Interview of Major (Ret.) Harriet J. Jayne on her long career in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps [background speaker] Betty Thompson: Uh, this is to introduce Harriet Jayne who was overseas as an army nurse, and here she is to tell her story. Harriet Jayne: Well I st-, I was, uh, born and raised in Illinois, and I went to Marquette University in, uh, in Wiscon-, uh, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And a friend of mine who had been in nurses training with me decided to go in the Army, uh, Nurse Corps. We, um, got to, uh, Fort Custer Michigan February 12, 1941, and, uh, we were met by a chief nurse by the name of Alice [Beckland 0:42]. Betty Thompson: Excuse me. [0:45] Did you enlist in Milwaukee or sign up in Milwaukee? Harriet Jayne: Yes. Betty Thompson: [0:49] Eh, eh, and they sent you to… Harriet Jayne: Yes. Betty Thompson: …Fort Custer? Harriet Jayne: And they sent me to Fort Custer. We had to delay our coming to Fort Custer a week to 2 weeks because we had to give, uh, the hospital we were working with, uh, um, notification of our resignation. And this Alice [Beckland 1:07] who was our Chief Nurse at Fort Custer, Michigan, met us at the train. We were too late to eat, so we stopped at a Farmer’s Market and, uh, picked up a little of this and a little of that, and we had, uh, a lunch when we got to the barracks. I – I worked as a, um, on the wards at Fort Custer along with being housekeeper, and, uh, I left, um, was there from February 12, 1941, until sep-, late September 1942, when I went to the pa-, uh, to California to, um, go to the South Pacific. We, uh, left California October 20, 1942. We arrived in Caledonia – New Caledonia n-, uh, November 11, 1942. On the way over, we had 5 or 6 hospital, uh, 4 – 5 or 6 ships in the convoy, and, uh, there was 5 hospital units on the ship that we were on, which was the Rochembeau. Um, and d-, one time during this time, the rudder went out of the ship, and we were left alone in the middle of the Pacific. They finally got it fixed, and we were, uh, united with our convoy again. We stayed in New Caledonia until February of 198-, uh, 43, and – I think that was – eh, excuse me. I think it was January 1943. And, uh, went to New Hebrides with our own station hospital, which was the 48th Station Hospital. We were, uh, while we were in New Caledonia, we were with the, uh, bivouacked with the 52nd Evac Hospital. Uh, one thing we noticed was all the mosquitos, but no, uh, malaria in, in New Caledonia a-, but the, uh, eh, and also how cold it was at night and how hot it was during the day, and we almost, uh, froze by the cold coming up through the, uh, uh, the, um, [stuttering] up to where we were sleeping. And, uh, but in New Hebrides, we, uh, we were there until December of 1943. Uh, it was a malaria area, and I had malaria at the time that I was in New Caledonia – I mean New Hebrides. I'm sorry. And the, uh, uh, also just bef-, at the time that we were closing the hospital in December of 1943, I broke my l-, uh, ankle. I, uh, uh, tried to stop a jeep with the, with my foot and put the foot between the, uh, ditch and the jeep. And I had the experience of g-, going at that time to the navy hospital in New Hebrides and being evacuated by ship to, uh, uh, to, uh, New Caledonia and then to New Zealand in, uh, late December 1943. I was in New Zealand, uh, from 194-, uh, 3, December until June of 1944. And then we joined our men and our doctors in Guadalcanal. Betty Thompson: [4:47] You went back to the same unit? Harriet Jayne: Same unit. And, uh, eh, while we were in New Zealand, we were s-, uh, stationed with the 39th General Hospital, which was a Yale unit. Betty Thompson: [5:00] Was that where you went for treatment or where you there on TDY? Harriet Jayne: Well that was where – that was, that was TDY. Betty Thompson: Oh. Harriet Jayne: Because they wouldn't let the nurses in to Guadalcanal until it was safe. And when we got to Guadalcanal, we had a 12-foot barbed-wire fence around our nurses’, nursing area to, uh, keep the GIs out. [laughter] And, uh, we did have, uh, a nice swimming, uh, beach there, all black sand. And while on g-, Guadalcanal, I had h-, I had an appendectomy. And, uh, uh, then, uh, I recovered, uh, quickly and was soon back on duty. Another thing that happened while we were on Guadalcanal, uh, one of our nurses had met a flier from, uh, eh, while she was in New Zealand, and they were married – got the permission to be married on Guadalcanal in December of 1944. Betty Thompson: Sounds like fun. Harriet Jayne: And we left Guadalcanal in December – I mean January of 1945 and went to Tinian, uh, eh, uh, in the, uh, and it took us 21 days to go because they, uh, the isle-, the