Centennial History Book

A segment of the people that is presented with pride
are the VETERANS OF WARS

CIVIL WAR VETERANS

WORLD WAR I VETERANS THAT HAD FARNAM
ADDRESSES WHEN ENTERING THE SERVICE

WORLD WAR II VETERANS THAT HAD FARNAM
ADDRESSES WHEN ENTERING THE SERVICE

KOREAN CONFLICT VETERANS THAT HAD FARNAM
ADDRESSES WHEN ENTERING THE SERVICE

VIETNAM ERA VETERANS THAT HAD FARNAM
ADDRESSES WHEN ENTERING THE SERVICE

REMEMBRANCES OF LIFE AS AN ARMY NURSE

On October 15, 1942 I joined the Army Nurse Corps and immediately became a member of the 16th Evacuation Hospital Unit (Michael Reese Unit). This consisted of approximately 36 doctors, one dentist, one chaplain, four administrative officers, 52 nurses, one dietician, 300 enlisted men and two Red Cross Workers; also a Commanding Officer who was very tough but also very much respected for his outstanding abilities in running a hospital.

The Unit was stationed at Camp Blanding, Florida for five months where part of the time we had vigorous training for overseas duty. The remainder of the time we worked in the army hospital on the base. Then after spending six weeks at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, where we had more road marches, gas mask drills, obstacle courses, and practice going over ship net ropes we boarded a ship not knowing our destination. Rumor was that we were being sent to the Mediterranean Theatre and the rumor was right. We landed at Oran, Algeria two weeks later in mid May of 1943. The war had ended in Africa, so our first overseas operation was a prison hospital for German and Italian casualties. The time passed slowly, living on a sun scorched, barren, windy, sandy, extremely hot field, the last two weeks in pup tents.

In September of 1943 the officers and enlisted men boarded a ship bound for Italy. The nurses followed on what was thought to be safe passage on a British hospital ship. When we arrived in Salerno Harbor the invasion was on in full force and how to get us to shore was the question. That was resolved when the ship was bombed that night in Salerno Bay, killing all but one British officer and several British nurses. The American nurses sustained only minor injuries. We were taken in life boats to a nearby hospital ship and returned to Bizerte to be reequipped. Our possessions were what we could manage to put in our fatigue suit pockets. I remember a British sailor calmly saying to two nurses who were debating which of their belongings to take, “Well girls, the ship is burning you know!”

Our second trip to Italy on an LST was another experience. We were all seasick and the sailors were so sympathetic and kind, exchanging their freshly baked bread for our K rations. This we deeply appreciated. Land never looked so good as when we reached Italian shores.

Our first hospital site at Paestum in south Italy had been functioning a short time when a tornado and near flood struck in the middle of the night, flattening the tents. The 750 bed tent hospital was filled to capacity. The patients were helped from under the canvas and transported to a nearby tobacco warehouse where a temporary hospital was set up. Almost miraculously no one had sustained anything but very minor injuries. As the invasion moved north in Italy so did our tent hospital. We had a total of twelve hospital sites. Some areas were relatively quiet and have faded from memory. Others stand out clearly - Caserta, where we lived in buildings, a real treat; Variano, where we cared for the heavy casualties from the Cassino Campaign; Anzio, where the shelling never stopped and the operating room personnel worked in shifts around the clock; Ardenza, where the battle for Leghorn loomed and the area so heavily mined that we were asked not to leave the hospital site; Firenzuola, an area of extreme discomfort, mud, water and cold and casualties heavy; Pistoia, where we had our most comfortable living quarters even though it was winter and cold for Italy. We lived in tents with wooden floors, doors, and oil burners. It was a defective oil burner that started a fire in the recreation tent in the middle of the night. This quickly spread to five adjoining tents burning them to the ground. Mine was one of them. Fortunately, we were awakened in time to dress, grab a suitcase, an armload of clothing and run.

Finally came Modena where the large numbers of casualties were mostly German Prisoners giving the tipoff that the war in Italy was about to end. This great news came over the loud speaker on May 2, 1945.

It was not all work and bad times. We had opportunities to visit many places of interest in south and central Italy. During slack periods we were given time off to spend a few days at rest centers. These were luxurious hotels the Army had taken over in places such as Sorrento, Rome and Florence.

