Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
7:16 | Upon joining the Army Air Corps, it was Grace's job as the plane's nurse to care for any injured passengers on board until they reached their destination. She talks about what it was like to care for her patients and the process of doing so. When the war ended in Europe, her job was far from over as she was transferred to duty in the Pacific.(This interview made possible with the support of RICHARD A. BERNSTEIN.) (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, the Military Heritage Museum- https://freedomisntfree.org/.)
Keywords : Grace Chicken nurse Europe Pacific New York Azores caretaker patients plane end of war Hawaii Portugal German Miami FL Newfoundland Bermuda litter ambulatory Medal Of Honor (MOH) Laguardia San Francisco CA Hickam Field wounded Harry Truman Irene Olsen Tokyo Japan Luzon Philippines
Grace Chicken was born in Hutchins, Kansas and moved to Missouri during the Great Depression. Ironically, her family was known for owning a large chicken farm to go along with their last name. As she grew up, she attended junior college for nursing and eventually joined the Red Cross, with her ultimate goal to become a nurse for the Army and she did eventually join the Air Corps. Her first assignment as a nurse was in Newfoundland. (This interview made possible with the support of RICHARD A. BERNSTEIN.) (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, the Military Heritage Museum- https://freedomisntfree.org/.)
Grace remembers the pain of the soldiers involved in the Battle of Corregidor who were taken prisoner. When it was her time to return home from the Pacific, she and her team did so by going to Chicago. From there, she went back to university to finish her studies, until the war in Korea began to start up. Then it was right back to caring for wounded soldiers. (This interview made possible with the support of RICHARD A. BERNSTEIN.) (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, the Military Heritage Museum- https://freedomisntfree.org/.)
Grace Chicken wasn't necessarily drafted into the Korean War since she willingly took the nursing job she was offered immediately out of school. It was around this time that the Army Air Corps became the Air Force. She was stationed in Japan and would fly to Korea to pick up wounded Americans, and oddly enough, sometimes they would even pick up wounded enemy soldiers. (This interview made possible with the support of RICHARD A. BERNSTEIN.) ( Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, the Military Heritage Museum- https://freedomisntfree.org/.)
During her time in the service, Chicken remembers that the treatment nurses received on board the airplanes was incredibly positive. According to her, nurses were held in very high regard because of their ability to quickly care for patients as well as their status as officers. One time in Korea, her team was tasked with saving a group of orphans. After the war ended, she went back to having a job at the Red Cross. She gives her reflections on both wars she was involved in, and what she wants to say to everyone watching her stories. (This interview made possible with the support of RICHARD A. BERNSTEIN.) (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, the Military Heritage Museum- https://freedomisntfree.org/.)
