10,000 women served in Vietnam during the war – 7,000 were nurses. The soldiers who were hospitalized had nothing but good things to say about these “Angels of Mercy” who took care of them during their stay. Many of us still remember those days. Here’s what one nurse remembers about her tour of duty…
Lou Eisenbrandt was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 18 years ago, the result of exposure to Agent Orange. Female Angels of Mercy came in contact with the lethal herbicide when cutting away the uniforms on wounded soldiers. I was privileged to meet Lou and listen to her awe-inspiring presentation during the July gathering of the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association. And this is her story.
From her own words during the presentation: “I have Parkinson’s from exposure to Agent Orange, so I’ve instructed my body to remain still. If I do a Michael J. Fox, please forgive me, but I can’t help it. I’m also not using a laser pointer because the laser would be all over the place.
“My experiences are no different than other nurses who served in Nam. Ten thousand women served, 7,000 were nurses. I grew up in the small town of Mascoutah, Ill, population 3,000. I was the oldest of five, born with a wanderlust in my heart because I knew something else was out there for me.”
“I was in nurses training when I stumbled onto an Army program which allowed a nurse to join up, study for three years, then serve for two years. I didn’t join for a noble cause or thinking I could change the world, I just wanted to see some of the world, like Germany, Japan or England. My first port-of-call was officer’s training at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, in June of 1968. Then I received orders for Ft. Dix, N.J. I packed up my brand new Rambler American and headed for The Garden State.
“I spent nine months at Ft. Dix, which was a good thing. Some nurses were sent straight from nursing school to Vietnam. Ft. Dix was interesting to say the least. They even had a stockade section, and I had to check daily for improvised weapons. One prisoner escaped, but not on my shift. I usually cared for the soldiers with upper respiratory infections, at one point over 300 soldiers. We also had the fatties and skinnies. If too fat, we put them on diets; if too skinny, they got milkshakes. Oddly, they put these guys in the same ward. The skinnies stayed skinny because the fatties drank all the milkshakes. Before the year was out I received a manila envelope; ‘Congratulations, you’re going to Vietnam.’ Not the travel I expected.
“I loved flying on the choppers since I was an avid photographer. Great region for photos, but I never took photos of casualties. Chopper pilots are, well, different. They loved to party. I spent my first three months in a medical ward treating non-combat related problems, like hepatitis and malaria, even jungle rot. By the way, the Officer’s Club was built on the edge of a cliff. We consumed a ‘slight’ amount of alcohol in there.
“Within three months the chief nurse asked if I wanted the challenge of the emergency room. I accepted. After we cared for casualties we washed the blood down a drain in the concrete floor with a hose. Head injuries from rotor blades were the worse cases, horrible wounds. If a soldier was not ambulatory we utilized a gurney and used screens to block off a KIA or DOA. During triage if we determined a soldier wouldn’t make it he was placed behind a screen then a nurse held his hand and talked to him until he died.
“One time after their village was hit, we had 99 Vietnamese civilians to care for within a 24-hour period. When wounded Vietnamese came in, so did the whole family. We also had Vietnamese nurses. They really helped due to culture differences.
“I was 22 years old, young and adventurous. We’d jump in a Jeep and travel heavily mined Highway 1 to visit orphanages or Hue. We took M-16s and helmets, but never encountered any problems. They instructed us to not purchase Cokes or beer from roadside stands because the VC would booby-trap cans with live grenades. Pull the tab … and, boom!
“Saigon was a trip, pardon the pun. It was crazy. Traffic would go on a red light, then keep on going on a green light. Once a bike ran over my toes … I was standing on the sidewalk. Rocket attacks were common at Chu Lai because of all the fuel storage tanks. You know, back then ladies used pink rollers. We couldn’t wear helmets during rocket attacks if we had our hair in rollers; it hurt like heck!
“The realities of war? You try to forget them, but you never do. Every soldier brought into the emergency room had to have his fatigues cut from his body, fatigues frequently coated with Agent Orange. I recall the missing limbs, arms and legs dangling on shredded flesh, and one soldier we rolled over to check for exit wounds …. his back stayed on the litter. We put him back down. He made it through surgery and we got him to Japan. Don’t know if he made it or not. I think of that kid every day.
