TEARS ON MY PILLOW: Australian Nurses in Vietnam

Most books that look at the involvement of Australians in the Vietnam War rarely allude to the role of nurses. But war and nursing are unequivocally linked.

A total of 43 Australian Army nursing sisters were sent to Vietnam between

April 1967 and November 1971, undertaking tours of up to 12 months.

The nurses were assigned to a military hospital in a war zone with little advanced preparation, particularly as clinicians with exposure to trauma, critical care or theatre.

The contribution of these women undoubtedly affected many soldiers in profound ways. TEARS ON MY PILLOW describes the experiences of nursing in the Vietnam War using the stories of these servicewomen.

These veterans tell tales of femininity interspersed with the reality of the military environment through their tales of trauma, distress, tears and grief.

It also talks about what kept them sane and includes the lighter side of life such stories of underwear, fun and the basic things in life.

Author Narelle Biedermann .

Dr Narelle Biedermann is Lecturer and Director of Research in the School of Nursing Sciences at James Cook University, Townsville.

After two years' working in the Townsville General Hospital, she was commissioned as an officer in the Australian Regular Army as a member of the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps, where she served for four years.

After completing a study on the experiences of Australian Army nurses in the Vietnam War, she was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in 2001 from James Cook University.
Her husband, Tom, is an Army Officer. They have just had their second child.

"Many of the nursing sisters that went to Vietnam were considerably inexperienced nurses, particularly in trauma and intensive care nursing. 

Most had completed their general nursing training and midwifery training within three years of being posted to Vietnam, and few believed that they were prepared for the experience of nursing in a war zone. 

Unlike the Australian soldiers, the nursing sisters were not given any training to prepare them for their twelve months in Vietnam, and many had no idea of what to expect. 

For some, their first 'taste' of Vietnam was getting off the plane to see dozens of body bags being loaded on to a plane bound for America or Australia . 

Others remembered their first nursing experience was shrouded with terror, when a dust-off chopper arrived and unloaded wounded casualties at their feet. 

One nurse reported that on her first day in Vietnam, she was asked to remove the soldier's boot, and when she did, the entire foot came off with it.  Others had several days in which they could explore their surroundings before they were needed.

The nurses worked in all facets of the 8 th Field Ambulance (until April 1968) and the 1st Australian Field Hospital (until December 1971): triage, intensive care, surgical ward, medical ward, operating theatres, RAP. 

Some found that they were working in the surgical or medical ward, which functioned just like it did in a civilian hospital, except the patients were all young, fit Australian 'boys' who had become sick or wounded in a war zone. 

Others found themselves working in environments for which they had no experience, training or knowledge .  'You were just expected to get on with it.  That was it' , one nurse reported. 

Everything that happened in the war affected the hospital, and ultimately, the nurses. 

For every battle or operation, injured soldiers were brought into the hospital that required treatment: the Tet Offensive, Battle for FSB Coral and Balmoral, Battle of Long Kahn, and the myriad operations that were conducted in the Phouc Tuy Province . 

Every time a soldier was wounded, their job began, and sometimes they didn't stop for thirty-six hours. 

One nurse remembered: 'the dust-off chopper came in and we got to work on the casualties.  Some time later, someone asked, "What day is it?"  We had been going non-stop for thirty hours, and we didn't know if it was night or day.  The casualties just kept coming'.

Most will tell you that it wasn't all hard work in Vietnam.  There were barbecues, parties, visits to Nui Dat, parties, swimming at the beach, parties - anything to relax and unwind from the sights and smells of the hospital. 

They were always consciously aware that they were the only females among thousands of men; a 'round eye'.  Despite the harsh climate, they wore their traditional grey dress uniforms, with stockings and starched veil, 'because the boys would feel secure on seeing us in our uniforms.  If they reached us alive, they knew that they were going to make it home, and we did everything to ensure that they made it' . 

Nursing in Vietnam was unique in some ways.  It required immense dedication and commitment to care for wounded soldiers who could be lying on a stretcher in triage within twenty minutes of being wounded. 

Clinically, the nurses took part in practices that would change the management of casualty resuscitation and wound surgery. 

Despite the trauma and horror of nursing in a war zone, the majority found the experience to be extremely rewarding and the most positive thing they had ever done, as one nurse indicated: 'I am so glad that I went.  If the phone rang right now to go overseas, I would be packed and out of the door before I had a chance to say goodbye to anyone.' - Narelle Biedermann 2004 .