Personal Narrative Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Software, E-Resource Audio Recording Evelyn Kowalchuk Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 818th Squadron
- Location of Service: England; Normandy, France
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/66174
First Lieutenant Evelyn Kowalchuk's mother so strongly opposed her daughter's military service that she ripped up all of her applications to the various service branches. Sidestepping her mother and persevering, she was accepted by the Army Nurse Corps as a flight nurse. Stationed in England, she cared for patients as they were ferried by plane from the Normandy beaches. It was a particularly difficult position to be in as a nurse--providing a personal touch to patients during the short flight to England, and then never seeing them again after they reached the ground. While she and her fellow flight nurses were "bound together" by the horror of what they observed, they were also scarred: she was haunted by post-war nightmares, and more than one flight nurse she knew committed suicide after they returned home.
Evelyn Kowalchuk Collection
Interview / Recording
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PlayStarted applying to various service branches, and receiving no response; learning that her mother was ripping up the applications; mother believed service was for the boys; post-war, her mother had no tolerance for post-traumatic stress disorder. 00:01:33.7 - 00:04:04.5
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PlayStaying overnight in a foxhole or in the plane; hearing sounds of battle nearby; initially talking about what they saw, but then discussion stopped; nurses only left to get married. 00:19:34.6 - 00:21:26.9
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PlayMaking trip to Normandy three or four times a day; typical flight across the Channel; cabins weren't pressurized; dealing with patients who vomited. 00:28:23.1 - 00:32:01.9
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PlayTalking to soldiers who had received Dear John letters, and didn't want to go home; soldiers who showed pictures of wives or girlfriends; patient asking her not to let him die; her work made her feel useful, like she offered a personal touch; never saw patients after landing. 00:49:05.0 - 00:51:52.5
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About this Item
Title
- Evelyn Kowalchuk Collection
Names
- Roanoke Public Libraries
- Maynor, Ashley R.
- Kowalchuk, Evelyn
- Clark, Brian
Home State
- Virginia
Headings
- - Kowalchuk, Evelyn
- - World War, 1939-1945 -- 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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World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 818th Squadron
- Location of Service: England; Normandy, France
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Dates of Service: 1941-1945
- Entrance into Service: Enlisted
- Military Status: veteran
- Service History Note: The veteran was a flight nurse who served on Normandy Beach.
Materials
- Audio: DVD [ item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2008-04-14; 2005-09-16)
- Photograph: Photocopy of Photographic Print [1 item] -- Photograph (collected unknown)
- Computer File: DVD [1 item] -- Multiple types of electronic files (collected 2008-04-14; 2008-05-12)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/66174
Cite as
- Evelyn Kowalchuk Collection (AFC/2001/001/66174), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- audio
- image