Nursing during the Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War was the longest war ever fought by U.S. military forces. U.S. personnel served from 1961 to 1973. Approximately 10,000 U.S. military women served in Vietnam during the war. Most were members of the Army, Navy and Air Force Nurse Corps. All Army nurses were volunteers who attended a six-week basic training course, and then were assigned to year-long stints in Vietnam hospitals and Army Mobile Surgical Hospital (MASH) units. Most of these nurses were fresh out of nursing school, some with less than six months of clinical experience. These nurses were not prepared for the physical and emotional wounds they would have to heal. Clearly the role of women stationed in Vietnam was very different from that of the combat soldier. In primarily medical positions, their primary duties were to care for and provide nutrition to severely wounded and/or dying combat soldiers. This function was complicated by the fact that the nurses, many of whom were straight out of nursing school, were only a few years older than the wounded they treated. These nurses were valued and took on the role of "big sister" with their patients, providing psychological and medical comfort. Nurses were expected to be emotionally strong as well as physically strong. “Somehow, it was considered a lack of competence if they felt psychologically devastated by particular events or by the accumulation of experiences related to the terrible injuries and deaths they were dealing with” (Scannell-Desch, 2). This created post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which was a common disorder shared among Vietnam nurses. In addition to clinical inexperience which is one of the main problems causing... middle of paper... book. He was very detailed when it came to the wars where the nurses had to volunteer, because if it weren't for the nurses, most of the soldiers would have died. This book was not just about nurses, but covered the beginnings of nursing (Florenece Henderson) to the present day (1996). He explained new techniques and excellent nursing methods compared to the past. Hillstrom, Kevin, & Hillstrom, L. C. (1998). The Vietnam Experience: A Concise Encyclopedia of American Literature, Songs, and Films. Wesport, CT: Greenwood Press, Inc.This was an encyclopedia about the Vietnam War. It had a specific section on women and nurses and the physical and emotional effects war and soldiers had on them. It had specific sections on many other things like soldiers, weapons, etc. It was very informative and gave lots of details about women and nursing..