Newport daily independent., 1918-11-26
Girls Behind the Men Behind the Guns Are Doing Great
 Work.
OVER 12,00O NOW THERE
They Know They Have Man-Sized Job and They Are Tacklna 1t in Man's Way--MoraIe is
 Perfect.

ld6 DOultu d verltable army of her womanhood into war-torn Europe. To date over 12,000 American nurses have been sent over. Within the year there will be right here on the ground more than 24,000 of these American "girls behind the men behind the guns"
 This Is the estimate of Miss Carrie M. Hall of Boston, head of all Ameri- can Red Cross nurses in Great Britain.
 Of the 12,000 now here, between 600 and TOO are working in Great Brit ain in the dozen or more American hospitals that have sprung into being within the past six months. The re- mainder are staff1ng hospitals behind the Enes in France.
 With the arrival of American sol diers at Vladivostok came a contin- gent of nurses from the American Red Cross unit at Tokio, Japan. As hos tilities and American casualties begin there more United States army regu- lar nurses probably will be sent to Russia.
 All Highly Trained.
 All women sent over so far are high iy trained graduate nurses, bacteriolo- gists, dietitians and college trained hygiene experts. The war department in Washington has ruled that only these trained women may be sent over for the time being, at least.
 For this reason General Pershing's recent call for 5000 girl workers with the American army in France will be filled by British instead of American girls. England's women's army, the "Waacs" (Women's Army Auxiliary Corps) Is now conducting a nation wide recruiting campaign here for these British girl volunteers for duty as clerks, chauffeurs, typists, orderlies, telephonists, etc, with the American army.
 Practically every troop convoy from the United States brings scores more of these women experts. From peace loving American homes that have not yet felt the grim hand of wal tlCSC DiuC-SldQ AuhEC SlliS1 ilhO their big brothers, are plunging into this maelstrom of war with a deter imitation and efficiency that has won for them already the unstinted praise of all the allies.
 They know they've got man-sized job before them, stripped of all the so-ealled glamour of war, and they're 1t In a mans way. Up in the field and base hospitals under she'll fire and valiantly braving air raid ter TOTS, they're Carrying on" untiringly, night and day, working unceasingly to save the lives of our boys.
 Miss Hall, who was one of the first American nurses to arrive in France after the United States decided to jump into this job of wind- Ing up the watch on the Rhine, was witness of the sterling quality of American womanhood in this war un- der fire.
 Morale Is Perfect.
 "I was one of the first to come over with the Harvard Base hospital unit. No sooner were we landed than we were attached to the British and hur- ried up near the first line to staff a little tented hospital city near Cam iers. There were two other American field hospitals near us.
 Tt was bright moonlight night. Our tents were shown up like silver city. At midnight the alarm sounded. We leaped from our beds. There was no panic. The hum of the Boche ma chimes was plainly audible. Suddenly five deafening explosions told us they had gotten our camp. It only lasted about five minutes, but in that short time their five bombs dropped In a straight line had nearly demolished our camp.
 "rents containing American wound ed were ripped to shreds, temporary hospital buildings moved down like a pack of cards. Six soldier patients were killed and a score or more in- jured. The morale of the nurses and doctors was wonderful. Forgetting self, they plunged into the work of rescue.
 ''One girl, Eva Parmalee of Boston was on duty in one of the tents most badly hit. One bomb fell so near her clothing was ripped and torn by bits of flying debris and pieces of sand lodged in the flesh of her face. Un- daunted, she carried on through 1t all, rushing here and there aiding wound ed and assisting in Nhe work of rescue. Not until it was all over did she mo- tice the state of her clothes or the bits of sand in her face"