Personal Narrative Manuscript/Mixed Material Audio Recording Mary Elizabeth Breed Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Branch of Service: Army
- Location of Service: Da Nang, Vietnam; Quang Tri, Vietnam; Fort Jackson, North Carolina
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/15635
At the time she enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps in 1968, casualties in Vietnam were mounting, and the war had begun to affect Mary Breed personally: her brother was twice wounded during his time in country. Entering the service to assist other servicemen in the same way her brother had been cared for, she spent time in both a large evacuation hospital (the 95th Evac in Da Nang) and a smaller field hospital (the 18th Surgical in Quang Tri). She coped with the intense stress of her environment through simple pleasures such as games of Monopoly and roller-skating--as well as endless conversations with her fellow nurses and medics, a necessary part of decompressing from the carnage they witnessed.
Mary Elizabeth Breed Collection
Interview / Recording
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PlayBrother wounded twice in Vietnam; Tet Offensive and escalation of casualties; war affecting her personally; decision to enlist as a nurse. 00:01:53.5 - 00:02:57.5
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PlayIntensity of goodbye to family; flight to Vietnam; first thoughts upon arrival. 00:14:10.5 - 00:18:31.5
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PlayPortrayal in media of nurses in Vietnam; decision not to drink; ways of relieving stress; playing games; visiting orphanages. 00:26:08.5 - 00:30:55.5
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PlayGetting to know helicopter crews well; traveling by chopper; one incident in which she was listening over radio when the helicopter was shot down; friends survived. 00:52:00.5 - 00:54:55.5
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PlayLearning her father died; whirlwind night; her colleagues taking up a collection to fund her return trip home. 01:05:05.5 - 01:07:45.5
About this Item
Title
- Mary Elizabeth Breed Collection
Names
- Heikkila, Kim
- Peters, Andria
- Breed, Mary Elizabeth
- Anoka Ramsey Community College
Home State
- Minnesota
Headings
- - Breed, Mary Elizabeth
- - Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Female
Race
- White
Status
- veteran
Service History
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Branch of Service: Army
- Location of Service: Da Nang, Vietnam; Quang Tri, Vietnam; Fort Jackson, North Carolina
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Dates of Service: 1969-1971
- Military Status: veteran
Materials
- Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2003-04-03)
- Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2007-10-22; 2007-10-22)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/15635
Cite as
- Mary Elizabeth Breed Collection (AFC/2001/001/15635), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- audio