Evening star., 1943-08-15
Nurse From Corregidor Tells
Of Bitter, Lost-Ditch Fight
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.

Lit. y. g. Ann A. BernatltuS, only
Navy nurse to reach the United
States from Corregidor after its fall,
is now en- route for new tour of
duty at the Naval Hospital in New
Orleans, after a year as chief nurse
of the sick officers quarters at the
Naval Hospital, Bethesda.
Two of her Navy nurse associates
in the original detail to the Philip
pines never have been accounted
for, and are listed as missing"
Nine others are known to be Jap
anese prisoners.
Nurse Bernatitus was repeatedly
under japanese fire. She worked
long hours in the operating rooms
of front line hospitals. Under rap
idly diminishing rations, she tight
ened her belt and was blood donor
in order that wounded soldier
might have a chance to live. Fin
ally, she was evacuated in sub
marine through enemy waters on
17-day flight tossafety.
She Is the last person who would
permit you to call her a heroine. for
in connection with her most har-
rowing war experience, she will only
matter of -factly state, Il only did
my duty" Yet her account of what
she went through and her recital
of the bravery and unselfishness of
the wounded makes one very proud
to be a fellow American.
None Expected War So Soon.
When the Japanese blitz started
in the Philippines, she was on duty
at the naval hospital at Canacao.
From there under enemy fire, she
was transported with the Navy pa
tients and nurses by Army bus and
ferry to the Army hospital in
Manila.
''None of us had expected war to
come with fell swoop while peace
negotiations were still being con-
Quoted in Washington" Nurse Ber-
natitus declares. But, there wasn't
the slightest evidence of confusion
or lack of cooperation between the
Army and Navy. Everything clicked
with the thought of immediate aid
to the suffering humanity above any
supremacy of one branch of the
service over another"
She and her nursing associates in
both the Army and the Navy had
abandoned their uniforms for blue
slacks, since skirts weren't the most
suitable attire for falling fiat on the
ground every time a bomb came
down.
Christmas eve was an eerie one,
with Nurse Bernatitus and part of
the Nays operating team consist
Ing of DR.. Carey M. Smith, DR.. c.
Fraleigh and two Navy hospital
corpsmen, en- route for an Army
emergency hospital still nearer the
front lines. Here, under a Col.
Duckworth a miracle" was
achieved.
Had No Hot Water.
In an improvised hospital with no
hot water and only one spigot out
side each ward, seven operating
rooms were manned day and night.
Often the soldiers couldn't be
brought in until two days after they
had been wounded. Their battle
clothes had to be cut off Of them
before they could be operated on.
The blood plasma supply gave out
but whole blood was administered
with every we'll person a donor,
Nurse Bernatitus among them.
Nurses and doctors hardly had
time to count their patients. Every
body who could help any one else
did it willingly and eagerly. Meals
were served at 9 am. and at pm.
Every one knew that if they were
hungry in between times all they
could do was to pull their belts
tighter and try to think about
something else.
If there was ever lesson in quar-
termaster corps cooperation, Nurse