cutiger83 Posted September 1, 2014 Share #1 Posted September 1, 2014 Today, there was a Battle of the Bulge 70th Anniversary Reunion at the state museum. There were 40 vets offering signatures. The lines were long but I made sure to get in the line with the only female vet. I was in heaven talking to her. It is hard to imagine this frail grandmother landing in Normandy in July 1944 and serving in the Battle of the Bulge. After getting home, I searched her name and found a great article about her on the NPR website. First up is this picture of the poster they were selling at the reunion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted September 1, 2014 Author Share #2 Posted September 1, 2014 Here are the signatures that I was able to get. You can see Kate Nolan with the 53rd Field Hospital Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted September 1, 2014 Author Share #3 Posted September 1, 2014 Here is the website where I found her: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1913743 Here is an excerpt from the website. You should read her story. "As she arrived at Normandy's Utah Beach, Katherine Flynn Nolan jumped from her landing craft into the water — and nearly drowned. It was July 1944, a month after D-Day and the water off the French coast was deeper than the 5-foot-3 Army nurse was expecting. Her backpack was so heavy it was pulling her down. A tall fellow nurse reached over and lifted Nolan's backpack, holding it until they reached shallow water." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted September 1, 2014 Author Share #4 Posted September 1, 2014 Here are two pictures from the website: "Fellow combat nurse Laura Ball washes Kate Nolan's hair at a field hospital in France in September 1944" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted September 1, 2014 Author Share #5 Posted September 1, 2014 I have seen this field hospital picture before. Now I met one of the nurses in the picture! I have been over the top excited all day! Last but not least, I bought this book as well as the poster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted September 1, 2014 Share #6 Posted September 1, 2014 Sounds like a great day. Thanks for posting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted September 1, 2014 Author Share #7 Posted September 1, 2014 Sounds like a great day. Thanks for posting Thanks Ron! I had no idea that the frail grandmother that I saw sitting in the chair with nurse insignia on her cap was this nurse! I wish I had known ahead of time. I would have been in even more awe! ...Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38Driver Posted September 1, 2014 Share #8 Posted September 1, 2014 Kat, Have you ever read "A Half Acre of Hell" by Avis Schorer? She was a combat nurse at Anzio and beyond. I'm not sure if she's still there, but she was still a volunteer at a local hospital here in Minnesota where my wife was working as an ER Nurse. A fascinating lady and a wonderful book too with a lot of good photos of her experience to go with the text. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor996 Posted September 1, 2014 Share #9 Posted September 1, 2014 That's really cool Kat - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted September 1, 2014 Author Share #10 Posted September 1, 2014 Kat, Have you ever read "A Half Acre of Hell" by Avis Schorer? She was a combat nurse at Anzio and beyond. I'm not sure if she's still there, but she was still a volunteer at a local hospital here in Minnesota where my wife was working as an ER Nurse. A fascinating lady and a wonderful book too with a lot of good photos of her experience to go with the text. I have read that book! It is one of my favorites. That is amazing that she volunteered where your wife worked. Even though that book is sitting in my bookcase, I appreciate you posting the name. I am ALWAYS looking for good books about women in the military. ...Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted September 1, 2014 Author Share #11 Posted September 1, 2014 That's really cool Kat - Thanks! It was a great day. There were a few displays at the reunion. It was so blasted hot outside that no one was looking at the jeeps. ...Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dakota Posted September 1, 2014 Share #12 Posted September 1, 2014 Great to hear you had a great experience Kat! D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David D Posted September 1, 2014 Share #13 Posted September 1, 2014 Sounds like an amazing experiance! -Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ka bar Posted September 1, 2014 Share #14 Posted September 1, 2014 Kat, it is a shame that these nurses are over there and I am over here! It would have been a fantastic opportunity to find out how the war nurses structured their day...or if there WAS any structure Nurses like myself will have NO idea of what they saw or how they dealt with it using limited equipment... We are lucky with state of the art ventilators, medications and monitoring equipment Managing a soldier with half his torso ripped off from a mine or grenade would have been appalling.... You are very lucky to have met her... Thank you for making my day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmar Posted September 1, 2014 Share #15 Posted September 1, 2014 Hi Kat! Thank you for sharing such an exciting day with us! You got to look living legends right in the eye, what a great opportunity. I bet she could keep us all riveted for hours and hours with her accounts. I'm really glad you got to meet such an awesome lady. Best wishes! Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted September 2, 2014 Share #16 Posted September 2, 2014 Thanks! It was a great day. There were a few displays at the reunion. It was so blasted hot outside that no one was looking at the jeeps. ...Kat Hi Kat, sounds like you had a very good day, nice when you can to talk with people who made history. Take a look at this link there are lots of women in uniform and mainly nurses, clicking on the photo's leads to further information and possibly more photo's https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=WWII+American+nurses+in+Normandy&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=xvIFVNXBGMLjaI20gOgJ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1199&bih=567#facrc=_&imgdii=hyK-dsmGEBXhxM%3A%3BAo8v2jLZrhqwlM%3BhyK-dsmGEBXhxM%3A&imgrc=hyK-dsmGEBXhxM%253A%3BYcpXq6xBJxm8OM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fmedia-cache-ec0.pinimg.com%252F236x%252F70%252Ffa%252Ff9%252F70faf9f96159a3cb229af6699dd567d6.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.pinterest.com%252FhardysCorner7%252Fhistory-normandy-1944-1945%252F%3B236%3B334 Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share #17 Posted September 2, 2014 Take a look at this link there are lots of women in uniform and mainly nurses, clicking on the photo's leads to further information and possibly more photo's Ken Ken, Thanks so much! This is great. I hope you are doing well. ...Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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