KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Former Navy nurse Katherine Orr enjoys her retirement. It was 54 years ago when she first wore a military uniform right out of St. Francis School of Nursing in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1968.
“I knew when I went into nursing school what I was going to do. I was bound and determined I was going in the service. I didn’t know then whether it was going to Navy, Air Force, or Army,” said Orr.
She said she chose to join the Navy because they had the cutest uniform. However at her first duty station, she didn’t get to wear the uniform, she was warned not to. That was at the Oakland Naval Hospital in California at the height of the anti-Vietnam war movement.
“You are very proud of what you do. You are proud that you are in the military serving your country and you can’t wear your uniform, you look real good in your uniform it was really disappointing. To this day, I look back and go, that was just wrong,” said Orr.
Assigned to Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, she nursed Marines in the surgical intensive care, which was one of the toughest assignments.
“They would bring them from Nam back to Travis and we would get them from Travis and they would still be in their combat fatigues. We would get them on gurneys stacked four high off the bus and they would bring them in. Some of them were multiple amputations. Most of them were initial traumatic amputations,” she paused, “and some of the guys, I can remember going in and trying to help one guy with his meal and he threw his coffee at me. He said, I still have one hand, I can cut my own meat.”
She said she can still see his face. Then in her last year, her assignment was the psych unit.
“Some of those guys were literally psychotic not just PTSD. They were literally psychotic for having gone through what they went through,” said Orr. “I still think about a lot of them. “
“What do you say to those guys today who would probably like to say thank you? “asked Don Dare.
“I am glad I could be there, and I would do it again in a heartbeat,” replied Orr.