Thoughts on “The Women” by Kristin Hannah



I have often heard the sentiment expressed by my fellow Vietnam veterans that one cannot truly understand or describe war unless one has served. I have generally held that opinion myself. To paraphrase a well-known saying, “Unless one has walked a mile in my combat boots, one cannot appreciate my journey.“ In her latest book, Kristin Hannah comes quite close to walking in those boots, particularly those worn by military nurses who served in Vietnam. While I may not have slogged through swamps of elephant grass, tried to get to sleep on the ground in drenching monsoon rains or felt the terror that my next step could be on a booby trap, changing my life forever, I DO know war. I felt the suffocating heat, heard the plaintive pleas of blood encrusted amputees, held the hands of the dying, and offered false hope to guys for whom the truth would have been unbearable.  As a nurse, preparation for serving in a combat zone consisted of six weeks of training following our nurses’ schooling, a book entitled “A Pocket Guide to Vietnam “, three sets of fatigues to get us through the year, and, hopefully, a duffel bag to contain everything we might need.



In “The Women”, Hannah describes her characters as though she knew them.  From the GIs to the Vietnamese civilians, from the doctors and nurses to the wounded and dying, they remind me of those who crossed my path during that year. Her depiction of events, from day to day happenings to little known special days, all bring up memories. She mentioned trips to an orphanage. Yes, we took chocolate bars to orphaned children. She even describes water-skiing which we did as well. (As a matter of fact, her description of a “two-piece belted red swimsuit” perfectly depicts the suit that I wore in Vietnam and is pictured in my memoir “Vietnam Nurse: Mending and Remembering” Perhaps she has read my book!



Keeping in mind that this book is a novel, the manuscript is a blend of historical facts and could-have-happened incidences. This is especially evident in the varied relationships surrounding Frankie, the heroine, and her struggles both in the field hospital setting in Vietnam and after her return to “the world”. Combining her extensive research and excellent story telling talent, Hannah has penned a must-read book highlighting the often-overlooked contribution of women during the Vietnam War in the 60s and 70s. For those readers who did serve, I promise an experience of tears, memories (good and bad) and a renewed longing for sisterhood after 50+ years. Yes, women did serve! We patched up the wounded, we cried uncontrollable tears, we fell in and out of relationships. For many, the effects have been long lasting---broken marriages, PTSD, suicides and debilitating effects of agent orange. We have survived with therapy, friends, and for some of us, writing our own personal memoirs. We are The Women and now, thanks to Kristin Hannah, our story is being told again. We can only hope that this book will lay to rest the query, “I didn’t know there were women in Vietnam.”



Lou Eisenbrandt