“It was the only answer I could give him because I knew he was dying.” (Audio Interview, 13:00)

Marion L. Birkhimer

War: Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Branch: Navy Unit: USS Repose (AH 16) Service Location: Naval Hospital, St. Albans, New York; Oakland, California; Guam (Mariana Islands); Yokosuka, Japan, Portsmouth, Virginia; Bainbridge, Bethesda, Maryland; Vietnam; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Pensacola, Florida; Naples, Italy; Corpus Christi, Texas Rank: Captain Place of Birth: PA

A registered nurse in civilian life, Marion Birkhimer decided in 1957 to join the military and wrote to the three branches of service, thinking she would enlist in whichever first replied. It was the Navy, and that began a 27-year career that included duty aboard the hospital ship U.S.S. Repose during the Vietnam War. Birkhimer was in charge of the ship’s surgical ward, dealing with casualties from action on the mainland, including the Tet Offensive. She was sensitive to the morale of her colleagues as the needs of her patients, knowing the injured would get better care from medical personnel who were feeling appreciated.