Evening star., 1943-03-28
Fire Musketee1s' of the Nursing Profession Respond
To Call for Service A fter lnsepa1uble Companionshp
Studied Together,
And All Enlist
At the. Same Time
By Betty Smith

By Betty Smith
There were probably no five
happier young women In all Of
Washington last week than the
five Garfield nurses who got their
orders to report for duty at Drew
Field in Tampa, Fla, by April 1.
These five girls have taken their
nurses training at Garfield Hos
pital together for three long
years. In that time they have
become fast and lasting friends.
They were graduated in the same
class last June and together they
enrolled in the Red Gross Nurses
Reserve Corps. Their class was
the first Red Cross Student Re-
serve in the country and the very
first to get their Student Reserve
pins. 1t was one of these five, at
tractive Corine Mitchell of Gin
cinnati, Ohio, who organized the
Student Reserve for Garfield Hos
pital and who was their chair
man.
All five enlisted in the Red
Cross War Reserve because they
are on call at any time to be sent
anywhere. All agreed that they
preferred duty with the Army Air
Corps Nursing Service and that's
lust what they're going to have.
They're giving up babies for some
tougher and bigger ones they say.
For four of these girls have been
on duty in obstetrics at the hos
pital-the fifth in chest surgery
for some time.
They will work in the service
hospital in Tampa until they get
further orders, and where they'll
be sent when those orders come
will be as much of surprise to
them as to any one else. Your
guess is as good as theirs. But it
will be some place where there's
action and where trained nurses
will be badly needed.
When we talked to small blond
Miss Mitchell it was almost lunch
time. She looked fresh and spic
and span and starched IN her
trim immaculate nurses uni
form and cap.
"I've just had five babies this
morning." she announced calmly.
We were somewhat startled
(Which is an understatement),
until she added. Il mean here
in o. B., of course" She looked
as proud and pleased as though
they all five belonged to her.
do you like babies?' we
queried.
Yes she did very much. She
thought she'd like being an Army
nurse, too. And she is aWfully
glad she's going off with her
four pals and hopes they stick
together. She's the official get
ter-out-of trouble for the group,
she says. But one look at the
twinkle in her bright blue eyes
and you wouldn't be at all sur
prised if she got in a little trouble
herself once in a while.
She decided all of a sudden
that she'd be nurse, and right
away quick as a flash, she en-
rolled. Before that she spent
vacations going camping in the
summer, and in the winters she
learned to play violin and she
sang professionally over the
radio. She is pretty and she has
plenty of personality, too.
Octavia Houpe is another of
the group. She's taller than
Miss Mitchell and Just as bru-
nette as Miss Mitchell is blond.
She comes from Huntington, w.
Va, is good-looking and talks
in the fashion of a small girl.
Before going to Tampa she went
back home to see the folks.
She'll miss them, of course, but
she's thrilled to be going off just
the same.
Evelyn Goodman comes from
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