For decades, the critical role they played was unknown, but by telling their important stories, recognition of their service increased. The retired nurse recently shared her time in Vietnam with other members of the local chapter of the Upper Peninsula Nurses Honor Guard.

Lauri Oberdorfer, UP Nurses Honor Guard coordinator, said she didn’t learn how nurses served in Vietnam until recent years.

“For years he (Stolze) and other Vietnam veterans were told not to talk about it.” Oberdorfer said: “They can now, but it’s hard when you’re so used to burying it.”

Stolze says this has helped him and other veterans cope with their traumatic experiences.

GEORGE AND MARY Stolze in Chu Lai after George arrived in Vietnam. (Contributed photo)

“It gets a little easier every time” Stolze stated that in his previous presentations he kept the subject light, focusing on topics such as large insects and snakes, climate and landscape.

“My daughter finally told me: I shouldn’t exaggerate the war experience; you should tell the whole story.” said Stolze.

The daughter of a doctor and nurse, she decided to follow in her family’s footsteps and pursue a career in medicine after high school. The former Denver resident attended Colorado State University to become a veterinarian. But after a few years, Stolze realized she was meant to be a nurse and enrolled in a hospital-based diploma nursing program.

Shortly after becoming a registered nurse, she joined the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in 1968, going directly to Vietnam.

“This was something I felt I had to do.” said Stolze. “My father was a medic in World War II, and my mother tried to enter the Navy but was rejected because she was too weak.”

MARY STOLZE is at Phu Bai Evac hospital, 40 miles south of the DMZ in Vietnam. (Contributed photo)

He also had two cousins ​​in the Marine Corps in Vietnam at the time; One was killed in the conflict.

Stolze said he was told several times that he participated and supported the war and helped continue it. “My response was that the nurses were there to help the poor young people who were dragged there.” he said.

Stolze went to Fort Sam Houston in Texas, where he was taught how to debride and suture wounds. “It was actually learning how to perform surgery.” he said.

Nurses had to work at the military hospital for about six months to get used to the routine before being transferred.

While at Fort Ord in California, she met her future husband, George Jr. He met with. She jokes that she is one of three nurses among the men on the three floors of officer corridors. “I would say, ‘I had the right to choose the garbage.’” Stolze said with a laugh.

She and George had their first real date on July 4, 1969, and were married on September 12 that same year. “We were both young and scared; we thought we’d never see each other again.” explained.

Stolze left for Vietnam two weeks before his new wife, as she was leaving for jungle training in Panama. “Since he was in First Airborne, I knew he would be deployed further north in Vietnam.” he said.

Stolze remembers arriving in Chu Lai, Vietnam, south of Da Nang, at China Beach and looking out the window as if it were the surface of the moon. A few months earlier, the Vietnam ward had been hit by rocket fire, killing nurse Sharon Lane as well as Vietnamese civilians.

“I lived a very sheltered life. “It was a shock.” he said.

Stolze worked 16- to 18-hour shifts, caring for wounded soldiers as well as Vietnamese, children, and prisoners of war. He explained that most nurses definitely want to work with the U.S. military.

Patients will be triaged, then once stabilized, transferred to the hospital ship or to Japan, depending on the severity of the need.

“I always said ‘The only clean place in Vietnam was the hospital ship three miles off the coast'” said Stolze.

As soon as he could, he transferred to Phu Bai, 40 miles south of the DMZ, which was quite primitive and closer to where George was stationed.

She made fun of trying to call her on the shortwave radio, and the Vietnamese kept the frequency on because they wanted to hear what the American girl had to say.

Sometimes he could visit if his unit was close to the hospital.

“If his unit had a casualty they would send me somewhere else so I couldn’t see if he was coming.” said Stolze. “He never wanted me to know if he was injured.”

An ammunition depot was blown up and George was taken to Quan Tre to be treated so he wouldn’t find out. But while the colonel was awarding a Purple Heart to those in the hospital’s intensive care area, he noticed Stolze’s name tag and broke the news to him.

“It just says, ‘Congratulations, your husband will be awarded the Purple Heart, he was also injured in the same explosion.’” he said. “I couldn’t believe you blurted that out.”

