Rebecca Baker
Bio
Rebecca Baker joined the Navy Nurse Corps in 1952 after completing nursing school. Upon completing basic training, she served aboard a hospital ship, the USS Consolation. Her first assignment was to Korea, where she would take a smaller ship ashore, pick up wounded patients, and bring them back to the Consolation, and from there they would evacuate them to Japan. Her ship also made stops in Hong Kong and Guam, and she recounts some of her experiences there. She also recalls her experience in a typhoon while aboard the hospital ship. She served until 1958, when she married her husband and started a family.
Video Clips
Decision to Enter the Service and Basic Training
Rebecca Baker discusses her decision to join the Navy, and describes how it wasn't her original plan. After joining, she recalls waiting for basic training to start and later discovered from neighbors that she was being investigated by FBI so that she could obtain proper security clearance.
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Arrival to Korea, Duties, and Hiroshima
Rebecca discusses her first assignment to a hospital ship where she would perform medical evacuations from Korea to Japan. She discusses her time aboard the ship, and notes a memorable experience when she went to Hiroshima. She reflects on witnessing lasting effects from the atomic bomb and expresses the profound impact that this had on her.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8jxQStcdFY&start=475&end=728
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/rebecca-baker#clip-2
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Daily Life Aboard the Ship
Rebecca Baker discusses her daily life in comparison to the television show "MASH", and notes that it was important to find humor in the sometimes difficult times. She recalls the food aboard the ship, as well as recounts a story about a fellow nurse's constant seasickness.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8jxQStcdFY&start=896&end=1025
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/rebecca-baker#clip-3
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