waterways and islands weren't too safe, and so we spent quite a bit of time on Kwajalein and, uh, uh, but we were – weren't allowed too much off the ship, so we stayed right on, on the ship most of the time. Betty Thompson: [6:42] [Inaudible 6:42] – excuse me – not safe because of mining or because… Harriet Jayne: Yeah, the… Betty Thompson: …of the enemy? Harriet Jayne: No. Min-, yeah, mining and enemy. Enemy as much as anything. But they, eh, as I said, it took us longer to go from Guadalcanal to Tinian than it did from the time that we went from the United States to gua-, eh, to New Caledonia. Betty Thompson: [7:01] Why were you moved around? Harriet Jayne: Uh, because of the, uh, uh, uh, enemy, uh, was farther north, and we were, uh, following the troops, uh, where they were, uh, where we were needed. Betty Thompson: Oh. [7:15] Wherever there was… Harriet Jayne: Yeah. Betty Thompson: …combat and… Harriet Jayne: Yes. Betty Thompson: [7:17] And you were a station hospital then? Harriet Jayne: A station hospital. And, uh, but in Tinian, we became attached and finally were, uh, we were – our 48th Station was dissolved, and be became 379th, I think, Hospital, uh, General. And, uh, we were at, uh, in Tinian when, uh, the war was over, and it was just, uh, we had heard the atomic bomb had been dropped, and, uh, we heard on the shortwave radio that there was something going on. And we had blackouts on Tinian, but we did not know what they were. Betty Thompson: [8:01] This was after V-J Day? Harriet Jayne: No. This was just before V-J Day. Betty Thompson: Just before. Harriet Jayne: And, uh, the B29s that were going out, uh, we could see them from our back steps, and, uh, but we did not know that the atomic bomb was leaving from Tinian until after the, uh, attack. And the Enola Gay and the Great Artiste were from, uh, uh, the s-, uh, the, um, islands around Saipan and Tinian and Guam, but the 2 that took off with the atomic bomb were, were stationed on Tinea. Betty Thompson: [8:37] What were the names again? Harriet Jayne: The Great Artiste and, um, Enola Gay. And, uh, well we stayed there. Uh, uh, everybody started going back to the United States, uh, in late, uh, August of 1945. There was 4 of 5 of us left in October, and we said we wanted to stay in to be regular army nurses in the regular army, and they left us there the longer than any of the rest of 'em. And, uh, so we left there, uh, in October, uh, 1945 and arrived in the United States October 23, 1945. We, uh, were stationed at Camp Stoneman r-, after we got, uh, off the ship until we got orders to take – come back to the Midwest. And due to the fact that Fort Sheridan was full, we ended up at Camp Grant, and, uh, then we were sent to our destinations as our home. And I had 45 days, uh, rest leave, and they extended it to 60, so I would be with my family for Christmas. After that I, uh, was – went to p-, uh, to Gardner General in Chicago for, uh, 6 months. I got there in early janu-, or late December 1945 and stayed until June of 1946 when they closed the hospital. And I went to Fort, uh, Hood, Texas, and, uh, arrived there in, uh, late June of 1946 and left there in, uh, December 1948. While there, it was a hot, dry place and no car, 40 miles from nowhere, and, uh, so it was a year and a half was about all, uh, I wanted, wan-, wanted to be there. Betty Thompson: [10:59] What was your rank then? Harriet Jayne: Uh, my rank was r-, uh, captain. Uh, wait a minute, first lieutenant. I'm sorry. First lieutenant at that time. I did get in to the regular army at th-, uh, while I was at Fort Hood, Texas. I had to go to Fort Sam Houston for all examinations. Betty Thompson: [11:17] Did you, um, take a discharge and then… Harriet Jayne: Uh… Betty Thompson: ...were you sworn in again? Harriet Jayne: They – yeah. You sworn in again. Betty Thompson: Mm-hm. Harriet Jayne: Uh, right from the, uh, from the reserve to the regular, eh, in 1947. While at Fort Hood, Texas, we did – 3 of us went on maneuvers to, uh, Panama City, Florida, where the, uh, troops were landing, m-, uh, making practice landings with their, uh, ships or, uh, boats, PT boats and different things like that. So we had experience of, uh, going, uh, flying over there to be – to work with the hospital at, uh, Panama City. Betty Thompson: [12:00] Did you have real injuries or… Harriet Jayne: No. Betty Thompson: …simulated? Harriet Jayne: Simi-, well most of them were just, uh, eh, we didn’t even have – we didn’t have a simulator. We just had, uh, whatever happened to be – happen. Like if they got injured or if they were – had colds or if they got something like that. Betty Thompson: Oh, okay. Harriet Jayne: It was very damp and, and wet that year in November of 1947. From