Army nurse, POW Earleen Allen Francis, 91
Pinkhouses1961
Former POW was honored for service in World War II
Earleen Allen Francis, a former Army nurse and veteran of World War II who
was honored last month for military service that included three years as a
prisoner of war in the Philippines, died Sunday in Clinton, Ky. She was 91.
Francis died at the home of her caretakers, Joel and Debbie Ferguson. She
had had Alzheimer's disease since the mid-1990s.
Francis was awarded a certificate of honor, signed by Gov. Paul Patton, on
Aug. 19 for her service in the Army. She also received a citation from
President Ronald Reagan in 1983 during a reunion of former POWs.
She joined the Army in 1938 and was stationed in the Philippines when
Japanese forces took over the small island of Corregidor in 1942. Francis
was taken prisoner shortly before the Bataan Death March, according to
Jackie Caraway, a longtime friend who managed affairs for Francis.
Francis was a POW for three years, according to the Kentucky Department of
Veterans Affairs, until American tanks crashed through the gates of her camp
in 1945.
A group of about 60 Army and Navy nurses, including Francis, came to be
known as ''Angels in Fatigues'' by other POWs. Fewer than 20 now survive.
The nurses were routinely starved during those three years. Despite their
weakened condition, the nurses set up a clinic to care for the sick and
dying among the other prisoners -- both civilian and military. The story of
the nurses has been told in at least two books -- ''We Band of Angels'' and
''To the Angels.''
Francis was born in Bardwell. She was briefly married to an Army dentist,
Garnet Francis, whom she met in the Philippines. The couple divorced and had
no children.
She was a member of the Christian Scientist faith and several military
organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion
and the Springfield Unit of the Women's Overseas Service League.
A graveside service with military honors by personnel from Fort Campbell
will be held at 1 p.m. CDT today at Clinton Cemetery. Brown Funeral Home in
Clinton is handling arrangements.
Brigid Nelson
>
> She joined the Army in 1938 and was stationed in the Philippines when
> Japanese forces took over the small island of Corregidor in 1942. Francis
> was taken prisoner shortly before the Bataan Death March, according to
> Jackie Caraway, a longtime friend who managed affairs for Francis.
>
> Francis was a POW for three years, according to the Kentucky Department of
> Veterans Affairs, until American tanks crashed through the gates of her camp
> in 1945.
>
> A group of about 60 Army and Navy nurses, including Francis, came to be
> known as ''Angels in Fatigues'' by other POWs. Fewer than 20 now survive.
Today's film commemorating the nurses of Corregidor is _So Proudly We
Hail!_ featuring Claudette Colbert, Veronica Lake and Paulette Goddard.
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0036367
If you live in the Portland area you can view the principal's costumes
at Movie Madness.
BrigidBob says check it out
J.D. Baldwin
In the previous article, Pinkhouses1961 <Pinkhou...@aol.com>
wrote:
> The nurses were routinely starved during those three years. Despite
> their weakened condition, the nurses set up a clinic to care for the
> sick and dying among the other prisoners -- both civilian and
> military. The story of the nurses has been told in at least two
> books -- ''We Band of Angels'' and ''To the Angels.''
"We Band of Angels" was subtitled "The Untold Story." The author
didn't want either phrase in the title, but was overruled by her
publishers. I won't get into the "angels" thing, but the story has
most certainly not been "untold." "To the Angels" is also an
excellent book, and came out around 20 years ago, whereas "We Band of
Angels" came out within the last few years.
Furthermore, at least one documentary (whose title escapes me) has
been made about the subject, along with two or three dramatic films,
such as the Claudette Colbert picture, "Three Came Home."
Los Banos internment camp -- technically, it wasn't a POW camp, though
the nurses were legally and practically POWs, and have always been
recognized as such -- was downright humane and comfy compared to the
stuff going on in the camps in China, Burma and Thailand. In other
words, it was probably roughly equivalent to the "Hanoi Hilton,"
without the solitary confinement.
--
_+_ From the catapult of |If anyone disagrees with any statement I make, I
_|70|___:)=}- J.D. Baldwin |am quite prepared not only to retract it, but also
\ / bal...@panix.com|to deny under oath that I ever made it. -T. Lehrer
***~~~~-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Brigid Nelson
> In the previous article, Pinkhouses1961 <Pinkhou...@aol.com>
> wrote:
>
>>The nurses were routinely starved during those three years. Despite
>>their weakened condition, the nurses set up a clinic to care for the
>>sick and dying among the other prisoners -- both civilian and
>>military. The story of the nurses has been told in at least two
>>books -- ''We Band of Angels'' and ''To the Angels.''
>
>
> "We Band of Angels" was subtitled "The Untold Story." The author
> didn't want either phrase in the title, but was overruled by her
> publishers. I won't get into the "angels" thing, but the story has
> most certainly not been "untold." "To the Angels" is also an
> excellent book, and came out around 20 years ago, whereas "We Band of
> Angels" came out within the last few years.
>
> Furthermore, at least one documentary (whose title escapes me) has
> been made about the subject, along with two or three dramatic films,
> such as the Claudette Colbert picture, "Three Came Home."
"Three Came Home" is about a POW camp but not nurses. "So Proudly We
Hail!" is about Corregidor and the nurses but not about POW camps.
Since both films feature Claudette they're worth watching.
brigid