“You tried to be detached from the suffering, but I had an attachment to a young lieutenant who came in with his men. His unit took heavy casualties and he wanted to be with them, to see them through their ordeal. Next time it was him, peppered full of shrapnel. We were told he would lose both legs. That’s one of the few times I had to walk out of the emergency room. It rattled me. We saved his legs, but I’ve seen him since returning home. His legs are not of much use; he’s another boy I think about every day.
Lou Eisenbrandt returned home, then spent six weeks on the road with another nurse, visiting other veteran nurses, doing their best to forget and move on with their lives. Both ladies settled into nursing positions at Fitzsimmons Army Hospital in Denver. Lou met and married a young attorney named Jim. They’ve been together for 44 years, have two grown children and two precious grandchildren, and as Lou affectionately stated, “one big dog.” Her book, “Vietnam Nurse, Mending and Remembering,” distributed by Deeds Publishing, is selling like hotcakes.
Eight nurses lost their lives in Vietnam. One was 26-year-old Lt. Sharon Lane. She was killed by shrapnel from an exploding rocket while caring for Viet Cong prisoners at Chu Lai.
God bless the Angels of Mercy.
ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC !!!! the nurses played a huge part in that conflict. Young women also putting their lives on the line to do a job they were doing was more than heroic. They weren’t drafted like the male population was, but they had a call , and they answered. It was a great article, and I THANK the person who asked the question ….WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS ARTICLE.
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The nurses were tough and they worked their rear ends off. I never got to spend any time in the hospital. I had jungle rot, ring worm and I wasucky I only got hit with scrap metal one time
Small piece, the medic wanted to tag me, I was in an infantry unit.
1/50, 173rd and guys that got hit in my unit didn’t get a purple heart from a little piece of metal
God bless the nurses then and now.
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Wonderful article, I had 4 brothers who served in Vietnam of which one was severely wounded but, due to the care of these Angel’s of Mercy my brother survived. To all those ladies who served I say… Thank You for your service and God Bless each and every one you.
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Thank you for your service . Love your story brought tears to my eyes . Came chu lis December 1969 on my way to Japan thank you ladies with all my heart. MARINE SGT BOB SMITH GOD BLESS YOU
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Thank You For Your Service.I had made a mistake last time stated my Friend who served there in79.I meant to say 69.But he lived w a Bullet in his hip all his life. YOU were Brave For what I was told.As I wasn’t there.But Thank you.Cause Them Guys.Never belonged THERE.IT This day He TaughtMeWhat RespectWasOf. MilitaryPersonNurseDr.Etc.I Don’t wanna dwell on the bad But I Wanna Know.P.O.W.sAre something.I SoRegretWhatTheyWentThru.Godbless YOU.AndThank you.ForCareingForAllOf Them.
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Wounded 4/9/67, Operation Junction City. My surgery was performed at the 3rd Surgical Hospital by Dr. Robert Brown. So many nurses took care of us young wounded and to this day, I can still see their faces but never knew their names. Twenty five years after returning home and a lot of digging, I was able to find Dr. Brown. The opening of my letter to him began, Dear Dr Brown, you probably don’t remember me, but you saved my life on 4/9/1967, 3rd Surgical Hospital, Republic of Vietnam. The reason for writing is,I never got to thank you! I only wish there was a way to thank each and every Nurse who cared not only for me, but the thousands of other wounded! So, I’ll use this platform with the hopes it will be read! God Bless you all and thank you for giving me and so so many a second chance at life.
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Thank you for what you have done, and are still doing. You are truly an ANGEL OF MERCY. God bless you and yours. And our great America. Always love you forever and ever. “Skinner.” Cuchi, Dauteing, 229th AHB 1/9TH TROOP D late 68- early 70.
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Another nice article, thanks for posting John.
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This is an excellent piece of war historical narrative writing. It is important because it delves into a vital subject that is not covered in normal war historical literature either by academic military historians or general writers. As a Vietnam vet (( was a SGT back then) I deeply appreciated the herculean efforts that the medical staff at the 12th Evac Hospital on CuChi Base Camp of the 25 ID did 24 hours a day to treat my fellow soldiers who were all to often air lifted to the 12th with serious, life threatening wounds.
The time-bomb disability of Parkinson’s disease from agent orange exposure is a price of war that no one should have to pay. Chemical warfare is horrible and has proven to be a two edged sword.
