Anna Gerac oral history interview

Oral history interview with Anna Louise Gerac for the Dartmouth Vietnam Project. Gerac recounts her early life and education, growing up in a Catholic family in Louisiana, attending the University of Southwest Louisiana, and joining the Army Nurse Corps during college. She details her basic training at Fort Sam Houston and service at Fort Ord, California, and later at Camp Drake, Japan, where she nursed severely injured soldiers from Vietnam. Gerac describes the graphic nature of her patients’ wounds, the high morale of the soldiers, and the psychological impact of their stories. She also recalls a visit by General William Westmoreland and the controversy over a banned article in LOOK magazine. Gerac discusses her civilian nursing career after leaving the army. She reflects on the lasting emotional impact of her service, her pride in her contributions, and the bonds she formed with fellow nurses and soldiers.