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Nolan during a reunion, Columbus, Ohio [9/14/2008]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Dates of Service: 1943-1946
  • Branch of Service: Army Nurse Corps
  • Service Unit/Ship: 3rd Platoon, 53rd Field Hospital
  • Battles & Campaigns: Normandy; Northern France; Ardennes; Central Europe; Rhineland; Battle of the Bulge
  • Location of Service: United States; England; France; Belgium; Holland; Germany; European Theater
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/63598

View full service history

"You forget their names, you remember the wounds. You remember what their injuries were. And you remember their faces." (34:46)

Eager to do her part for the war effort, Katherine Nolan hoped to become a flight nurse. Alas, the Army Air Forces informed Nolan that the Army Nurse Corps had a greater need, so she pivoted and served with the 53rd Field Hospital as a nurse. Working in a field hospital across Europe included long days, harsh conditions, and witnessing the brutal effects of war on soldiers and civilians, most notably during the Battle of the Bulge. Despite her constant exposure to suffering, Nolan and her fellow medical staff were able to keep going because they felt privileged to provide medical care to servicemen in need, as they were the buffer between them and the enemy.

Katherine M. Nolan Collection
Interview / Recording

More Resources

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[ [Front]: Contemporary photograph of Nolan during a reunion, Columbus, Ohio. [9/14/2008] ]

About this Item

Title

  • Katherine M. Nolan Collection

Names

  • World War II - Korean War Roundtable
  • Nolan, Katherine M.
  • Donohue, Jerri R.

State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation

  • Florida

Headings

  • -  Nolan, Katherine M.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army Nurse Corps.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Female

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army Nurse Corps
    • Service Unit/Ship: 3rd Platoon, 53rd Field Hospital
    • Location of Service: United States; England; France; Belgium; Holland; Germany; European Theater
    • Battles & Campaigns: Normandy; Northern France; Ardennes; Central Europe; Rhineland; Battle of the Bulge
    • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
    • Dates of Service: 1943-1946
    • Entrance into Service: Commissioned
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2008-09-13)
  • Photograph: Photographic print [1 item] -- Portrait (collected 2008-09-13)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/63598

Online Format

  • audio
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

World War Ii - Korean War Roundtable, Katherine M Nolan, and Jerri R Donohue. Katherine M. Nolan Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.63598/.

APA citation style:

World War Ii - Korean War Roundtable, Nolan, K. M. & Donohue, J. R. (1943) Katherine M. Nolan Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.63598/.

MLA citation style:

World War Ii - Korean War Roundtable, Katherine M Nolan, and Jerri R Donohue. Katherine M. Nolan Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.63598/>.