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A review by reneesmith
We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of American Nurses Trapped on Bataan by the Japanese by Elizabeth M. Norman
5.0
Loved this book! Detailed & moving.
Sections I want to remember:
From a military leader: “You may talk all you want of the pioneer women who went across the plains of early America and helped found our great nation.… But never forget the American girls who fought on Bataan and later on Corregidor.… Theirs had been a life of conveniences and even luxury. But their hearts were the same hearts as those of the women of early America. Their names must always be hallowed when we speak of American heroes. The memory of their coming ashore on Corregidor that early morning of April 9, dirty, disheveled, some of them wounded from the hospital bombings—and every last one of them with her chin up in the air—is a memory that can never be erased.”
From a surgeon: “One of the most remarkable things coming out of our experience in Bataan was the presence and performance of the army nurses. In retrospect I believe that they were the greatest morale boost present in that unhappy little area of jungle called Bataan. I was continually amazed that anyone living and working under such primitive conditions could remain as calm, pleasant, efficient and impeccably neat and clean as those remarkable nurses.”
From Dorothea Mae Daley’s JOURNAL: “And on February 19, I, Dorothea Mae Daley, took Emanuel Engel Jr., to be my wedded husband, for better, for worse, in sickness or in health, till death do us part. Everybody in the wedding party, including the bride, was in khaki . . . There was no ring, no license, no bouquet, no veil, no Mass . . . Sounds of bombs were in the distance, and my feet, encased in huge army boots, felt awkward as I stood in an army hospital . . . But there was a solemnity and a sacredness about the ceremony, performed in the midst of so much tragedy, that made us both feel that ours was no ordinary marriage.”
Their uniforms were too large and they were tired and nervous (“ every girl wore a tremulous, red-lipped smile” was how the Associated Press described their demeanor) but they were glad to be home—oh, how they were glad to be home! And as they emerged into the bright California sun, a band played Sousa marches, and the crowd of 1,500 that had gathered to watch them started to applaud and cheer. In this group awaiting the nurses were Generals, Colonels, high-ranking civilians, including Mayor Lapham of San Francisco. Not one dry eye could be seen. Tears were streaming down cheeks of even the toughest old Army men.
THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON TO MEMBERS OF THE ARMY NURSE CORPS BEING REPATRIATED FROM THE PHILIPPINES ON 23 FEBRUARY 1945: It gives me special pleasure to welcome you back to your native shores, and to express, on behalf of the people of the United States, the joy we feel at your deliverance from the hands of the enemy. It is a source of profound satisfaction that our efforts to accomplish your return have been successful. You have served valiantly in foreign lands and have suffered greatly. As your Commander in Chief, I take pride in your past accomplishments and express the thanks of a grateful Nation for your services in combat and your steadfastness while a prisoner of war. May God grant each of you happiness and an early return to health. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Still, the Times seemed much closer to the mark than most when it also said: No one has suggested that the sixty-eight … were unique among members of the Army Nurse Corps. It was the tragic experience, bringing out high qualities of heroism and unselfishness, that was exceptional. The recognition they have received is more than a recognition of them as individuals. It is a tribute to the spirit of their Corps, to feminine tenderness joined with skill and courage.
Sections I want to remember:
From a military leader: “You may talk all you want of the pioneer women who went across the plains of early America and helped found our great nation.… But never forget the American girls who fought on Bataan and later on Corregidor.… Theirs had been a life of conveniences and even luxury. But their hearts were the same hearts as those of the women of early America. Their names must always be hallowed when we speak of American heroes. The memory of their coming ashore on Corregidor that early morning of April 9, dirty, disheveled, some of them wounded from the hospital bombings—and every last one of them with her chin up in the air—is a memory that can never be erased.”
From a surgeon: “One of the most remarkable things coming out of our experience in Bataan was the presence and performance of the army nurses. In retrospect I believe that they were the greatest morale boost present in that unhappy little area of jungle called Bataan. I was continually amazed that anyone living and working under such primitive conditions could remain as calm, pleasant, efficient and impeccably neat and clean as those remarkable nurses.”
From Dorothea Mae Daley’s JOURNAL: “And on February 19, I, Dorothea Mae Daley, took Emanuel Engel Jr., to be my wedded husband, for better, for worse, in sickness or in health, till death do us part. Everybody in the wedding party, including the bride, was in khaki . . . There was no ring, no license, no bouquet, no veil, no Mass . . . Sounds of bombs were in the distance, and my feet, encased in huge army boots, felt awkward as I stood in an army hospital . . . But there was a solemnity and a sacredness about the ceremony, performed in the midst of so much tragedy, that made us both feel that ours was no ordinary marriage.”
Their uniforms were too large and they were tired and nervous (“ every girl wore a tremulous, red-lipped smile” was how the Associated Press described their demeanor) but they were glad to be home—oh, how they were glad to be home! And as they emerged into the bright California sun, a band played Sousa marches, and the crowd of 1,500 that had gathered to watch them started to applaud and cheer. In this group awaiting the nurses were Generals, Colonels, high-ranking civilians, including Mayor Lapham of San Francisco. Not one dry eye could be seen. Tears were streaming down cheeks of even the toughest old Army men.
THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON TO MEMBERS OF THE ARMY NURSE CORPS BEING REPATRIATED FROM THE PHILIPPINES ON 23 FEBRUARY 1945: It gives me special pleasure to welcome you back to your native shores, and to express, on behalf of the people of the United States, the joy we feel at your deliverance from the hands of the enemy. It is a source of profound satisfaction that our efforts to accomplish your return have been successful. You have served valiantly in foreign lands and have suffered greatly. As your Commander in Chief, I take pride in your past accomplishments and express the thanks of a grateful Nation for your services in combat and your steadfastness while a prisoner of war. May God grant each of you happiness and an early return to health. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Still, the Times seemed much closer to the mark than most when it also said: No one has suggested that the sixty-eight … were unique among members of the Army Nurse Corps. It was the tragic experience, bringing out high qualities of heroism and unselfishness, that was exceptional. The recognition they have received is more than a recognition of them as individuals. It is a tribute to the spirit of their Corps, to feminine tenderness joined with skill and courage.