n-, from, uh, Fort Hood, Texas, I came to Percy Jones, uh, Army Hospital in Battlecreek, Michigan. Uh, from, uh, dis-, I arrived the after Christmas 1947, and I left in June of 1953. Uh, during that time I worked mostly on, uh, on, uh, the medical wards, and we did have a lot of veteran patients at that time too. Uh, at the time that I left Percy Jones, they were closing it, uh, as an army hospital. Uh… Betty Thompson: [13:03] It was the first time it was closed? Harriet Jayne: The first time it was closed. And when I left there, there was nothing but just maintenance people there. And I left Percy Jones and – I think it's going to be [repeated here 13:14] – uh, in June of 1953 and went to Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and I was there until, uh, February of 1953. And from Fort Belvoir, Virginia… Betty Thompson: [13:34] ’54? Harriet Jayne: Wait a minute. Betty Thompson: [13:37] Because you were – you were at Percy Jones…? Harriet Jayne: Uh, until ’50. Betty Thompson: [13:41] Until ’50? Harriet Jayne: Yeah. Did I make – I may have… Betty Thompson: Oh, okay. Harriet Jayne: Until ’50. I was at Percy Jones. I left there in June of 1950, and I went to Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and I was there until February of 195-, eh, 53, and, um, from, uh, from there, I went to, uh, Landstuhl, Germany, 2nd General t-, fr-, uh, ‘til July of 1955. Betty Thompson: [14:23] Where in Germany were you? Harriet Jayne: Landstuhl. Betty Thompson: [14:24] Oh, that’s the name? Harriet Jayne: Mm-hm. Landstuhl, Germany. Betty Thompson: [14:28] With what… Harriet Jayne: Uh… Betty Thompson: …kind of a unit? Harriet Jayne: It was a s-, uh, a general hospital, and I worked with, uh, pediatrics [background noise] and, uh, orthopedics, then I came from, uh, went from o-, uh, pediatrics to orthopedics and then, uh, in, uh… Betty Thompson: [14:50] Was th-, this kind of duty a lot different than during the war? Harriet Jayne: Uh, a lot more dependence. Betty Thompson: [14:58] You had more freedom did you to… Harriet Jayne: Yes. We could… Betty Thompson: …travel and…? Harriet Jayne: …y-, we could go wherever we wanted to go. Uh… Betty Thompson: [15:04] Did you have a car? Harriet Jayne: I had my car over there, and, uh, I drove to Berlin by myself. I also drove to Basel, Switzerland, by myself, not speaking much German, just, uh, uh, getting by with what, uh, little I could. Betty Thompson: [15:22] Did you find a lot of English sp-p-, speaking people or not many then? Harriet Jayne: W-, uh, in some areas there were quite a few s-, uh, that would, uh, b-, uh, you c-, , uh, that would, uh, help you out. Uh, not too many English speaking. If they didn’t want to, they didn’t speak it. Betty Thompson: Hm. Harriet Jayne: And, uh, the, uh, times that I was, uh, uh, t-, I took tours to Italy, France, Luxembourg, Berlin, Holland, uh, while I was there. And, uh, we, uh, drove to Luxembourg and saw the, uh, military cemetery there. And, uh, at the time that we were there, this friend of mine, uh, talked to a taxi driver, and we wanted to see, uh, Luxembourg area, and he wanted us to see Verdon, so we ended up in Verdon, France, by taxicab, which was – didn’t cost us as much as you'd think it would. Betty Thompson: [16:31] It was not really too far? Harriet Jayne: No. It's not that far. But, uh, then in Paris, it was quite a place to drive in. I didn’t drive there. I drove there, but I didn’t drive in the city. My girlfriend drove in the city. And, um, but they'd take you for – with the, um, prices, uh, if you, uh, don’t know how to really talk to them, they can, uh. We got up and walked out of a restaurant because they didn’t have a menu and where they should have had one, but, eh, they, uh, they, they had – get you, uh, why they will on, eh, in eating like that way that way. But it was an enjoyable, uh, tour. And, uh, but I was glad to get back to the United States, and I was, I was, uh, among the first group to come back with 2-1/2 years in Germany where we went over for 3, and the rest – the, uh, personnel coming after me were only assigned 2 years. Betty Thompson: [17:36] Was that because they found out that 3 years… Harriet Jayne: Yeah. Betty Thompson: … was a little much? Harriet Jayne: Yes. Because if you were married, it was a different situation, but single people, they thought it would be better if they were over there 2 years. Betty Thompson: [17:48] Were you quite busy, um? Harriet Jayne: Yeah. We were always busy. Uh, and there was always – and a lot of, uh, of course, uh, uh, we did have an evacuation p-, uh, uh, uh, plane that would come in, but most of it went to Frankfurt and out, but, uh, they did evacuate through Landstuhl some too. And, of course, as I