Edith Pavlischek
Bio
Edith Pavlischek, born January 30, 1928, in Glassport, Pennsylvania, served in the US Army during the Korean War from 1952 to 1954. Growing up in Glassport, she aspired to become a medical doctor, but because of financial reasons she pursued nursing. She described her time in basic training and gave details about how she assisted the doctors as they performed surgeries on the troops serving in Korea. While the war was going on she kept her engagement to her boyfriend a secret because she was an officer and her boyfriend was an enlisted soldier. Her experiences in the war left a lasting impression on her and her family. She displayed remarkable courage and dedication during her time in Korea.
Video Clips
Women in Basic Training
Edith Pavlischek describes the seix weeks of basic training that Edith Pavlischek endured. She says it was bunch of "crap" because she could not understand why they needed to know how to march when they would be standing bedside. In her own hilarious nature, she gives details of Army life for women in basic training during the Korean War era. She believes basic training was ridiculous when all they taught was how to put on uniforms.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7f1Fov5IYA&start=755&end=915
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/edith-pavlischek#clip-1
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44th Mash Unit Korea
Edith Pavlischek discusses her role as an Army nurse as soldiers would arrive by ambulance or helicopter. She talks about the MASH triage unit that was created to perform surgical procedures on the front lines of the war. She describes some of the best procedures and how they worked diligently every day to help the wounded soldiers and witnessed some devastating events during the war.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7f1Fov5IYA&start=1440&end=1650
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/edith-pavlischek#clip-2
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Letter to my Parents
Edith Pavlischek reads a letter that she wrote to her parents in July 1953 while she was serving as a nurse in the army. She describes the daily events of her interactions with the soldiers and doctors, including being forced to work with her jacket on when it was hot. She describes to her parents a recent trip that she took to Seoul while she was serving in the Korean War. She also reports drinking a beer and requests her mother send a care package which included a bathing suit.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7f1Fov5IYA&start=2514&end=2752
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/edith-pavlischek#clip-3
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Not Scared - Want to Take Care of Our Boys
Edit Pavlischek claims she was not scared to be deployed to Korea. She says she knew that she would not be directly on the front lines and felt a responsibility to "take care of our boys." She loves her country and felt compelled to help any way she could.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7f1Fov5IYA&start=540&end=691
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/edith-pavlischek#clip-4
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