Women played vital role in WWII and not just in nursing

JOHNSTOWN >> Lt. Lenora Critchfield contracted malaria during her time in Africa as she served in World War II. When she returned to Johnstown while on medical leave in 1943, she talked about receiving patients day and night during her time overseas.

“We often worked around the clock to take care of the wounded that came in,” she told the Johnstown Tribune. “Their spirit was wonderful, especially that of the boys who were more seriously wounded. Sleep meant nothing to us since our one and burning desire was to get those injured boys well again.”

Later in the war — when Critchfield got off duty — she hitched rides to the front line at Kasserine Pass in Tunisia when the Nazis broke through.

“I’ve heard bullets around, but it was lots of fun. The boys were always glad to see us and talk to us. The morale was wonderful in the front lines and still more wonderful when the wounded came back.”

Women played a vital role in the armed forces during World War II. Nursing wasn’t the only roles they filled within the military. At local recruiting offices, women worked at enlisting men in the Army, Marines and Navy. The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps was an organization many women joined during the war, and in Johnstown, the Marine Corps recruited women.

Kim Guise, assistant director for curatorial services at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, said there was an overall desire for many women to join and take active roles in the war effort.

“In the different branches, it was perceived in different ways,” Guise said. “Some were more reluctant, but I don’t think all of the branches were welcoming to women. There was some reluctance initially insofar as the women’s auxiliary branches. It was different in terms of nurses. There was a dire need.”

Early in 1942, the nation and greater Johnstown area experienced a shortage of nurses. Many of

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“I’ve heard bullets around, but it was lots of fun. The boys were always glad to see us and talk to us. The morale was wonderful in the front lines and still more wonderful when the wounded came back.” — Lt. Lenora Critchfield