Pure Grit: Telling the Story of World War II Military Nurses to a New Generation

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-201
Author(s):  
Wendy Bonifazi
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Prisoners Of War ◽  
World War ◽  
Training Experience ◽  
Military Nurses ◽  
American Military ◽  
Combat Training ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Prison Camp

Only a few of the 102 American military nurses serving in the Pacific in the 1940s had any combat training, experience or expectations, until the surprise attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines put them on the front lines. They learned wartime nursing under fire, treating thousands of casualties at ill-equipped battlefield hospitals. When the Allies surrendered, the 79 remaining nurses were the first U.S. Army women to become prisoners of war, but they refused to relinquish their professional roles and continued to provide nursing care to fellow prisoners throughout their years of captivity. In the book Pure Grit: How American World War II Nurses Survived in Battle and Prison Camp in the Pacific, Mary Cronk Farrell uses quotes from journals, letters, and oral histories to give voice to the horrific experiences and esprit de corps of these remarkable nurses.

scholarly journals Sisters Behind the Wire: Reappraising Australian Military Nursing and Internment in the Pacific during World War II

2011 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angharad Fletcher
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
World War Ii ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
World War ◽  
Military Nurses ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
National Archives ◽  
Military Nursing ◽  
National Archives Of Australia ◽  
Civilian Women

During the Second World War, approximately 3,500 Australian military nurses served in combat regions throughout the world. The vast majority were enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS), but after the Japanese advance and the fall of Hong Kong (December 1941) and Singapore (February 1942), a significant number of these nurses spent three-and-a-half years as POWs in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan and the Philippines. To date, considerable research has been undertaken on POW experiences in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Japan, albeit primarily focused on the testimonies of men and civilian women. This body of research utilises various methodologies, from Yuki Tanaka and Kei Ushimura's efforts to reconcile Japanese war crimes with the corruption of the Bushido ethic and sexual violence in contemporary Japanese society, to Christina Twomey's work on the imprisonment and repatriation of Dutch, Dutch–Eurasian and Australian civilian women and children. In the past fifteen years, historians have become aware of the need to recognise the multiplicity of these experiences, rather than continuing to focus on individual community, camp or regional case studies. Nurses are by no means absent from the discussion, although the majority of notable works on this subject focus on Hong Kong or the Philippines and adopt a descriptive and somewhat anecdotal approach. At the same time, scant critical attention has been paid to the internment of nurses in Indonesia despite a wealth of material kept in the Australian War Memorial (AWM) and National Archives of Australia (NAA).

scholarly journals Pulau Buru Masa Perang Dunia II: Perspektif Arkeo-Historis

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Syahruddin Mansyur
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Landing Site ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
World War ◽  
The North ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Japanese Military ◽  
Geographical Position

AbstrakDalam konteks kawasan, keberadaan tinggalan arkeologi berupa sarana pertahanan masa Perang Dunia II di Pulau Buru tidak lepas dari konteks geografis, dimana Kepulauan Maluku – termasuk Pulau Buru merupakan bagian dari kawasan Pasifik. Permasalahan yang dikaji dalam tulisan ini adalah mengungkap berbagai bentuk sarana pertahanan dan lokasi keberadaannmya, serta informasi historis yang terkait dengan Perang Dunia II di Pulau Buru. Dengan menggunakan metode analisis deskriptif dan analogi sejarah, penelitian ini berhasil mengidentifikasi bentuk-bentuk sarana pertahanan yang masih dapat diamati berupa; fasilitas landasan pacu, pillbox dan lokasi pendaratan pasukan Australia. Hasil pembahasan juga berhasil mengungkap peran wilayah Pulau Buru yang merupakan wilayah strategis baik bagi militer Jepang maupun pasukan sekutu dalam Perang Dunia II. Peran wilayah yang strategis ini tidak lepas dari posisi geografis Pulau Buru yang dapat menghubungkan Philipina yang ada di bagian utara, Ambon yang ada di sebelah timur, serta Pulau Timor yang ada di bagian selatan. AbstractIn the context of the region, the presence of archaeological remains in the form of means of defense during World War II on the island of Buru can not be separated from the geographical context, where the Maluku Islands - including the Buru is part of the Pacific region. The problems studied in this paper is to reveal some form of defense and locations, as well as historical information related to World War II on the island of Buru. By using descriptive analysis and historical analogies, this study managed to identify forms of the means of defense which can still be observed in the form; facilities runway, pillbox and Australian troops landing site. Discussion of the results also uncovered the role of the island of Buru is a strategic region for the Japanese military and allied forces in World War II. The role of a strategic area is not separated from the geographical position of Buru Island that connects the Philippines in the north, Ambon in the east, and the island of Timor in the south.

Llanes Escoda, Josefa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yolanda Ealdama
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Prisoners Of War ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
World War ◽  
Welfare Programs ◽  
Social Welfare System ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Right

Josefa Llanes Escoda (1898–1945) was one of the early social workers in the Philippines. As a social worker she moved from the residual approach and initiated sustainable welfare programs. She was also an advocate for decent work for women. She was able to merge her role as a social worker and as a suffragist by mobilizing members of the National Federation of Women’s Club (NFWC) of the Philippines to educate women on the importance of the right to vote. During World War II, when the social welfare system was in disarray, she mobilized members of the NFWC to feed prisoners of war and other displaced persons. In her own way, she was a freedom fighter.

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