Personal Narrative Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Bernadette Agnes Miller Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Branch of Service: Army
- Location of Service: Fort Sam Houston and Fort Hood, Texas; Central Highlands and An Khe, Vietnam
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/50690
Captain Bernadette Miller was just twenty-one years old when she arrived in Vietnam for duty as a post-operative nurse. Considered the baby of the hospital, the other nurses took her under their wing, helping her to cope with the stress of the job. Her first night there, a rocket attack roused her out of bed and into the hospital, where she evacuated patients while wearing a flak jacket over her pajamas; after that, she slept in her fatigues. Because she worked at a field hospital, where most patients stayed for only a few days before being transferred elsewhere, she never knew how her patients fared after they left her care.
Interview / Recording
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PlayHardest part of the job was not being able to save all of the patients; dealing with mass casualty incidents; notable incident in which she treated a patient from near her hometown. 00:05:23.4 - 00:07:22.7
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PlayTaking care of and interaction with Vietnamese civilians; treating pregnant women and POWs; dealing with stress; treated very well because of the scarcity of women on base. 00:12:04.8 - 00:16:07.6
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PlayRocket attack her first night at the hospital. 00:20:08.0 - 00:21:28.1
More Resources
About this Item
Title
- Bernadette Agnes Miller Collection
Names
- Missouri State University
- Megan Kandlbinder
- Johnson, Julie A.
- Henson, Shauna
- Nichole Smith
- Miller, Bernadette Agnes
Home State
- Missouri
Headings
- - Miller, Bernadette Agnes
- - Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Female
Status
- veteran
Service History
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Branch of Service: Army
- Location of Service: Fort Sam Houston and Fort Hood, Texas; Central Highlands and An Khe, Vietnam
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Dates of Service: 1968-1971
- Entrance into Service: Commissioned
- Military Status: veteran
- Service History Note: The veteran served in hospitals as a registered nurse.
Materials
- Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2006-10-27; 2006-11-20)
- Photograph: Digital print [5 items] -- Photograph (collected 1970)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/50690
Cite as
- Bernadette Agnes Miller Collection (AFC/2001/001/50690), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- image
- video