"I was not prepared for taking care of people who had been to war." (Audio interview, 8:46).

Gail A. Gutierrez

War: Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Persian Gulf War, 1991 Branch: Navy Nurse Corps Service Location: Corpus Christi, Texas; Sigonella, Sicily; Portsmouth, Virginia; Guam (Mariana Islands); Long Beach and San Diego, California; Seattle, Washington; Washington, DC; Bethesda, Maryland Rank: Captain Place of Birth: PA

Although she did not serve in-country, Navy nurse Captain Gail Gutierrez saw the ravages of the war first hand. Sent to Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1969, straight out of nursing school, she treated patients who had been flown home from Vietnam with debilitating injuries. Working with men who were so young and so badly wounded left her feeling inadequate and helpless. While she found it hard to cope with the stress and exhaustion of wartime nursing, she discovered that her natural assertiveness made her a perfect fit for a Navy hospital ward. Following her time in naval medicine, she retired in 1994 and embarked on a second career as an artist.