Two Nurses - One Army, One Navy
October 16, 2008 – 6:00 amFrom Ordinary Heroes by Steve Wagner and Sharon Wells Wagner (previous entry), I am including the stories of two women who served.
Margaret Schatz Wolf was born in Mohnton, Berks County, Pennsylvania, where the only industry was a stocking factory. She didn’t want to end up there. Her dream was to become an airline stewardess, which in 1939 required a nursing degree. Off to Reading Hospital School of Nursing she went, graduating in September of 1942.
Wanting a change of scenery, Margaret and her friend Helen went to work at Allentown Hospital, but soon decided to enlist as Navy nurses. Helen was accepted but Margaret failed the test because of her poor vision. She went down the street and was accepted at the Army recruiting office. A year after Margaret enlisted, her sister Anna May enlisted in the Marines. Her brother John had enlisted prior to the war and was stationed near Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack. Fortunately, he was safe.
Margaret served both in the United States and England.
Geraldine A. Houp was born in Oley, Berks County, Pennsylvania. She was a nurse at George Washington University Hospital when she heard the news on the radio from President Roosevelt that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. While in nursing school she had signed up for the Army Reserves, and after learning that psychiatric nursing was not for her, she went to work at George Washington University Hospital.
Life had been tough for Geraldine and her family, where she one of seven children. Everyone was expected to perform tasks around the house and on the farm. Life became particularly difficult after the death of her father when she was fifteen. She accepted the responsibilities that were laid upon her then, and later as she cared for patients at George Washington University Hospital. Still, she felt that she wanted to serve the country in time of war and she decided to join the Navy.
Geraldine served both in the United States and Panama.
For more stories of World War II, go towww.peggeorge.com
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