Remembering the Homeland. How female American nurses in the Vietnam war came in contact with Second Wave Feminism.

Abstract

Women have always been a part of the United States Armed Forces. Since the Vietnam War they have had a bigger role than ever and had more acknowledgement for their active duty than ever before. This took place in a period where women were fighting for reproductive rights and equality in the workplace. This thesis will explore how these two combined. In what way did the female nurses in Vietnam between 1966 and 1973 come in contact with these issues. To answer these questions research based on twenty six interviews conducted for the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress was done. Most of the issues female nurses encountered according to these interviews were practical, some larger issues were overturned by Supreme Court Rulings.