In Memoriam
World War II Army Flight Nurses
Jenevieve (Jenny) Boyle Silk, who died in June 2017, was the last living of the 25 World War II US Army flight nurses whom I interviewed in 1986 for what became Beyond the Call of Duty: Army Flight Nursing in World War II. I clearly remember each of my interviews with these remarkable women and still can picture them and hear their voices when I think of them.
Twenty of these interviews are now digitized and available as audio recordings on the Imperial War Museum website. Access the interviews here:
My short remembrances are in the order in which I interviewed these former flight nurses.
Anonymous (1912–2010)
812 MAES, Pacific
The flight nurse who requested anonymity graduated from a school of nursing in the Great Lakes Region in 1937 and worked in general nursing, private duty, a doctor’s clinic, anesthesia, and obstetrical nursing before entering the Army in 1942. Like many of her Army nurse colleagues, she volunteered for every assignment posted, including the opportunity to attend the flight nurse course at Bowman Field, KY from which she graduated 1 October 1943. Assigned to the 812 MAES, she traveled with her squadron to air evacuation duty in the Pacific. She died in 2010.
Interviewed 30 Apr 1986
Learn more about my interview with “Anon” on the Blog for 22 Nov 2015.
To be continued
