The IU South Bend Veterans Book Club will meet Thursday Oct 19, 5:30-7:00. The book selection is, Healing Wounds: A Vietnam War Combat Nurse’s 10-Year Fight to Win Women a Place of Honor in Washington, D.C. by Diane Carlson Evans. This memoir tells the story of a young woman who was a Captain in the Army Nurse Corps and served as trauma nurse in Vietnam. Her experiences led to her tireless work to establish a memorial on the National Mall to honor women who served under those difficult conditions. She founded the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Project and continues her work in advocating for veterans.
Dr. Barb White, Vera Z. Dwyer Distinguished Chair of Nursing Practice, is the special guest facilitator. She has been to the memorial in Washington D.C. and has many insights to share. She provided the following thoughts for discussion.
- How did gender play a significant role in the role of women in Vietnam and in the author’s pursuit of a memorial?
- How did helping others help the author heal her own wounds?
- What impact did experiencing trauma in her nursing work have on the author’s life?
- How does the portrayal of nursing in this book compare to present day nursing? What remains the same?
- What decisions did the artist make in crafting this sculpture? How does the three dimensionality, and the inclusion of multiple figures encourage multiple interpretations of and interactions with the artwork?
- What role do memorials play both for those who were closely involved, and for the general citizenry?
The IU South Bend Veterans Book Club welcomes everyone. You do not need to be a veteran to attend, just interested in books and conversation. The meeting will take place in the Schurz Library 3rd conference room and on Zoom. Please contact Rhonda Culbertson (rculbert@iusb) with questions or for the Zoom link or a free copy of the book.