Evening star., 1942-07-02
Six Army Nurses Gel
Blue Ribbons for
Service al Bataan
Awards Are Presented
At Ceremonies at
Red Cross Office

Six American nurses have become
part Of the heroic tradition of the
Minute Men Of Lexington and the
soldiers of the Alamo, Assistant Sec
retary Of War John J. McCloy said
yesterday at ceremonies awarding
blue ribbon citations to the heroines
of the Philippines.
The ceremony, which took place in
the Delano Garden at Red Cross
national headquarters and was
broadcast over Nation wide hook
up, honored not only the six Army
nurses present, but also paid tribute
to the nurses still in the Philippines.
Mrs. Roosevelt flew down from
New York to pay tribute to the won-
en- to whom she expressed her deep
est appreciation and gratitude" and
read a message saying: THE Presl-
dent has asked me to convey to you
his tribute and the gratitude OF the
Nation. Your heroism has touched
him deeply, as it has all Americans.
To you present today he wishes me
to say, God bless you for service we'll
done To those left behind and held
by the enemy he says, Have faith,
for the day of liberation will come ="
Bombings Described.
The six Army nurses wore the
two-toned blue uniform of the Army
Nurse Corps. Three months ago they
and the 81 other American nurses,
clad in coveralls and mems boots,
cared for thousands of wounded at
Baatan and Corregidor, using tents
as shelters for their patients.
mot once in the months at Cor
regidor or Bataan did I see a nurse
break down in tears at the sights
before her" said First 1t. Florence
Macdonald. She described how the
effects of the first bombing OF Pearl
Harbor unnerved some doctors. The
nurses, she said, pitched right in
and went to work to care for the
men.
The other nurses, who stood at
attention while the royal blue rib
bon in a gold frame of laurel
wreathes was pinned on them by
Surg. Gen. James c. Magee,
were First 1t. Mary G. Iohr, Sec
ond Its. Dorothea Daley, Eunice
Hatchitt, Harriet G. Lee and
Juanita Redmond.
Representing Gen. Macarthur,
who personally ordered the citations
for the nurses, was 1t. Col. Carlos
P. Romulo, last man to leave
Bataan, who closed his tribute to
the heroism of the nurses by saying,
II salute you in the name of Fill
pino soldiers"
Davis Presides.
Norman Davis, chairman Of the
National Red Cross, presided at the
ceremony, which took place before
an audience including Red Cross
and Navy nurses, student nurses,
nurses aides, members of the Can
teen Corps and representatives Of
five Washington hospitals.
Col. Julia Flikke, chief of the
Army Nurse Corps. told the nurses
that they are the first American
women to be decorated in the pres
ent war for bravery. They held at
stake, y she said. the reputation of
all Army nurses and of all women
and added that they had proved
worthy of the test.
Miss Mary Beard said that 2,500
nurses a month are needed by the
Army The Nays needs are grow :
Ing, too, she said, announcing that
Congress had granted officers rank
to Navy nurses.
At press conference before the
ceremonies, the nurses described
their experiences in escaping from
Bataan to Corregidor.
OF the 81 American nurses orig
inally in the Philippines. 20 set of
for Australia in two airplanes, but
only 10 reached Australia. Eleven
others escaped by submarine. The
others are still unaccounted for.