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Thank you Lou and all the wonderful staff at the 91st in Chu Lai. I was wounded Easter Sunday (March) 1970 and thought you might have been there at that time to patch me up. Doc Maxwell had already cut all my fatigues off and bandaged me top to bottom, so I was ‘nekkid!’. ( My top guy Vargas had shared a mine with me that morning and we were both hurting pretty bad) The last thing I remember on the table after being brought into the Quonset was a lovely nurse above me and to my left yelling in a loud voice, “Sgt. Smith, do you know what happened to you? A week or so later, we’re on our way to Japan. Thanks again for your help in saving our lives and for just BEING THERE. So so sorry that you were tainted by the ‘nasty orange’. Just know that so many of us will never forget your kindnesses and the fine care we received from all of you. Thank you. (Sgt.) Thomas M. Smith Co. B 1/6 198th LIB, American Division
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Great Article Thank you for everything you done.
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Well written and I have read other articles by the medical corp. You folks went thru a lot everyday and must have some sad thoughts of what you had to see on a daily basis. Yes, you were angels of mercy for my fellow brothers in arms.
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Many thanks to our “ Angels in white”!
C Brown
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Excellent Article.Very Moving.Brought back many memories.
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So enjoyed this essay and always admired our generation of nurses. I was a Red Cross Donut Dolly in Chu Lai in 71. We’ve lost several of the 635 who served to Agent Orange illnesses. We have never received any disability or care for these illnesses however as we were classified civilians by the military and the Red Cross has denied responsibility. I love the essays however. Always look forward to the writing.
I agree that the helicopters were amazing. Taking one more Huey ride is on my bucket list. Godspeed and stay safe in these unprecedented times. Ann Mitchell
Sent from my iPad
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Ann, you, and all of the civilian personnel that attended to us in uniform in Vietnam deserve all that we got for reparations from Agent Orange exposure. God Bless you, and all who gave their time to the cause.
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Nice article. I was in Chu Lai with the 4-31 196 LIB on LZ West from sep 69 to sep 70. Been to the evac hosp lots of timses visiting wounded from the Bn. As XO of Echo Co and CO. Want to get her book.
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A huge thank you to all nurses that served in Viet Nam, thank you for taking care of me throughout my ordeal from hospital to air vac back to states in 1968 .
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I spent time in the hospital at Chu Lia, fall of 68, I was not wounded , but I remember being treated very well. Thank you for your service .
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Thanks sweetie! I was at Fitzsimmons from Nov 68 to Oct 20, 69.
I was on ward 5 West (or was it east??) I had a really badly injured leg, had my quadracep blown out by an RPG when I was a tank commander.
I made it. Went to school on the Vets Rehab and came out with a 2 year AA degree as a draftsman. I made a pretty good living. Later on I went back and got my Bachelors degree so I could have the title “mechanical enginer” and the pay check that goes with it.
Retired now….
Thanks to all the wonderful nurses along the way, especially Marilyn Merse at the 106th Gen Hosp it Japan from Aug to Nov 68. God Bless you all !!
A thankful vet. Bob S
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I was stationed at Chu Lia and was one of the last chopper pilots to leave Chu Lia as the base was closed and the last brigade was moved to Da Nang. I flew a General for a while and he brought Nurses along on some of his trips to fire bases around Da Nang. I loved fling w/ the nurses. Thanks for all you did for the solders. Sorry for your difficulties from Agent Orande and I know your reward will come when you face Our Lord in heaven. Thanks again CW2 Larry Hill
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The nurses statue at the Wall, not only was it well received, it was well deserved. We read so many stories from Vietnam, mostly about grunts and/or aviators. We rare see anything about those who most probably had the worst jobs in Vietnam – the nurses and medics at the evac hospitals. They were constantly exposed to the horrors of war. They were truly Angles of Mercy. They will probably never get the recognition that they truly deserve.
Thank you Lou for your service, and Welcome Home.
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We only had male medics in1965 at a place called a Vinh Long, south Mekong River area. They were the best, took very good care of me when I was injured. We were a small outpost in a rice paddy, about 50 Huey’s and one Bird Dog aircraft. I married a nurse when I got home in a Charleston, she took care of Vietnam vets at the naval hospital. We were blessed! Ron
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Bless the nurses that went to Vietnam. The treated the wounded both physically and mentally with their presence. The Nurses statue at the Vietnam Veterans Wall was well received when it was installed…they deserved no less. DOL,
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