Today in World War II History—December 22, 1942
Thursday, December 22, 2022 by Sarah Sundin
US Army Nurse Corps recruiting poster, WWII
80 Years Ago—Dec. 22, 1942: British & US troops launch assault on Longstop Hill, Tunisia.
US Seventh Air Force sends 24 B-24s to bomb Wake Island, the first air attack in the Central Pacific, a 4300-mile mission.
Congress authorizes relative rank for Army Nurse Corps and Navy Nurse Corps; pay is the same as for male officers without dependents. Read more: “US Army Nursing in World War II: Training & Rank.”
My mom was a nurse in WWII. She would have been just starting Nursing School in 1942. She was on duty at Ft. Hood in Texas when she met my dad. He had been injured, and had a partial lung removed. The story goes, he saw mom, and told his buddy in the next bed, “I’m going to marry her!” They did 8 months later! Mom was a private nurse for the general, but he would tell her to go down to the wards and help take care of and visit with the men. Neither were ever in combat, and the war was about to end (1944) when they met and got married. Dad received a medical discharge, but mom was still IN the army at the time. They solved the problem when mom became pregnant. To their surprise, my twin sister and I were born in November 1945. No sonograms back then, and our heartbeats must’ve been as identical as we are. We’re named after our grandmother – one died just before our birth, and one just after. We love to travel together, and are planning a trip to Paris and Normandy in March 2023. I like to read novels about the areas we are traveling to, and I prefer Christian fiction. Thanks for some great stories!
What a wonderful story, Kathy! Thank you for sharing with me!