Grafton Nurse Takes Position in Army and Navy Hospital
GRAFTON -- Miss Berniece Rappath left Thursday for Hot Springs National park, Ark., where she will accept a position in the Army and Navy hospital.
Miss Rappath is a graduate of the St. Joseph Mercy hospital with the class of 1939.
Since her graduation she has been employed at the hospital and on special cases.
Source: The Mason City Globe-Gazette, January 31, 1941
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)
IN PACIFIC AREA -- Lt. Bernice Rappath of the army nurse corps, has arrived somewhere in the Pacific area, according to word received by Mrs. Emil Bucchele of Grafton, her sister. Lieutenant Rappath is a graduate of the Mercy hospital of Mason City. She joined the Red Cross reserve in 1941 and enlisted in the regular army nurse corps later. She was stationed at the Army and Navy general hospital in Hot Springs, Ark., before leaving for overseas duty.
Source: The Mason City Globe-Gazette, August 31, 1943 (photo included)
SERVES AT MANILA -- First Lt. Bernice Rappath of Grafton has served 4 years in the army nurse corps. She has been 2 years in Australia and New Guinea and now located near Manila. She is a graduate of Mary hospital, Mason City.
Source: Mason City Globe-Gazette, May 10, 1945 (photo included)
BERNICE RAPPATH TO WED JAN. 19
Grafton -- Capt. Bernice Rappath of Mather Air force base, Sacramento, Cal., has left for the West, where she will be married Jan 19 to Lt. Robert Maker. She was accompanied by her niece Miss Jane Buechele of Mason City who will be an attendant at the wedding. Capt. Rappath who visited her sisters, Mrs. E. Buechele and Mrs. J. Bork, at Grafton, was honored at a shower during her stay.
Source: The Mason City Globe-Gazette, January 2, 1951
