RITA GEIS
Denver,  Colorado Unit





Transcript of an Oral History  Reminiscence















All rights, title, and interest in the material recorded are assigned and conveyed to the Women’s Overseas Service League For the purpose of publication, use in teaching,  or  other
such uses that may Further the aims and objectives of the League, such use and participation to be acknowledged in appropriate Fashion and with due credit to:

Rita Geis






PREFACE


This transcript is the product of a tape-recorded reminiscence conducted for the Women’s Overseas Service League.
Signed, dated agreements of release and biographical information accompany the original  cassette.




















Transcribed by Patricia Siggers
Lansing, Michigan
1987



RITA GEIS

2	Denver Chapter

RG:	I was a conscription nurse;	I ’d serve one year, and then
4	be through.	Instead,  Pearl Harbor came along in December,  so I remained in the service.	Most of my time
6	in the service mas done in the surgical  nursing depart­ ment;	I also did supervision and ended up as chief  nurse
B	of a general hospital.	In this time,	Cit mas three-and- a-half years) my experiences were in World War II;   in
10	Europe and Korea;	in Japan;  and all over the USA, moving approximately every three years.
12	□ur living conditions weren’t always the best.	I moved from tents to barracks;  to apartments;  to my own house,
14	eventually.	Our uniforms varied in this time.	We proba­ bly had about five or six changes in my  three-and-a-half
16	years.
Many interesting experiences;  one that was a great chal­
IB	lenge to me was to take the hospital unit  overseas during wartime.	I got my chance in 1965,  going to El Paso,
20	Texas,  taking the 106th General Hospital which had 40 nurses,  and some of these Cabout five or six) were  male
22	nurses.	We arrived in Yokohama,  Japan,  on the 15th of December,  and we were ready to take patients by the  31st.
24	We had four huge,  concrete buildings.	We set up a thou­ sand beds in this area.	I really should say,  we took
RITA GEIS, Denver Unit	E


E6	over a recreation center which had a gymnasium, church, mess hall.	The buildings were there,  but it took a lot
EB	of hard work to get it in shape to  see patients.	Almost
From the day we opened up the hospital and all the   while
30		I was there for two years, every week we received a bou­ quet of Flowers From an unknown donator.	To this day,	I
3E	don’t know who it was.	U)e never knew.

MB:	How many patients did you average a day while you  were
34	there?

RG:	Well,  most oF the time we had about seven or eight  hun­
36	dred,  but during the TET oFFensive we were Filled up— and we had only the GIs;  the Army,  Navy,  Air Force, Marines
30	and Coast Guard.
□ne amusing thing happened one day.	I went through the

40	wards,  and there was quite an uproar going on.	We asked who it was,  and some GI put up his cast  and said,	’Look,
43 who did this?”	There was "Navy” written across all the casts in the ward!	CLaughterD	Many other unusual things
44 happened since that time.

I retired in 1671,  and since that time I have done quite

46	a bit oF volunteer work including with the Red  Cross, the church,  and various clubs.	I am now Commander oF the
48	Women’s Metropolitan Post E06, oF Denver, which  is the only women’s post in Colorado.
RITA GEIS, Denver Unit	3


50		I enjoy traveling quite often to various places I haven’t seen.	I ’ve enjoyed the UiOSL groups, and especially their
52	friendship.	I uias President in 1S76 till 1S7B,  and had to be retired.	This concludes tape 1 of the Denver  Unit.
54


Transcribed by Patricia Siggers
56	Lansing, Michigan