Born and raised on a farm her whole life, Carmelita Schimmenti decided she wanted to be in the that military when she was a teenager. She believed she needed to serve her country. Nothing was going to stop her, not even the thought that not many women were in the military. She believed that women played a big part in the war. If it wasn't for women, a lot of soldiers would have died without medical care.
Nothing was going to stop her, not even the thought that not many women were in the military.
The nurses were like living saints. No matter who they had to nurse, they would do it with out thinking twice. Most of the nurses often ended up with men's uniforms. They took the men's uniforms because they had to wear dresses, and they weren't comfortable.
This all started in WWII. They really didn't have that many women in the military back then because most of the men thought women should stay home and watch the kids. Women didn't really start joining the military until about 1942.
Women fought for their country as hard as the male soldiers. Women loved their country, and they felt that they needed to do this. Sometimes women nurses even armed themselves and fought alongside the men.
Many nurses stationed in the Philippines during World War II were taken as prisoners of war. While in captivity they helped American soldiers, but also nursed many of the Japanese as well. None of these women were ever sexually abused while they were prisoners. Many times they were treated better than the male POW's.
They also worked with the Filipino nurses as a team. When the Philippine Islands were being captured by the Japanese, the American women refused to leave the Filipino nurses behind. If you were to ask many Filipino nurses what they thought about the U.S. women they worked with during the war, they would say they thought of them as mothers. About twelve women died as a result of the war.
When our nurses were captured, they were not allowed to take any souvenirs of the United States with them. If anyone got caught with any symbol of the United States they would be decapitated, meaning they would have their head cut off. General Schimmenti tells a story of one courageous nurse who had hidden a unit flag in her foot locker. During inspection, a Japanese guard saw part of it and asked what it was. She quickly said that it was a shawl and wrapped the folded flag around her shoulders. He left her alone without knowing it was the flag. It must have taken a lot of bravery to do that for the love of her country.
"Sometimes war is the only way to save a nation," said Schimmenti. Many people died so we could be free. Many of the boys who died in World War II were not ready for war, but they felt they had a job to do and they did it proudly. Many fathers died leaving wives and children behind. Some children were born while their fathers were away fighting and never even met them. General Schimmenti also said that war changes people. You lose your innocence when you fight a war. She said, "sometimes you see people who aren't ready to die, but they are in so much pain they should."
War is horrible but some economic good came out of World War II. It brought the United States out of one of the greatest slumps in history, the Great Depression. The war was good for the economy. It provided work in factories for many homeless people. At that time many women also started working. It was the first time they really entered the workplace, taking jobs that were usually held by the men who were away fighting. This is really what got women on the move. They were never allowed to work before, but this time they didn't have a choice.
During this time there was also more recycling than there ever was. Because we could not trade with other countries, we had to save rubber bands, tin foil, anything that could help the war. Gas was scarce. People carpoo led, walked, rode bicycles, and took public transportation. Everything extra went to help win the war.
A lot has changed for women since World War II. Most women work outside the home and there are many opportunities for them in the military. General Schimmenti is proud to be the first Hispanic woman to make General in the United States military. She feels that she learned more in the military than she could have anywhere else. Although General Carmelita Schimmenti did not serve in the military during WWII, we interviewed her because of her expertise on women in the military, especially those who were taken as prisoners of war.
- Beatriz Aquiar, Santina Bryant, Corey Lucero