Marian Jean Setter
Bio
Marian Jean Setter graduated from nursing school, and shortly thereafter, decided to join the United States Army towards the end of World War II. One of her first assignments was at a base hospital where she began preparing for the invasion of Japan. When the war ended, she began nursing on a hospital train, where she most notably treated returning prisoners of war. She then was sent to Korea for two years shortly after the war ended, treating mostly military but also some civilians. Following that assignment, she left the military and began civilian nursing for two years but remained in the Reserves. She was recalled into active duty when the Korean War began and became an instructor in medical services. From 1955-1957, she served in Germany, and later furthered her education. She spent quite a bit of time as a nurse recruiter, including during the Vietnam War. In the late 1960s, she spent a year in Korea, where she treated the hostages from the USS Pueblo incident who had recently been released. She retired some years later as a colonel in 1976.
Video Clips
Basic Training and First Assignment
Marian Setter discusses her experience at basic training and explains her first assignment in a general hospital near Modesto, California. She notes she treated both medical and surgical patients. She recalls many of her patients were injured World War II veterans who had been in the hospital for quite some time. She reflects that this was her first experience with war casualties, and it confirmed she made the right decision to join the military.
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Nursing on Medical Evacuation Trains
Marian Setter speaks about her second nursing assignment which centered on helping transport World War II prisoners of war to hospitals closer to their homes from the ports where they arrived by ship. She explains that on these medical trains, she and other nurses would ride with the patients the entire length of the trip, care for them, and assist them with any needs they had. She remembers the men being severely malnourished as a result of their time in captivity.
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Serving in Korea with the Army of Occupation
Marian Setter discusses her next assignment, which was to Korea prior to the war. She shares she served for two years at the 34th General Hospital, about twenty-five miles north of Seoul, with the Army of the Occupation (later the Army of the Liberation). She remembers the hospital being housed in a former training academy and states they were lucky to have an actual facility rather than living in tents. She recalls her patients were all military with some Korean civilians as well.
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Second Tour in Korea
Marian Setter remembers her second tour to Korea in the 1960's, where she served as Assistant Chief Nurse at the 121st Evacuation Hospital for five months and as the Chief Nurse at a hospital in Busan for seven months. She reflects on the difference in Korea from her first assignment, pre-Korean War to her second assignment, post-Korean War. She notes that during this assignment, she had much more contact with Korean civilians since she was also working with Korean graduates and students from local hospitals. She recalls helping a former soldier who was on a church mission to South Korea set up an operating room in a hospital the church was building.
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Treating the Rescued Hostages from the USS Pueblo
Marian Setter recalls a notable experience while serving her second tour of duty in Korea. She explains that upon their release by the North Koreans, she was one of the nurses that cared for the hostages of the USS Pueblo on Christmas Eve 1968. She remembers how she and her fellow nurses gave each of them physical examinations, treatment if needed, and fed them a Christmas dinner.
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