Who'll Take Their Places?
Mason City has seen 12 of its nurses go into military service in the past year and already plans are going forward for the organization of Nurse's Aide corps which will help provide substitute assistance for the nurses left on duty here.
The Red Cross volunteers corps will start its first class Monday at the Mercy hospital. Women who are interested in taking up this volunteer project may call the Red Cross for further information.
Of the nurses who have left Mason City on war duty, two are stationed in Ireland, Lieut. Pauline McGuire and Lieut. Aquinas Leahey; one in Australian, Lieut. Mary Kelsh; and two others are members of task forces, Lieut. Mabel Jorgenson and Lieut. Elizabeth Clark.
In this country, Lieut. Rosalie Linnehan, Lieut. Winifred Meade and Lieut. Flora Ross are stationed at Fort Riley, Kans., Lieut. Nan Kramer at Jefferson Barracks, Lieut. Della Zaugg at Kelly field, Lieut. Bernice Rappath at the Army and Navy hospital at Hot Springs and Lieut. Margaret Wagner at Camp Robinson, Little Rock.
Not only do nurses volunteer for army and navy duty, but the supply is also depleted by the nurses who retire from the profession to be married, or take up other work. It takes three years to train a nurse, and because the number of registered nurses cannot be kept up to average, volunteer Nurses Aide corps are being organized all over the United States, and Mason City's effort is a part of the nationwide movement.
Source: The Mason City Globe-Gazette, November 7, 1942 (photo included)
Fairbank -- Second Lieutenant Aquinas Leahey, daughter of Mrs. Cassie Leahey of Fairbank, assistant surgical supervisor at Mercy hospital in Des Moines before joining the army nurse corps nearly three and a half years ago, is now serving in the European war theater. She was at the Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo., hospital before going overseas. A brother, Pfc. Harold, is in the infantry.
Source: The Courier, Waterloo IA - December 25, 1944
