Answering the Call: A Commemorative Tribute to Military Nursing in World War I - The U.S. Army Nurse Corps, 1917-1919 - Hospitals, Ambulances, Trains, African-American Nurses, Swine Flu Epidemic

This excellent report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. Gathered here for the first time is a rare and carefully chosen collection that depicts the rich and varied experiences of Army nurses during the First World War as recorded by U.S. Army Signal Corps photographers. Thanks to their diligent efforts, we have inherited a priceless legacy of the war as seen through their lens.

Although these images appear in various tones of black and white, they are embedded with the ever-changing hues of human drama, emotion, tragedy, and exhilaration that typically color the personal wartime experience.
To accompany this photographic anthology, the authors have selected numerous excerpts from contemporary historians whose well-researched accounts of the ANC in 1918 offer invaluable understanding of the role these brave volunteers played.

I. The Army Nurse Corps * Historical Background * Chief Nurses * II. The Red Cross Solution * The Army Nurses Corps Goes Over There! * The Army Medical Department and the Red Cross * The Red Cross Hospitals * The Army Nurse in England * III. Stateside Nursing * The Army School of Nursing * Training * African American Nurses * IV. On the Battlefield * Buddy Aid * Litter Bearers * Ambulances * Field Hospitals * Mobile Hospitals * Evacuating the Wounded * Evacuation Hospitals * Hospital Trains * Camp Hospitals * V. Behind the Lines * Quarters and Living Conditions * Leisure * In the Operating Room * Central Medical Department Laboratory * Disease * Death * Hospital Centers * Convalescence * VI. Victory! * Farewell to France * Awards and Citations * Summary

Only seventeen years after the establishment of the Army Nurse Corps, America entered into a global conflict known as World War I. It was a short period for us, less than two years until the Armistice in 1918, but the demands on nurses were profound. During this period, the ANC grew from 403 members to over 22,000 utilizing a significant portion of all the professional nurses in the United States. Their willingness to volunteer was the blueprint for how nurses would answer the need across the 20th century when the patriots responded to a call to arms in support of our Nation and freedom around the world.

The contributions and accomplishments of World War I nurses advanced care of the wounded and ill across the world. They demonstrated the capabilities and importance of nurses on the front lines where their skills, dedication and compassion reduced morbidity and mortality of the battlefield. These achievements led to debate and progression on important issues to women and nurses for appropriate rank, compensation and retirement benefits. Through all of these challenges, Army Nurses focused on the needs of their patients and the mission clearly demonstrating that nurses were integral members of the healthcare team—long before the concept was accepted that care requires a team effort!