Anna Urda Busby

Anna Urda was a member of the Army Nursing Corps and stationed at a hospital in Honolulu in December 1941. I was expecting the majority of the book to be about her experiences during the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but instead it's about her entire nursing career and beyond. That made it a little less interesting for me, but the introductory chapter on the history of the Army Nursing Corps alone was worth reading. Although it's not 100% clear, I think the chapter is a brochure written by Judith A. Bellafaire and published by the US Army Center of Military History.

Anna was actually a patient on the "Day of Infamy." She had been hospitalized with an infection on her face. When the bombing was heard, however, and Japanese Zeroes were flying over the hospital, she raced to change into her uniform. For the next few days, the hospital was overwhelmed with patients, many badly burned. When night fell, they were under a total blackout, and two babies were born the first night by blue filtered flashlight. Fear of spies was rampant, and everyone was escorted between buildings by military personnel. Fear of another attack remained high and security tight for the rest of the war.

After reading about Anna's marriage, career, and involvement with the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, there are four 2-3 page testimonies by other nurses who were serving in Hawaii that day. Also included are numerous photos. Although a slim volume with only a few pages dedicated to the events after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, I did find it interesting.… (meer)