Two Mason City nurses who offered their services to the war effort were commissioned Thursday as second lieutenants in the U.S. army.
The young women are Miss Winifred Meade and Miss Flora Ross, both of whom were employed at the Park hospital. They are now stationed at Fort Riley, Kans., where they were sworn in and received their commissions.
Miss Meade is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clark Meade, 213 Pennsylvanian avenue southeast. She received her training at Mercy hospital in Iowa City.
Miss Ross took her nurse's training at St. Joseph's Mercy hospital school of nursing in Sioux City. Her mother, Mrs. Catherine Ross, lives in Phoenix, Ariz.
Source: Mason City Globe-Gazette, October 2, 1942 (individual photos included)
Who'll Take Their Places?
Mason City has seen 12 of its nurses go into military service in the past year and already plans are going forward for the organization of Nurse's Aide corps which will help provide substitute assistance for the nurses left on duty here.
The Red Cross volunteers corps will start its first class Monday at the Mercy hospital. Women who are interested in taking up this volunteer project may call the Red Cross for further information.
Of the nurses who have left Mason City on war duty, two are stationed in Ireland, Lieut. Pauline McGuire and Lieut. Aquinas Leehey; one in Australia, Lieut. Mary Kelsh; and two others are members of task forces, Lieut. Mabel Jorgenson and Lieut. Elizabeth Clark.
In this country, Lieut. Rosalie Linnehan, Lieut. Winifred Meade and Lieut. Flora Ross are stationed at Fort Riley, Kans., Lieut. Nan Kramer at Jefferson Barracks, Lieut. Della Zaugg at Kelly field, Lieut. Bernice Rappath at the Army and Navy hospital at Hot Springs and Lieut. Margaret Wagner at Camp Robinson, Little Rock.
Not only do nurses volunteer for army and navy duty, but the supply is also depleted by the nurses who retire from the profession to be married, or take up other work. It takes three years to train a nurse, and because the number of registered nurses cannot be kept up to average, volunteer Nurses Aide corps are being organized all over the United States, and Mason City's effort is a part of the nationwide movement.
Source: The Mason City Globe-Gazette, November 7, 1942 (photo included)
HOME FROM PACIFIC -- Lt. Winifred Meade has arrived home from the Philippines where she has been stationed with the army nurse corps. Before going there, she was in New Guinea. Lt. Meade is with her sister Mrs. William Strong, 1603 Harding S.W. and her brother, Clarke Meade, Jr., 37 20th S.E. Lt. Meade enlisted in October, 1942, and was on duty at Fort Riley, Kans., until she embarked for foreign duty in June 1943. She has a sister, Lt. Olive Meade, of the army nurse corps, stationed in India.
Source: Mason City Globe-Gazette, December 8, 1945
