Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
3:52 | There were tropical diseases around in Vietnam but what got Army nurse Sue Stohr sick was eating out in Saigon. Everybody took their malaria pills on Mondays but she had to stop because of the side effects. Halfway through her tour she was made head nurse at the hospital which, unfortunately, didn't come with a promotion in rank.
Keywords : Sue Stohr nurse Vietnam Saigon 3rd Field Hospital Malaria shigella
Sue Stohr had already served three years in the Army Nurse Corps and got out, but when Vietnam heated up, she felt she should be there. She volunteered to go and, after a few months of preparation, she arrived at Bien Hoa. Nothing could have prepared her for the heat and humidity.
Army nurse Sue Stohr arrived in Vietnam, was issued her fatigues and patches, and taken on a bus to Saigon, where the 3rd Field Hospital was located. Saigon was chaotic and busy and the surgery ward only a little less so.
The shifts at the hospital were 12 hours and there were all kinds of injuries and wounds. Army nurse Sue Stohr describes the area of Saigon around the hotel, which had many important locations including General Westmoreland's villa. The roof of the building where she was billeted was her living room.
Sue Stohr had a roommate in Saigon and they still correspond. Her roommate was a Red Cross worker and she and the Red Cross in general were a tremendous help to the nurses at the 3rd Field Hospital. Many more wounded men were saved during the Vietnam War as opposed to previous wars because of the advent of helicopter evacuations.
The Tet Offensive was a real test for the staff at the 3rd Field Hospital in Saigon. Army nurse Sue Stohr was just a month away from rotating home and this last month proved to be very hectic as the wounded poured in. She never left the hospital compound during this time because of fighting in the city. There were no infantry stationed in Saigon and troops had to be rushed in to secure many important locations.
Army nurse Sue Stohr did get R&R while she was in Vietnam. She also got to meet a lot of entertainers who toured the hospital in Saigon as part of their USO activities. She missed the Bob Hope show but he came in to greet the wounded troops and Richard Nixon came through, which prompted an innocent but hilarious question from a soldier.
Sue Stohr had just gone through a very tough last month in Vietnam due to the Tet Offensive. Her duty was done at the 3rd Field Hospital in Saigon and, when she arrived stateside, her brother was just flunking out of college and becoming exposed to the draft. She gave him a piece of advice that led to a very nice career.
Army nurse Sue Stohr kept up with the news during her Vietnam tour so she was aware of the turmoil back home. She was not unsympathetic to the protest movement but she was not going to join it. She enjoyed the songs of Anne Murray while she was there and that's the music that takes her memory back.
