nurses were the biggest and best morale boosters for injured soldiers.
J**D
The story of Army Nurse Corps members in the ETO
Overall I liked the book immensely. It was well written and researched. It covered the mundane as well as the horror that goes hand in hand during combat operations. For those whose only knowledge of military field medicine is from the TV show MASH, this book is an eye opener from the perspective of the Army Nurses where everything was real from their landing in North Africa on that D-Day up to the final victory in Europe.The only negative I have about this book is that, aside from the periodic mentions about the Army and Navy nurses held as POWs after the fall of the Philippines, there is no mention of the nurses that served in the Pacific or the China Burma India Theaters. I was hoping their story would have been told as well.
B**S
Simply Superior Book
I am grateful to the authors for the superior research, superior writing and putting such a difficult story together. I would recommend it to anyone.However, the Prologue and epilogue, while well written, leve something to be desired. That ois, in th eprologue it appears (at least to me) they spend a fair amount of time patting themselves on the back for such a good. Colearly, it is deserves but the story is the star of thek, not the authors and the story shows how clearly they deserve a pat on the backRegarding the Epilogue, the authors seem to beat it ino the reader how the Nursing Corps story was overlooked and that the nurses were discriminated against. In this case they neglect to tell you that the US Army has unit histories written which are source documents. While these are ont in the popular press, they are there and the Nursing Corps was not overlooked. Regarding discrimination towards women, you can see they are bringing 21st century sensibilities to 20th century events - a miss. . I wonder what they would say about the women and families wo followed their loved ones during the Civil War and performed many of these duties without recognition.Finally, all the wqar stories don[t come out right after the end of wars. They take many years and decades to get them all out. Many ov the Civil War stories were coming ou 40-50 years aft the conflice ended in 1865 due to that great generation passing. The same is true for WWII.Apologies if I've ruffled feathers. My opinion was asked and I provided it.
E**H
Incredible, heart breaking and so much more
My beloved Aunt Rita Murphy was a nurse in WWII and received a Silver Star for the Battle of the Bulge. The courage of the Nurses in WWII, along with the need for them to make do with what they had describes Aunt Rita to a T. Imagine her shock when she is in triage and looks down and discovers one of her brothers. This I story is beautifully told. I've always said that if I had half of her tenacity, then I'm good. Following the war, she was in charge of the ER and OR in Richland, Washington....where one of the nuclear components for the atomic bomb was made. She took care of McCluskey after one of the g!I've boxes he was working in blew up. She was a nurses nurse and I miss her terribly. Thank you for telling the Nurse's stories
C**K
Five Stars
Item was as described and arrived promptly
D**A
This is an excellent read.
I learned more about what my father went through than he could ever tell me. It gave me back my Dad as well as a lot more respect, because I can now understand what that horrid war turned men and women into. It took women of courage to tell the truth about the war. an excellent read, it was honest about America's participation in the war, unlike "hero" movies and my admiration for those women who served is boundless.
D**A
Magnífico
Magnífico libro y en perfectas condiciones
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