Frances Louise Donovan
Bio
Frances Donovan was born in Clearwater, Florida. Following her secondary education, she attended nursing school due to a lifelong desire to be a nurse. After working in a hospital for a few months following graduation, she decided to join the United States Army Nurse Corps, seeking adventure. After basic training, she worked in a tuberculosis hospital, treating veterans who returned home from Korea. She left the Army in 1953 and went back to civilian nursing but later decided to join the United States Air Force. She was stationed in Germany and France, where she continued military nursing. While there, she met her husband, and later became pregnant in 1958, at which time she was discharged.
Video Clips
Experience at Basic Training
Frances Donovan describes her basic training in San Antonio, Texas, and what she learned. She shares she learned to accept everything and everyone. She remembers with pride that she left basic training with a commission as second lieutenant.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=/aZB1tPhG7Bw&start=595&end=820
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/frances-louise-donovan#clip-1
Embed:
Working in a Stateside Tuberculosis Hospital
Frances Donovan recalls her first assignment at a Stateside tuberculosis hospital. She remembers all of her patients were soldiers returning from Korea with tuberculosis or other respiratory issues. She recounts some stories of patients and their experiences in Korea, as well as their experiences in the hospital. She discusses the treatment used for tuberculosis at this time.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=/aZB1tPhG7Bw&start=1103&end=1340
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/frances-louise-donovan#clip-2
Embed:
Treating Patients
Frances Donovan describes the wards of the hospital and how many patients would be there at a time. She recalls her patients and the difficulty she had getting some of them to stay in bed and rest. She remembers working on the prison ward at times and being harassed by some of the men.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=/aZB1tPhG7Bw&start=1354&end=1579
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/frances-louise-donovan#clip-3
Embed: