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Show COMBAT STRENGTH THROUGH LOGISTICS Around tho Mill Find out what's happening on base. DSee pages 26-2-8. Nov. 9, 1989 .15 A local retired Navy rear admiral has a Veterans Day message for all Americans... )ffe(B(0u0 0 by Sgt. Jay A. Joersz Hilltop Times co-edit- Veterans Day, Saturday, is more than just another holiday. It signifies the very heart of the United States-freed- om. To some it brings back special memories and feelings. One Lay ton, Utah, resident will never forget the sacrifice of the veterans she cared for during the Vietnam and Korean Wars. Retired Navy Rear Adm. Maxine Conder saw a lot of wounded and dying sailors and Marines during her days as a Navy nurse which began in April 1951 as an ensign and ended as the director of the Navy Nurse Corps : on June 30, 1979. "I loved being a nurse, especially when I worked at the bedside. I was never as comfortable working in the administrative roles as working face to face with the patients. But I would do it all over again without question," the admiral said. Two things that Admiral Conder says she learned from the Navy, and especially, her patients, were courage and teamwork. "I'll never forget the kind of teamwork I saw when I was in the military," the admiral said. "It took precision teamwork between the medical staff to take care of the wounded." A good example occurred during her assignment on the USS Haven, stationed off Korea in 1953. A group of Army and Marine soldiers were conducting a class dealing with land mines when a mine blew up, killing and seriously injuring many of the soldiers. "I think I learned the true meaning of teamwork when they started bringing all those wounded men aboard," she explained. "A symposium of medical personnel from all NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) countries were on board at the time. Thirteen years later, when I was working on a master's degree at the University of Washington, a doctor recognized me from the ship that day and told me how professionally we handled that crisis. The teamwork and camaraderie be tween the soldiers was also surprising to the Naval nurse. "There were many instances when a wounded sailor or Marine in serious need of care would say to me, 'Please take care of my buddy first, he's just three bunks down and needs help more than me,' " she said. "I learned a great deal of courage from them (the patients). I '11 never forget them. ' ' There is one particular patient the admiral said she still can envision as if she was still there with him. It was a soldier who was paralyzed from the neck down. The only thing the wounded man could move was his eyelids. "I'll never forget the look in his eyes. It changed as his time in the hospital went on. At first he had a bewildered look in his eyes, then it changed to anger and finally hopelessness," she said, gazing into the shadows of her living room. "Sometimes you just felt so helpless you wanted to help him, but nothing could be done." She stressed the importance of remembering all U.S. servicemen on Veterans Day, from those who served career military one year to the ' v members. "U.S. veterans, both men and women, have always given everything that has been asked of them from the start of this country," she said. "A lot of people take that type of giving for granted. There's been a lot of blood, shed and lives lost through many wars so that we can remain free." veteran explained The gray-haire-d that serving in the military is unique and that all servicemembers experience unique situations. "It doesn't matter how long veterans served in the military, they had to give a great deal of themselves," she said. Admiral Conder explained that her stay with the Navy started out as a patriotic gesture. A native of Bingham Canyon, Utah, she received her initial nursing education at the St. Mark's Hospital School of Nursing in Salt Lake City in 1947. stint as an office After a three-yea- r nurse at the Tooele Clinic in Tooele, Utah, she decided to serve her coun35-ye- f' - ' 28-ye- ar try in 1951. a." h ' - x: . - r - Not forgotten Rear Adm. Maxine Conder, when she was IPV fri ar Admiral's best friend t t ' J' ' J " . lit" , t.Mi . ; i ........ fa.. Courtesy Photo yUwA.! ' director of the Navy Nurse Corps, stops at the gravestone of a military nurse buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., during the annual memorial service for nurses of the armed forces on May 16, 1976. She was the guest speaker at the event. committee for the University of Utah College of Nursing, on the board of fresh in people's minds and the Korean directors for the United Services Auto conflict was beginning," the admiral Association, a member of the Navy said. "So I thought I'd stay in until Captains Club in Salt Lake City and the Korean conflict ended. Who would a volunteer at the Ogden temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y have thought I'd stay in 28 years." Saints. The admiral also described how the role of women in the military has Along with her other commitments, the she is frequently asked to make days she entered changed since the ' i speeches and appearances for many lo"i; :vY Navy. She said that 95 percent of the wom- cal and national organizations and en joining the military in 1951 were spends a lot of time taking care of her mother and her nine-yeanurses and were accepted by the men in the service. But when women began companion, her dog, Cocoa. Last year the U of U bestowed the branching out into other career fields within the military, it was harder for admiral with an honor she particularthem to be accepted. ly cherishes, an honorary doctorate of Unitscience degree, for her many accomThe admiral explained that the ed States, including the military, is plishments. "I've had a good life," she said, as currently experiencing a shortage of qualified nurses. She said the shortage she thought about the memories. "I've is due largely to opportunities for enjoyed a wonderful career and women in other careers She said to worked with fantastic people and combat the shortage, lobbying should traveled to many places. I worked very begin in junior high and high schools hard in my life, though. It seemed the to explain the roles of nursing, the edu- higher I went in my career, the harder cation involved and the advancement I worked." But most of all, the admiral said she opportunities. "I believe that military nurses are will always feel an obligation to women in the military. truly unsung heroes," the admiral represent " hardve I' always enj oyed my association proudly stated. "They are very " with those in the military. They are, working, dedicated people. of 10 her retirement, for the most part, a very fine group years During she has stayed in contact with both with a genuine love for this country the military and nursing. And, along and dedicated to preserving it," Adwith her many other activities, she is miral Conder said. "They truly believe that what they always on the go. She is a member of the advisory do is right for our freedom." "Patriotism was very high in those days; after all, World War II was still : r, 83-year-o- ld . Admiral Conder with companher nine-yea- r ion, Cocoa. History office chief retires " ; ? Fond farewell '. .;,e , U.S. Air Force Photo by Sgt. 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