World War II Army Nurse recounts her time in the service

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Norma Nelson had plans to teach Spanish, but like many other young adults in the 1940s, World War II changed that trajectory.

“I felt that I had to do something that was right,” Nelson said from her room at the Waters in Johnson City. “My sister was already in the Army. She’s older than I am.”

So, Nelson went to nursing school and joined the Army. She spent a few months at Camp McCoy in Wisconsin for basic training before boarding a hospital ship.

“They were in terrible shape. The last time when they moved me, six of the nurses got on board this old hospital ship,” she recalled. “The thing was a wreck and yet we had to take care of patients there.”

The ship had some issues, and the nurses aboard had to return to the States. Nelson was then stationed at the Base Hospital at Camp Kilmer.

“Nurses learn how to do everything,” she said.

Learning everything was necessary there as the soldiers they cared for were returning from the European Theater after losing limbs and being wounded.

“It made me understand people, their needs. You have to do that, well as a nurse you do,” Nelson said. “I think you gotta understand when somebody’s had some nasty stuff … they need a lot of care.”

There were some bright spots though, such as caring for infants and new mothers. She spent some time in the Reserves but continued her nursing career after the service. She eventually found herself working in the psych ward at Wesley Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

“I saw a lot of unfortunate problems with people. As a nurse, you get used to seeing things,” she said.

Nelson later went into private nursing and a profound moment in her life occurred during an Honor Flight Trip in 2015.

“And they said we want you to put the wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown. I said ‘You want me?’ They said ‘Yes, you served your country,'” she said. “It means that I had my place in history… in my history. Not everybody’s, but mine.”

It was a moment that Nelson said she would cherish forever, along with her service.

“I’m glad that I was able to serve,” she said. “I’m a Christian, I believe in the Lord, and I was really pleased to do it.”

Nelson turned 101 in July and celebrated the milestone with her family at the Waters Assisted Living Facility.

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