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Vera Gustafson, 1944.

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army Nurse Corps
  • Location of Service: Fort Devens, Massachusetts; Casablanca, Morocco; Oran, Algeria; Naples, Monte Cassino, and Rome, Italy; Saint-Tropez, Baccharat, and Marseilles, France; Bavaria and Dachau, Germany
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/17171

View full service history

"At the time of her capture, she had spoken seven languages, and here she was, just worried about getting her food." (Spoken of a Hungarian political prisoner at Dachau) (Video Interview, 21:59)

From Morocco and Naples to the Battle of the Bulge and Dachau, Vera Gustafson accumulated a lifetime of memories in only three years of service during World War II. She used her leave time to squeeze in some of the sights in Europe and, more importantly, managed a semi-secret romance with a mess sergeant attached to her hospital, a man who later became her husband.

Interview / Recording

More Resources

[ Dachau Concentration Camp: OSS Section, Seventh Army Summary ]
[ Map: Geographic History of the 27th Evacuation Hospital Special Service Section ]
[ Dachau Concentration Camp Permanent Pass ]
[ Newpaper photograph "Forground Lt. Katherine Tucker. Rear L-R Vera Gustafson, Lt. Ruth Schroeder, Lt. Mary Fallon and Lt. Mary Leech.Munich, Germany 1945." ]
[ Newspaper photograph "Illinois Nurses Work Near Reich" ]

About this Item

Title

  • Vera Cecelia Palmer Collection

Names

  • Willie, Michael Lloyd
  • WRCB-TV Channel 3
  • Bowen, Sarah
  • Palmer, Vera Cecelia

Home State

  • Tennessee

Headings

  • -  Palmer, Vera Cecelia
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army Nurse Corps.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Female

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army Nurse Corps
    • Location of Service: Fort Devens, Massachusetts; Casablanca, Morocco; Oran, Algeria; Naples, Monte Cassino, and Rome, Italy; Saint-Tropez, Baccharat, and Marseilles, France; Bavaria and Dachau, Germany
    • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
    • Dates of Service: 1942-1946
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Photograph: Original photographic print [5 items] -- (collected unknown)
  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Maps [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [3 items] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Printed matter [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Video: Betacam SP [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2003-05-28)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/17171

Cite as

  • Vera Cecelia Palmer Collection (AFC/2001/001/17171), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Willie, Michael Lloyd, Wrcb-Tv Channel 3, Sarah Bowen, and Vera Cecelia Palmer. Vera Cecelia Palmer Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.17171/.

APA citation style:

Willie, M. L., Wrcb-Tv Channel 3, Bowen, S. & Palmer, V. C. (1942) Vera Cecelia Palmer Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.17171/.

MLA citation style:

Willie, Michael Lloyd, et al. Vera Cecelia Palmer Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.17171/>.