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nurses cared for the patients while sick with malarial fever themselves. Japanese soldiers were approaching and there was constant artillery fire. Nesbit helped maintain "morale and solidarity," insisting that "the women respond always as nurses, as army officers and as a united group." She took care of the nurses, commanding sick nurses to go to bed and locating shoes, clothing, and underwear for nurses who did not have them. She convinced military pilots who were flying to outer
Philippine islands to return with shoes and underwear for the nurses. To provide privacy for the nurses, Nesbit located canvas field shelters issued by the military and used sheets of burlap to "section off a part of the jungle where the nurses slept."
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191:, on December 23, 1894. She was the seventh of ten children and experienced a difficult early childhood. As a child, she woke up before daylight to begin her chores and worked on the farm throughout the day. By the time Nesbit was 12 years old, both her parents had died, leaving her and her siblings orphaned. She first lived with her grandmother and later lived with a cousin in
271:, who was the chief nurse. She was responsible for the nurses' work schedules. While Davison was addressed as "Miss," Nesbit's staff referred to her as "Josie." Nesbit's Filipina colleagues referred to her as "Mama Josie." She referred to her staff as "my girls." Nesbit enjoyed socializing with her staff and was frequently consulted by them for advice on personal matters.
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In April 1942, Japanese soldiers were less than two miles away. Nesbit was informed by
Colonel James E. Gillepsie, the medical commander, that only American nurses were to evacuate. When told that the 26 Filipina nurses who had worked alongside the American nurses were to remain, she refused to leave
317:
The Army Nurse Corps were ordered to set up a hospital in the jungle, General
Hospital #2, located along the Real River. Without a building, the frontline hospital served 6,000 patients and had 18 wards. Conditions were extremely rudimentary; patients lay on improvised cots and the jungle floor. Many
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when she felt that their needs were not being met. For 49 years, she sent cards and notes to every nurse who had served on her
Philippine staff on Christmas and their birthdays. In 1992, a ceremony was held in Washington D.C. celebrating the Angels of Bataan; Nesbit, at age 97, was unable to attend
385:
In
January 1945, Allied forces took over the Philippine Islands. All the 3,700 prisoners of war were liberated shortly thereafter, including the 77 nurses. All of the nurses had survived, despite the challenges they had experienced. Nesbit was credited with the survival of the nurses in captivity.
381:
in Manila. Disease and starvation were rampant in the camp and many nurses fell ill. There, Nesbit and Maude
Davison ran the camp hospital from August 1942 to February 1945. For the next two years, Davison and Nesbit maintained the nurses' morale by establishing routines despite their imprisonment
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and requiring the nurses to work four-hour shifts every day. If one of the nurses was too weak to complete her shift, Nesbit would often replace her personally. She took care of the nurses, finding pieces of cloth for underwear and tiny pieces of meat to provide them with extra protein.
255:
Nesbit was on her second tour of duty in the
Philippines when World War II began. Until the war began, being stationed in the Philippines had been considered a "desirable posting," as there was plenty of free time, mild weather, and "luxurious accommodations."
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In
December 1941, Japan attacked the Philippines. On December 8, Nesbit was the acting chief nurse at Stenberg General Hospital, as Davison had been injured in a night raid. Since about 3:30 a.m., information about the
297:. Nesbit told the staff, "Girls, you've got to sleep today. You can't weep and wail over this because you have to work tonight." Less than nine hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese military bombed
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Nesbit left high school at age 16. After speaking with her sister's nursing superintendent, she chose to begin training as a nurse. Seeking "adventure and independence," Nesbit became a registered nurse in 1914.
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due to poor health but wrote a note for the dinner program explaining to her former staff that her "heart and spirit remained young" and that both were "big enough to still embrace her girls."
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unless all nurses were evacuated. Gillepsie telephoned the headquarters and received permission to evacuate the
Filipina nurses as well. The nurses were then safely evacuated to
223:, Texas, on October 1, 1918. Serving in the army reserve corps enabled Nesbit to travel and experience new adventures during peacetime. She was able to hike the
175:. Nesbit was noted for her "humane, dynamic leadership style." She was credited with the survival of the nurses during the years they were held in captivity at
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had been reaching the nurses in Manila via radio; the
American nurses stationed in the Philippines were concerned about their relatives and friends in
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with 28 years of service. In June 1949, Nesbit married William Davis, a soldier who had also been interned in the war. They lived a "quiet life" in
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On May 3, 1942, Nesbit and several other nurses were offered an opportunity to leave the island by evacuating on the last Allied submarine, the USS
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Along with Ann Mealor and Ann Wurts, she refused, volunteering to remain at the hospital as she felt that her skills as a nurse were needed there.
