Evening star., 1942-06-06
Men S Army Clothes
Repress Glamour Of
NewCa|edonia Nurses
But Women Like Outdoor
Life and Find Illness
Rare Among Troops
By CLARK LEE,


WITH THE UNITED STATES
ARMY IN NEW CALEDONIA De-
layed) when we first arrived a
few weeks ago we were just babes
in the woods for the first time in
our lives. Now we are pretty much
settled down and liking it."
Other American nurses seated
outside a tent amidst a eucalyptus
grove somewhere in New Caledonia
agreed with the speaker, a pretty
girl from Pennsylvania.
But" one of them interjected,
I'm afraid we're not very attrac-
tive babes. These Army issue pants
they make us wear certainly don't
add to our glamour"
The girls are wearing regular
Army trousers and shirts, and even
mems cotton undershirts, partly be-
cause only a portion have their own
uniforms and partly for protection
against mosquitoes which are the
one disagreeable feature of an
otherwise pleasant countryside.
Unit From Philadelphia.
This hospital unit from Philadel-
phia and its doctors include many
of the city's foremost specialists.
Few of the doctors and nurses had
even been in uniform until they
were sworn in last December, and
most of the nurses had never spent
a single night outdoors.
They set up field hospital in a
woods many miles from Noumea.
which is New Caledonias only fair
sized city. They had no movies or
other entertainment, except what
they provided themselves. But they
can swim the deep river running
nearby, hunt deer and take hikes,
and most of them are thoroughly
enjoying outdoor life except when
it rains.
Professionally they've had little to
do since the health of the American
forces in New Caledonia has been
excellent. There has not been a
single death from disease. The
mosquitoes do not carry malaria and,
except for some mild cases of jaun-
dice, there has been little illness.
The nurses have learned to haul
their own drinking water, bathe in
the open and prepare and cook spe-
cial meals from wild game, in which
the countryside aboundS. Ordinar-
lily, they eat regular Army food.
Just Can't Like Rice.
AS everywhere else, the first ques-
ton they ask them is whether the
Japs are likely to come here. Most
of them admit they'd rather be
somewhat bored than have that
happen.
AS one of them said, I've been
practicing and trying but I just
can't get myself to like rice. If the
Japs come and it looks like we
would be captured, I'm going to
take to the hills and live with some
friendly natives"
The nurses include Mrs. Ethel
Parker, Philadelphia; Harriet Nc
Clelland, Fredericktown, Ohio:
Helen M. Jones, Conneaut Lake,
Pa; Joan Douglas, Philadelphia;
Marsha Doubassoff, Rockland
County, N. Y; Adele Bandy, Osh-
kosh, Wis; Julia Mashanany, Black
River Falls, Wis; Rose Bokora,
Palmerton, Pa; Jean Rybak, Oil
City, Pa: Susan Ober, Hooverville,
Pa: Margaret Bell, Windber, Pa;
Millicent Kalinowski, Orange, N. Y;
Kathryn Ganley, Monrovia, Md;
Kathryn Guldbrandsen, Orange,
N. Y.
The doctors include Capt. Ian
Hodge, Winnetka. ILL.,; Capt. Paul
T. Strong, Swathmore, Pa; 1t.
Howard L. Hauge, Madison, Wis;
1t. H. Lawrence Smith, Wellingford,
Pa; Capt. Clark Forcey, Phillips
burg, Pa. and Capt. Paul Rolder,
Philadelphia.