Many ask if this is like a MASH unit. He explained that it was similar; but it wasn’t that clean or funny.

The unit was at the end of the supply line, so drugs like penicillin were always in short supply and outdated.

For six months, his only IV fluid was Ringer’s lactate solution, which was withdrawn from the states due to botulism contamination.

They often went to the city to buy medicine and equipment. “neat stuff.”

He remembers bringing hyperthermia blankets, but without air conditioning, they didn’t work when the temperature was over 100 degrees.

In addition to the injured, medics also dealt with many cases of malaria and many other infections.

Stolze describes how she and another nurse discovered the theft of pain medication.

“A nurse was replacing Demerol syringes with different liquids, including Kool-Aid and urine.” he said. “We had patients literally dying from pain; that’s what happens when you can’t control the situation.”

“It was terrible; I still remember how helpless we felt, how we couldn’t help any more.” Stolze added.

He said they never left the unit without a bulletproof vest and helmet because it was not safe. When the sirens went off, all they could do was hide under their beds.

“It was terrible; You could hear the sound of people running around, but you never knew who it was, whether it was one of the conscientious objectors (guards) who might shoot you too, or sappers ready to throw something down, or rockets coming. inside,” he said.

Stolze said the nurses were given .45-caliber handguns and M-16 rifles when they arrived but were never allowed to pick them up. “All we can do is cower” he said.

Stolze said there were many bad experiences he had not had, but he once shared how he felt. “floating around” compound and watching people running around.

“For years I thought it was a psychotic break, but after receiving therapy I now know it is a dissociative response and will occur in people under stress.” explained.

Not only did they have to deal with war, they did so under difficult conditions. It was raining constantly during the monsoon season and they were knee-deep in mud. During the dry season the mud turned into a foot of dust.

They also kept constant watch for insects, snakes and spiders.

“They had some kind of bugs that looked like colorful June bugs, and if they got in your hair you had to cut them off.” he said. “The mice were the size of cats.”

Stolze and her husband were able to take several R&D trips to Hong Kong and Australia.

“I got pregnant on our second trip, and as much as I wanted to stay with George, I knew it wouldn’t be safe for the baby.” she said and added that she spent about three months of her pregnancy in the country.

Two months later, George was able to return home.

“I would not recommend spending the first year of your marriage in a war zone.” said Stolze.

When she arrived in America, they had been briefed on war demonstrators, so she and another nurse threw away their clothes and changed into civilian clothes.

“You could hear everyone screaming. I couldn’t believe it.” said Stolze. “That was the worst thing; we didn’t feel welcome in the house.”

Stolze said one of the hardest things she faced as a nurse during her almost 11 months in Vietnam was not knowing whether the men they treated had recovered or whether their names were on the Vietnam Wall.

When the nurses returned, they were deemed ineligible for treatment at Veterans Administration hospitals because they were volunteers and not combat veterans.

“Things are very different now; all veterans are treated well.” said Stolze. “And the VA has done an excellent job of making sure we get the therapy and treatment that is needed.”

She credits her doctors and her peer group of women with helping her cope with the PTSD she ignored for years.

“I was having nightmares that would last for days or were triggered by tragic events like the 911 call.” said Stolze.

He added that just talking to other peers and veterans groups was a very healing experience.

When asked if he was going back to Vietnam, the answer is simple: “No, thank you.”

“I had the opportunity to go on healing trips when my daughter was in China and I was very close to the border.” said Stolze. “The hills and waterfalls leading to the ocean are beautiful, it’s a very beautiful country, but I never want to go back.”

She and George, a retired forester, traveled throughout the Upper Peninsula, northern Wisconsin and Canada before settling in the area. She continued to work as a nurse in hospitals in these places.

Stolze later earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Northern Michigan University and taught nursing at Bay de Noc Community College for 26 years before retiring. She also did medical case management for federal employees until the pandemic, when she retired completely.

She and her husband have two children, Gunther and Jessica, and two grandchildren.

Stolze is looking forward to participating in the first all-female UP Honor Flight, scheduled for Washington, DC.