How many women served in Vietnam?

COL Mikel J. Burroughs — Sat, 10 Oct 2015 18:12:02 -0400

How many women served in Vietnam?

RP Members this question just came up from an early post on Woman with PTSD from the Vietnam War. Check out this great video!

http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history/videos/elizabeth-allen

Though relatively little official data exists about female Vietnam War veterans, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation estimates that approximately 11,000 military women were stationed in Vietnam during the conflict. Nearly all of them were volunteers, and 90 percent served as military nurses, though women also worked as physicians, air traffic controllers, intelligence officers, clerks and other positions in the U.S. Women’s Army Corps, U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marines and the Army Medical Specialist Corps. In addition to women in the armed forces, an unknown number of civilian women served in Vietnam on behalf of the Red Cross, United Service Organizations (USO), Catholic Relief Services and other humanitarian organizations, or as foreign correspondents for various news organizations.

In November 1993, the Vietnam Women's Memorial was dedicated at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. in front of a crowd of some 25,000 people. The centerpiece of the memorial is a bronze statue by Glenna Goodacre, which depicts three female nurses assisting a wounded soldier.

Elizabeth Allen Video - Vietnam War History - HISTORY.com

Psychiatric nurse Elizabeth Allen volunteered for the Army and requested frontline duty in Vietnam.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Oct 10 at 2015 6:20 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Sat, 10 Oct 2015 18:20:37 -0400

COL Mikel J. Burroughs another posting you started today indicted the answer was between 5,000 and 7,000 between 1964 and 1975. That article was the one which indicated 1 in 5 women serving in Vietnam have suffered from PTSD at one time of another.
There is significant difference between 7,00 women serving and 11.000 women serving.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 10 at 2015 6:21 PM

SCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 10 Oct 2015 18:21:04 -0400

Once again, the vast majority who served in-country were nurses: 7,484 women (6,250 or 83.5% were nurses) served in Vietnam. Eight women, again all nurses, were killed in the war: seven in Vietnam, only one in DIRECT combat when a mortar shell landed on a field hospital. The others were killed in aircraft accidents or died of illness. One died in Thailand in an air crash.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 10 at 2015 6:39 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 10 Oct 2015 18:39:07 -0400

At the end she made a very important statement, that the Army did a lot of good that is never recognized. I would add that the U. S. as whole never gets recognized for the good we accomplish.

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made Oct 11 at 2015 9:15 AM

Cpl Jeff N. — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 09:15:08 -0400

Is it likely some nurses had post traumatic stress? Yes it is. Just as nurses (and doctors) in modern emergency rooms could and likely do. Anyone put in a situation that puts excessive stress on them could end up with memories/dreams/situations that cause them to relive it.

Response by LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow made Oct 11 at 2015 10:39 AM

LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 10:39:25 -0400

Our own 1LT Sandy Annala was a combat nurse in Nam...

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Oct 11 at 2015 2:53 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 14:53:45 -0400

This is a discussion that has 1LT Sandy Annala written all over it.

Response by SGT Ronald Audas made Oct 13 at 2015 3:28 PM

SGT Ronald Audas — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 15:28:39 -0400

Very thought provoking ! Also,great videos.

Response by MAJ Ronnie Reams made Oct 13 at 2015 7:36 PM

MAJ Ronnie Reams — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 19:36:28 -0400

One of the former 199th Inf Bde Dollies needs help, if so inclined.
https://www.gofundme.com/td2zbq48

Click here to support VIETNAM DONUT DOLLIE NEEDS HELP by Dan Kelly

A CALL TO ALL VETERANS! FORMER RED CROSS DONUT DOLLY NEEDS HELP Vietnam vets have a warm spot in our hearts for Donut Dollies, those young women who went to Nam as Red Cross volunteers to just be there to support the troops. Kammy, pictured here in a 1968 photo is a 70 year old woman who strugg...

Response by MGySgt George W Iliffe Jr made Oct 14 at 2015 3:02 PM

MGySgt George W Iliffe Jr — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 15:02:54 -0400

The only ones I ever remember seeing were "Donut Dollies" that the Air Officer got to come to LZ Baldy in 1970 for some special event. Nice view and good smelling is all I remember they just hung with the officers.

Response by SSG Leo Bell made Mar 7 at 2016 8:36 PM

SSG Leo Bell — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 20:36:53 -0500

This is very interesting, we all know there were women serving in Vietnam and rarely do we here anything about them. When I go to the Va hospital and the clinics I know there are a lot of female veterans there. They don't wear the Vietnam veterans caps like us men would wear and they don't really talk about where they were or what they did. The only lady I know who served in Vietnam was Spc Margaret Higgens and I met her up here on RP. The women would suffer from PTSD just like a man would. At time they could be worse depending on there jobs. Nursing would be one of the worse to have during a war because they would see every kind of wound. I give a female veterans respect just like I do the males. I would think the women who served in WWII would have it also and they were mostly volunteers.

Response by SSgt Obom Bowen made Mar 13 at 2016 2:54 PM

SSgt Obom Bowen — Sun, 13 Mar 2016 14:54:44 -0400

Very touching a great thank you COL Mikel J. Burroughs

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Mar 14 at 2016 6:41 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 06:41:14 -0400

It is my heart felt opinion that all women that served in all wars, not just 'Nam, should be recognized for their bravery, and spirit . They should also have their own monument recognizing the fact.

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Mar 14 at 2016 10:14 AM

PO3 Steven Sherrill — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 10:14:45 -0400

COL Mikel J. Burroughs because the Vietnam War was not fought as a conventional war, it would not matter whether these women served as Nurses, Doctors, Intel Officers, or infantry. If they were in Vietnam, they were in the combat zone. Serving in the Medical or Intelligence field would make them more of a target as interfering with those two fields of endeavor could have a great impact on the overall war effort. So those who died should be on the wall. It is nice that they have this memorial. As for PTSD, who would think that a female would be immune? They are human. They were in an unpopular war. They were dealing with an enemy that blended in to the general populace. They were dealing with all the same stresses that the men dealt with. Ok, granted, they were not likely involved in direct combat. That doesn't mean that they were not exposed to shelling, bombing, sniper fire, and the threat of abduction. It doesn't mean that while the nurse putting some kid back together was not actually shot, she didn't feel empathy at having to repair the damage. It doesn't mean that working extended hours making those repairs to broken human bodies would not take a toll.

This is an amazing woman. Thanks for sharing.

Response by SPC Lyle Montgomery made Jul 29 at 2022 7:43 AM

SPC Lyle Montgomery — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 07:43:32 -0400

I was on an Honor flight to Washington DC and saw the statue honoring women who served in Nam Talk about unsung heroes. They deserve all the honor due them. They are as imporntant as us grunts were.