The evening leader., 1918-12-06
YANKEE NURSES
SHOW METTLE
Girls Behind the Men Behind the
Guns Are Doing Great
Work.
over $4,000 NOW THERE
They Know They Have a Man-sized
Job and They Are TackIing 1t in a
Mans Way-MoraIe Is
Perfect.

LonlOn.-America has poured a
veritable army of her womanhood into
war-torn Europe. To date over 10000
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
NJ. Hall of Boston, head of all Ameri-
can Red Cross nurses in Great Britain.
Of the $4,000 now here, between
600 and 700 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 stating 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 Toxic, 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
ly 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
armv
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
war these blue-clad Yankee girls, like
their big brothers, are plunging into
this maelstrom of war with deter
mination 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-called glamour of war, and they're
tackling it in mans way. Up in the
field and base hospitals under she'll
fire and valiantly Drawing air raid ter
rOrs, they're carrying on" untiringly,
night and day, working increasingly to
save the lives of our boys.
Miss Hall, who was one of the first
American nurses to arrive in France
Immediately 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.
81 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-
led up near the first line to staff a
little tented hospital city near Cam
sers. There We're two other American
field hospitals near us.
SIT was bright moonlight night.
Our tents were shown up like a 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. 1t only lasted
about five minutes, but in that short
time their five bombs dropped in a
straight line had nearly demolished
our camp.
'Tents containing American wound
ed We're ripped to shreds, temporary
hospital buildings moved down like
pack of cards. Six soldier patients
were killed and 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. I'm
daunted she carried ON through it all,
rushing here and there aiding wound
ed and assisting in the work of rescue.
Not until it was all over did she no
tice the state of her clothes or the bits
of sand in her face"