said, our dependence was our big pr-, biggest, biggest, uh, uh, problem there. Of course, they did have, uh, the military too, but you did have a big, big, uh, deal of a lot of, uh, dependence. Uh, when I left Germany, I, uh, thought I would like the East Coast, and I asked for Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and I got there in September of 1955, and I stayed until, uh, February of 1961. I, uh, was, uh, worked with, um, pediatrics there in the, in the – on the ward, in the clinics, and, uh, then other, other wards too, and, uh, during the time that – in 1960, when they had the earthquake in saudi-, santia-, Santiago, Chile, eh, below, uh, several field hospitals from Fort Bragg went to Chile, and I was one of those that went down there for 15 days in May of 19, um, 60. We, uh, it was fall there, spring in the United States, so it was wet and damp. Betty Thompson: [19:31] And you were sent there, uh, the US Government… Harriet Jayne: Yes. Betty Thompson: …send you there to help out? Harriet Jayne: Yes. To, uh, uh, we went out into the field by helicopter and, uh, or into the, uh, other areas of Chile, uh, to give typhoid, uh, and, uh, immunizations to the people there. Betty Thompson: [19:54] What sort of uniforms were you wearing at… Harriet Jayne: Uh… Betty Thompson: …peacetime? Harriet Jayne: Uh, we wore, uh, the, uh, white uniform. [Yeah 20:02]. Betty Thompson: [20;02] Of your choice or something army issued? Harriet Jayne: No. It was an army, army uniform, and, and they were, uh, short sleeves, not like the long sleeves that we had when we first went in the service. And, uh, but we had the short sleeves. They were comparable to the, uh, oh, stripes that we wore during the, uh, war, uh, only they were white uniforms, and they were made just – well, the w-, the stripes part of them were like a, a, uh, apron… Betty Thompson: [20:33] You wrap it around [inaudible 20:34]? Harriet Jayne: …and it tied on – wraparound and tied on the side, but we did have other u-, uniforms that were, uh, similar to that. Betty Thompson: [20;40] What were your – what was your off-duty dress? Harriet Jayne: Uh, after 19, uh, 46 or 1947, we could wear anything we wanted to, but up until that time, I think it was a year after I came back from, uh, the Pacific that we were not allowed to were anything but uniform, and, uh, and that was quite a treat to be able to, uh, get, uh, into, uh, civilian clothes. Betty Thompson: Yes. It certainly was. Harriet Jayne: And in 19, uh, in February of 1961, I left Fort Bragg with a retirement ceremony, and, uh, came to my home in Foosland, Illinois. Betty Thompson: [21:28] You retired as a…? Harriet Jayne: As a major. Betty Thompson: [21:31] And y-, are you now in the reserve? Harriet Jayne: No. I'm not in the reserves. I'm just retired army, uh, nurse. Betty Thompson: Very good. [21:40] Um, did you feel that you were treated differently because you were a woman? Harriet Jayne: No. We were t-, uh, at that time, we weren't, uh, there was no dis-, I didn’t feel any, any distinction. Betty Thompson: [21:55] And you'd do it again? Harriet Jayne: I sure would. Betty Thompson: Thank you very much. Harriet Jayne: The, um, advancement of the, uh, Women’s Army Corps helped the nurses as far as pay is concerned in early 1942. Betty Thompson: [22:13] Do you mean in and out of the army or…? Harriet Jayne: Uh, in the army. Betty Thompson: That’s good. Harriet Jayne: Because, uh, as I said, they, they helped, uh, because at the time I went in service, we were making $70 a month. Betty Thompson: [22:29] And when you went – you got out, you were doing – getting what? Harriet Jayne: Uh, we were getting the same as a male, uh, officer. Betty Thompson: I probably have the chief nurse to and thank in part for that… Harriet Jayne: Yes. Betty Thompson: …in, in Washington. [22:44] Was that Colonel Lee at the time or do you remember? Harriet Jayne: I don’t… Betty Thompson: [22:48] [Some of the 22:48] time? Harriet Jayne: I don’t remember. Betty Thompson: Harriet Lee at one time was… Harriet Jayne: Mm-hm. Betty Thompson: …Chief Nurse. Harriet Jayne: Yeah. I don’t remember. They, uh, the, uh, when I was down at that, uh, Retired Army Nurses, uh, Association Commission in Orlando, Florida, uh, recently… Betty Thompson: [23:09] [That’s 23:09] just this spring? Harriet Jayne: …why there was some nurse-, uh, nurses there that were chiefs, eh, at the – of the Army Nurse Corps, but I, you know, can't quite remember the names. Betty Thompson: [23:19] Did you get a roster at that convention… Harriet Jayne: Yes, I did. Betty Thompson: …so that you can review? Harriet Jayne: Yeah. Betty Thompson: Well thank you very much. This was recorded, uh, May 10, 1984, in Battlecreek. /lo