Rose L. Gibbs
Bio
Rose L. Gibbs was born in 1927 in Virginia and graduated from high school in 1946. She then moved to Richmond, and while there, she saw a recruiting sign advertising free food, boarding, clothes, and seventy-five dollar-per-week, so she decided to join the United States Army. She was stationed at the Osaka Military Hospital where they received casualties from Korea. After the Osaka hospital was transferred back to Japanese control, she and her unit went to the 279th General Hospital where she worked as a medical laboratory technician. After getting married and becoming pregnant, she was honorably discharged. Years later, she rejoined the reserves and served an additional twenty years, retiring in 1984.
Video Clips
Recalling Patients She Helped Treat
Rose Gibbs discusses notable patients she helped treat while stationed at the U.S Army hospital in Osaka, Japan. She recalls the cold winters which resulted in seeing many frostbite patients being brought in, so many that the Army issued a statement to servicemen that they would be court-martialed if it was found that they were not wearing their wool socks. She comments that the number of cases did slow after the orders were issued resulting in the closing of the frostbite center.
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Describing Other Duties as a Medical Technician
Rose Gibbs recalls having to spend time in different sections of the lab including the blood bank and in the morgue. She remembers autopsies of patients who had died of fevers and having to take extra precautions. She shares that one point the refrigerator for blood stopped working and blood was being stored in the morgue. She admits that she was scared to go to the morgue and got the blood as quickly as possible.
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Joining the U.S. Army and Basic Training
Rose Gibbs recounts her decision to join the U.S. Army after seeing a sign about Uncle Sam needing women to serve. She admits that the idea of free clothes, food, boarding, training, and $75 a month seemed like pretty good. She shares that she didn’t travel far at first since she was stationed thirty miles from home. She explains that during basic training you could request a pass to leave the post. She admits that she requested a pass every weekend, and received it every time. She admits she was only allowed one pass but used eight passes during basic training.
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