After the war ended we found that getting overseas had been easier than coming home. We waited for five months for transportation. During this time I had the chance to spend time at Milan, Venice, Lakes-Maggorie and Garda, and took side trips to other places of interest; among them Lake Como and the Italian Riveria. A four-day trip to Switzerland was another highlight of this time.

To give an idea how homesick we were for the U nited States of America, many of us turned down the chance to visit either Paris or the French Riveria. We only wanted to come home. Finally in late October of 1945 we landed at Boston Harbor. My fondest memory of this is of two Red Cross workers standing at the foot of the gangplank. As we walked down they greeted us with a paper cup of milk (our first taste of fresh milk in two and a half years), and with the words "Welcome Home". Somehow this made it all seem worthwhile.

Martha Wharton Black

LEITH AINLAY PARKER

Leith Ainlay Parker being extremely patriotic, enlisted in the WAC on February 14, 1944 after her son, Wilson, went into service. She took her training at Des Moines, Iowa. On February 23 she was sent to Atlantic City, New Jersey, to the Army Air Force Base to serve as a dental technician. She became a private first class and received the good conduct medal. She served until the end of the war.

After her discharge she was pleased to be welcomed into Legion Post 288 of Farnam as its first female member. She would have really laughed to witness the chaos her granddaughter, J. Christian Wieland, caused when she accepted a luncheon invitation to an all male meeting of Denver lawyers. They had assumed by her name that she was a male. Christian, like her grandmother, found it enjoyable to give them a surprise by her appearance.

Leith was born August 26th, 1896 and passed away May 29th, 1962. After her service she used the GI Bill and took the Lasalle Extension Course in law. After she finished the course if she would have worked for a law firm for a time she would have been eligible to take the Nebraska bar examination.

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The following is a copy of a letter written by Pvt. A. E. Miller during World War I. It was sent to his parents and was printed in the Farnam Echo.

Somewhere in France
Nov. 25, 1918

Dear Folks at Home:

I received your letter and all the rest of them, will answer all just as soon as I can get envelopes.

Well, war is over and I am altogether yet and expect to remain this way until I get back across the old Missouri River.

How is everything back there? I expect to be there by the last of January or sooner, and the first six weeks after I get there I am not going to do anything except eat and sleep, so you had better begin to draw extra rations as I can eat just twice as much as when I left. You remember what I used to do!

Well, they say we can tell something about the war now. My first battle was at Soissons, where we captured Sempigny and Noyon, that was my first long hike. We left a little town one and one-half miles from Compiegne, we started at 5 p.m. and hiked until 8:30 the next morning, the kitchen never caught us until 4:30 that night. We had beef hash for supper then hiked about six kilometers and slept by a battery of our artillery, and stayed that day and then went up in support that night. The next morning we went forward under shell fire. The first shell that hit anywhere near was just a little ways from the next squad; one fellow rolled over and 1 thought, one man less in the army, but as soon as the shell exploded he got up and beat it to the rest. I decided that he was just dodging shrapnel; it was not long until I learned to do likewise, but it took considerable longer to learn that the whine of machine gun bullets was a warning to keep down.

We stopped that morning behind a hill for awhile and then continued our advance. We only got about 300 yards when the Boche started to throw a barrage on us. It was to the holes for everyone. I got in a little hole about 18 inches deep and laid there for two hours when the barrage stopped. A couple of other fellows and I started out and found the rest of the company. We stopped a little to eat. The wounded men began to come in, so 1 got that down pretty well, then a Boche airplane came over and located us, I was laying in a hole with five Frenchmen. A shell struck the road and a piece came along and took a chunk out of my left leg just below the knee. Two of the medical men got wounded. The guns let up for about ten minutes then started again with 77 and six-inch gas shells. The shelling stopped about sunset and supper came up. It was a mess. Then we got orders to dig in for the night and that is what I am going to do now.

Pvt. A. E. Miller
(Archibald Early Miller)
Co. H, 128 Inf.,
A.P.O. 734, A.E.F.

Published: 11/21/2024 - http://www.historicfarnam.us
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