Oral History of Gladys Pinckney, interviewed by Rebecca Michaud, 2 February, 2011

Title

Oral History of Gladys Pinckney, interviewed by Rebecca Michaud, 2 February, 2011

Description

Gladys Pinckney was born in Beaufort, South Carolina in 1915 and made the decision very early to become a nurse. She attended nursing school and was encouraged to become a Red Cross nurse. In 1941, she received a request from the War Department to serve as Second Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps, and she reported to Fort Jackson two weeks later. She served at a number of medical facilities in France at the tail end of the war and in its aftermath. As a nurse with a specialty in anaesthesia, she took care of combat casualties and prisoners of war from all over Europe. When asked how she felt about taking care of German POW’s, she said, “Didn’t make any difference. When I took an oath, we vowed that we would take care of everybody who was committed to our care. That’s an oath we had to take.” Pinckney also served as a nurse in a MASH unit during the Korean War. She was asked to serve in Vietnam, but decided to retire due to health considerations. She is presently a resident of Columbia, South Carolina, where she volunteers at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church and drives her own car.

Listen to the audio on the Lowcountry Digital Library..

Source

Women in World War II

Publisher

The Citadel Archives & Museum

Date

Rights

Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.

Format

application/pdf

Language

English

Type

Text

Identifier

https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/159

Coverage

Richland (S.C.)

Duration

1 hour, 10 minutes

Interviewer

Rebecca Michaud

Interviewee

Gladys Pinckney

Location

Columbia, South Carolina

Collection

Citation

The Charleston Oral History Program at the Citadel, “Oral History of Gladys Pinckney, interviewed by Rebecca Michaud, 2 February, 2011,” The Citadel Archives Digital Collections, accessed May 15, 2024, https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/159.