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Janis Nark [detail from video]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Persian Gulf War, 1991; Vietnam War, 1961-1975
  • Branch of Service: Army Nurse Corps
  • Service Unit/Ship: 44th Medical Battalion
  • Location of Service: Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Madigan Army Medical Center and Fort Lewis, Washington; Fitzsimons Army Medical Center, Colorado
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/70597

View full service history

"I never stood as tall as the day I put on one of the uniforms of my country." (Video interview, 5:57)

Like many young nurses in the late 1960s, Lieutenant Colonel Janis Nark was wowed by military recruiters' promises of the travel opportunities (and the eligible bachelors) involved in military nursing. Enlisting in the Army Nurse Corps and serving in Cam Ranh Bay, she says, "death was never far away." Returning home after her tour, she worked hard to put the memories of Vietnam behind her. Being called up to serve in the Persian Gulf War brought back feelings of the hopelessness of war and forced her to grapple with post-traumatic stress disorder; she recovered through visits to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, as well as speaking publicly about her experiences.

Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • Janis Alyce Nark Collection

Names

  • Nark, Janis Alyce
  • Merritt, Richard O.
  • Roaring Fork Veterans History Project, Aspen Historical Society
  • Anderson, Corby

State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation

  • Colorado

Headings

  • -  Nark, Janis Alyce
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army Nurse Corps.
  • -  Persian Gulf War, 1991 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army Nurse Corps.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Female

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Branch of Service: Army Nurse Corps
    • Service Unit/Ship: 44th Medical Battalion
    • Location of Service: Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Madigan Army Medical Center and Fort Lewis, Washington; Fitzsimons Army Medical Center, Colorado
    • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
    • Dates of Service: 1969-1995
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

  • Persian Gulf War, 1991

    • Branch of Service: Army Nurse Corps
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2009-10-22; 2009-12-21)
  • Photograph: Photocopy of Photographic Print [1 item] -- Photographs (collected 1970-01)
  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2009-10-22)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/70597

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:

Nark, Janis Alyce, Richard O Merritt, Aspen Historical Society Roaring Fork Veterans History Project, and Corby Anderson. Janis Alyce Nark Collection. 1969. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.70597/.

APA citation style:

Nark, J. A., Merritt, R. O., Roaring Fork Veterans History Project, A. H. S. & Anderson, C. (1969) Janis Alyce Nark Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.70597/.

MLA citation style:

Nark, Janis Alyce, et al. Janis Alyce Nark Collection. 1969. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.70597/>.