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Frances Liberty

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Korean War, 1950-1953; World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army Nurse Corps
  • Location of Service: Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Washington, DC; California; Hawaii; Fort Monmouth, New Jersey; Florida; Osaka, Japan; Korea; Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia; Texas; New York; Fort Dix, New Jersey; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Africa; Italy
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/2548

View full service history

"If they're going to die, let them see an American woman that smells good." (Video Interview, Part 2, 26:52)

Frances Liberty's saga in military nursing covers three declared wars as well as the Cold War--she cared for John Foster Dulles at Washington's Water Reed Hospital. She saw a sea change in the Army; when she enlisted in 1943, she notes, "They weren't really prepared to handle women." She maintained a reputation as a self-described disciplinarian who was also a bit of a maverick. "Medical people aren't good at saluting," she admits, but her 28-year military career clearly attests to a fondness for serving her country.

Interview / Recording

Transcript

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Interview / Recording

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Interview / Recording

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About this Item

Title

  • Frances M. Liberty Collection

Names

  • Venezio, Thomas
  • Landry, Robert
  • Liberty, Frances M.
  • Shaker High School/United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation

  • New York (State)

Headings

  • -  Liberty, Frances M.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army Nurse Corps.
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army Nurse Corps.
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- 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
    • Location of Service: Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia; Texas; New York; Fort Dix, New Jersey; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Africa; Italy
    • Dates of Service: 1943-1946
    • Military Status: veteran

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Army Nurse Corps
    • Location of Service: Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Washington, DC; California; Hawaii; Fort Monmouth, New Jersey; Florida; Osaka, Japan; Korea
    • Dates of Service: 1951-1971
    • Military Status: veteran

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Branch of Service: Army Nurse Corps
    • Location of Service: Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam
    • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
    • Dates of Service: 1971
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2002-10-22; 2013-05-16)
  • Audio: DAT [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2002-10-22; 2004-04-16)
  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2002-10-22)
  • Video: VHS [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2002-10-22)
  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2002-10-22; 2002-10-22)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/2548

Online Format

  • image
  • online text
  • video

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:

Venezio, Thomas, Robert Landry, Frances M Liberty, and Shaker High School/United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. Frances M. Liberty Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.02548/.

APA citation style:

Venezio, T., Landry, R., Liberty, F. M. & Shaker High School/United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. (1943) Frances M. Liberty Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.02548/.

MLA citation style:

Venezio, Thomas, et al. Frances M. Liberty Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.02548/>.