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On May 6, 1942, Malinta Tunnel was captured by Japanese soldiers. The nurses were taken prisoners of war and taken to
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After liberation, Nesbit returned to the United States. She retired from the military on November 30, 1946, as a
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were destroyed on the ground in the surprise attack. Shortly thereafter, the hospital filled with patients.
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Distinguished Unit Badge, Presidential Unit Emblem with two Oak Leaf Clusters on Blue Ribbon
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Nesbit died on August 16, 1993. Her body was cremated and her ashes were scattered off the
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Pure Grit: How American World War II Nurses Survived Battle and Prison Camp in the Pacific
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874:"The Angels of Bataan and Corregidor: 70 Years Later â History in the Headlines"
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In her later life, Nesbit continued to advocate for the nurses, writing to the
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155:; December 23, 1894 â August 16, 1993) was an American nurse who served in the
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We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of the American Women Trapped on Bataan
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219:. She became Reserve Army Nurse N700 665 at Camp Logan Hospital in
637:"Bataan Nurses' Adventure Turned to Terror and WW II Prison Camp"
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609:. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company. pp. 215â218.
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Tomblin, Barbara Brooks (2003). "War Comes to the Pacific".
171:, who were the largest group of American women taken as
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G.I. Nightingales: The Army Nurse Corps in World War II
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American Nursing: A Biographical Dictionary, Volume 3
510:"U.S. Army War College â Strategic Studies Institute"
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Hospital, where Nesbit and her colleagues worked on
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811:. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 13â37.
741:"Josephine Nesbit and the WWII Angels of Bataan"
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963:United States Army personnel of World War II
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187:Nesbit was born on her family's farm near
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305:was attacked; most of the American
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953:Recipients of the Legion of Merit
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211:seeking nurses to help with the
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291:Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
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163:, army nurses stationed in the
477:Philippine Independence Ribbon
453:Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
442:American Defense Service Medal
364:US Army nurses liberated from
217:United States Army Nurse Corps
157:United States Army Nurse Corps
111:United States Army Nurse Corps
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313:General Hospital #2 in Bataan
242:Stenberg General Hospital in
215:, leading Nesbit to join the
943:People from Butler, Missouri
777:Farrell, Mary Cronk (2014).
474:with one Bronze Service Star
472:Philippine Liberation Ribbon
7:
968:20th-century American women
449:and American Theater Ribbon
379:Santo Tomas Internment Camp
373:Santo Tomas Internment Camp
366:Santo Tomas Internment Camp
332:Santo Tomas Internment Camp
330:Female prisoners of war at
177:Santo Tomas Internment Camp
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984:
685:Norman, Elizabeth (1999).
605:Bullough, Vern L. (2000).
458:World War II Victory Medal
261:Sternberg General Hospital
837:Patrick, Bethanne Kelly.
437:World War I Victory Medal
301:. Fifteen minutes later,
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447:American Campaign Medal
407:Veterans Administration
898:"Philippine Defenders"
839:"Lt. Josephine Nesbit"
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958:American women nurses
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89:Years of service
739:Hanink, Elizabeth.
467:Bronze Service Star
415:San Francisco coast
233:Valley of the Kings
143:Josephine May Davis
508:Manning, Michele.
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213:influenza pandemic
165:Philippine Islands
83:United States Army
641:Los Angeles Times
432:Bronze Star Medal
421:Honors and awards
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135:Bronze Star Medal
47:December 23, 1894
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189:Butler, Missouri
173:prisoners of war
161:Angels of Bataan
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62:(1993-08-16)
933:1993 deaths
928:1894 births
878:HISTORY.com
303:Clark Field
209:Kansas City
29:Nickname(s)
922:Categories
883:2016-04-28
848:2016-04-28
781:. Abrams.
750:2016-04-28
654:2016-04-28
482:References
400:California
390:Later life
355:Spearfish.
344:Manila Bay
342:island in
340:Corregidor
322:Corregidor
283:Corregidor
69:Allegiance
43:1894-12-23
649:0458-3035
92:1918â1946
295:Honolulu
227:, visit
77:Service/
368:in 1945
246:in 1940
225:Rockies
221:Houston
167:during
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299:Baguio
265:Manila
244:Manila
229:Hawaii
193:Kansas
153:Nesbit
127:Awards
79:branch
908:(PDF)
901:(PDF)
513:(PDF)
396:major
101:Major
32:Josie
813:ISBN
783:ISBN
691:ISBN
645:ISSN
611:ISBN
107:Unit
97:Rank
57:Died
52:, US
37:Born
263:in
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