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Elizabeth Allen [2007]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
  • Branch of Service: Army Nurse Corps
  • Service Unit/Ship: 12th Evacuation Hospital; Army Reserve
  • Location of Service: Texas; Vietnam; Pennsylvania; Michigan; Missouri; South Carolina
  • Highest Rank: Major
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/55266

View full service history

"Men that did not go to Vietnam at all get better treatment than women who were there." (Video Interview, 1:26:42)

In 1965, Elizabeth Allen was a nurse on a mission. Inspired by her brothers' service in the Vietnam War, having earned a Masters degree in Psychiatric Nursing and graduated from Officer Candidate School, she enlisted in the Air Force, insisting that she be assigned to Vietnam. Once in country, she further requested that she not work in a white uniform--i.e., taking care of officers--but close to the action, with wounded servicemen and civilians. She made a point of giving every patient the same care, including enemy soldiers taken captive. Allen has strong opinions on the way the Veterans Administration treats its women patients--opinions reinforced by her interview location, a VA facility in Michigan.

Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • Elizabeth A. Allen Collection

Names

  • Allen, Elizabeth A.
  • VA Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Manta, Vincent J.

Home State

  • Michigan

Headings

  • -  Allen, Elizabeth A.
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army Nurse Corps.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Female

Race

  • Black or African American

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Branch of Service: Army Nurse Corps
    • Service Unit/Ship: 12th Evacuation Hospital; Army Reserve
    • Location of Service: Texas; Vietnam; Pennsylvania; Michigan; Missouri; South Carolina
    • Highest Rank: Major
    • Dates of Service: 1965-1983
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2007-10-18; 2010-11-30)
  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2007-10-18; 2004-12-31)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/55266

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

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:

Allen, Elizabeth A, Ann Arbor Va Healthcare System, and Vincent J Manta. Elizabeth A. Allen Collection. 1965. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.55266/.

APA citation style:

Allen, E. A., Va Healthcare System, A. A. & Manta, V. J. (1965) Elizabeth A. Allen Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.55266/.

MLA citation style:

Allen, Elizabeth A, Ann Arbor Va Healthcare System, and Vincent J Manta. Elizabeth A. Allen Collection. 1965. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.55266/>.