Cecilia A. Sulkowski
Bio
Cecelia Sulkowski, after graduating high school, entered into a three-year civilian nursing program. She graduated from the program in 1942 and, because of her patriotism, she enlisted in the United States Army Nursing Corps where she cared for returning soldiers who were wounded in the European theater. She left the U.S. Army in 1946 but reenlisted in 1948 and was sent to Korea in 1950 to set up a M.A.S.H. hospital. Specifically, she was an operating room nurse and saw many injured patients. She recalls the soldiers she treated and how their “spirits were broken.” She regards her time in the Army as time well spent and is proud of her service. She went on to serve two additional tours in Europe, and a variety of other assignments throughout her service, which ended in 1970.
Video Clips
Experiences in MASH Hospitals in Korea
Cecelia Sulkowski arrived to Korea in 1949 and began working in a MASH hospital. She recalls seeing shrapnel, fire, and fireworks but was not afraid as she felt far enough away. She explains the MASH unit was set up in an old schoolhouse because it was well built.
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Describing Her Duties as an Operating Room Nurse
Cecelia Sulkowski describes her experiences as an operating room nurse. She discusses the condition of the operating room and recalls her first experience with maggots. She explains they kept the wounds very clean. She discusses her shifts and types of hours she worked as well as aspects of her daily life.
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Experiences with Patients and First Experience in Korea
Cecelia Sulkowski recalls the variety of patients she saw, describing them as seasoned soldiers, not new recruits. She describes the feelings of the patients and how they felt disheartened with the lack of supplies they were sent in to fight with. She becomes quite emotional when she recalls her feelings about these soldiers. She continues discussing her arrival to Korea and remembers the cold winters especially.
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Feelings About the Army, Treating North Koreans, and Humor in Daily Life
Cecelia discusses a wide range of topics in this clip. She wholeheartedly recommends the Army for someone who wants a good and secure life. She recalls treating North Korean patients and how grateful they were for the good care they received. She speaks about the need for humor in their daily lives to help the medical professionals cope with the terrible things they would see on a daily basis. She remembers having to be very careful with their possessions as there was a lot of theft occurring for black market purposes.
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Discussing Patient Deaths
Cecelia Sulkowski recollects her perpetual struggle with death and destruction surrounding her. She discusses the importance of humor. She speaks about the advent of triage and the usage of MASH hospitals. She explains her hospital was a stationary unit and that she was not on the move like others. She describes the makeup of her unit as well.
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Operating Room Conditions
Cecelia Sulkowski describes protocols and procedures used in the operating rooms in the MASH hospitals. She recalls how they would treat the patients in the hospital, and then the patients would be evacuated to Japan. She discusses the superiority of Army medical technique compared to civilian medical life. She notes how Army nurses could perform many more procedures than civilian nurses could at this time, as well as write orders and prescribe some types of medication.
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