Vietnam matron’s service memorialised
Even after nearly 60 years, the memories of Jan McCarthy’s service as an Army nurse during the Vietnam War have never left her.
‘A very strong memory is the helicopters coming into the 1st Australian Field Hospital with so many casualties,’ Jan says. ‘Those pilots were incredible – they saved a lot of lives just getting the patients to us.’
Now 85 years old, Jan has not for-gotten the soldiers she nursed, those who didn’t come home, her nursing colleagues who did their utmost to save lives, and the bravery she witnessed firsthand. And while she never regrets her decision to go to Vietnam, the former Matron-in Chief of the Australian Army Nursing Corps says it was easier to go to war herself than to send Defence nurses who came after her into conflict zones.
‘I was worried about them, just like my Matron was worried about me and her nurses going to Vietnam,’ Jan explains.
A retired colonel who served for 27 years, Jan made it her mission to ensure that field nurses who were under hers and future commands would receive proper training while on deployment to ensure their safety and the safety of their patients. ‘Even though I’d had a lot of experience as a casualty nurse, it was a different time, she says. ‘We went to Vietnam not really knowing what we were going to and when we returned to Australia, there was no debrief.
Still active as the President of the Returned Nurses sub-branch of the Victorian RSL, Jan’s story is featured in Our Vietnam Nurses. The book’s author, Annabelle Brayley, was a driving force in setting up the Vietnam Nurses Memorial in Morvern, western Queensland, to honour both military and civilian nurses she describes as ‘courageous and dedicated.’
‘It is the only memorial in Australia dedicated solely to the nurses who served in Vietnam from 1964 to 1972, but it is so much more than that,’ Annabelle says. ‘As well as being a place for other people and future generations to learn about the Vietnam War and Australia’s role in it, we hope it becomes a place of peace and serenity in which all veterans and serving personnel will feel seen and safe from criticism or harm.’
The memorial includes a permanent photographic exhibition and 3 honour boards featuring the names of the nurses who served. A third and final stage is currently underway to raise funds to erect a multi-figure bronze sculpture representing the military and civilian surgical team nurses.
To find out more about the memorial, visit the Facebook page of the Morven Historical Museum.
