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"I was sorry at one time that I wasn’t a man when World War II came out." (Video Interview, 35:57)

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   Dorothy Walters Cutts
Image of Dorothy Walters Cutts
Dorothy Walters, 1940s.
War: World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953
Branch: WAAC (Women's Army Auxiliary Corps); Army Nurse Corps
Unit: 74th Hospital; 74th Hospital
Service Location: Fort Des Moines, Iowa; Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia; Fort George Meade, Maryland; Walter Reed Hospital, Washington, DC; Tripler Hospital, Hawaii; also: Fort Des Moines, Iowa; Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia; Fort George Meade, Maryland; Walter Reed Hospital, Washington, DC; Tripler Hospital, Hawaii
Rank: First Lieutenant; First Lieutenant
Place of Birth: NY
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World War II was both a frustrating and fulfilling experience for Dorothy Walters. She wanted to make a significant contribution to the war effort, so she went to work in a defense plant. But that wasn’t enough, and she joined the new Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps, first as a clerk, then as part of the Medical Corps, practicing giving injections on oranges. She then decided she wanted to be a nurse and entered the Cadet Nurse Corps of the Public Health Service, but the war ended before she graduated. After working at a children’s hospital with victims of polio, Walters finally got a chance to serve as a full-fledged military nurse during the Korean War, stationed in Washington, D.C. and Honolulu.

Interview (Video)
»Interview Highlights  (5 clips)
»Complete Interview  (45 min.)
  Photos
»Photo Album (10 photos)
 Memoirs
»Memoir, "Days of War" by Dottie Cutts
 Official Documents
»View List (2 items)
 Other Materials
»Honoring Dorothy Walters Cutts
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»Military Medicine: Nurses
 Video (Interview Excerpts) (5 items)
Improvising during a snowstorm. (01:14) Duties during Korean War; marriage to man she met at Library of Congress. (03:56) Cadet Nurse Corps; autopsies; pediatrics; Indian hospital in Nebraska. (03:46)
Barracks living, learning to salute. (02:08) Wearing men’s uniforms. (02:02) 
  
 Official Documents (2 items)
Honorable Discharge Certificate [September 29, 1955] Certificate of service [August 2, 1943] 
  
 
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  The Library of Congress  >> American Folklife Center
  October 26, 2011
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