Mary Sirois
Andrew Sirois
Mr. Thomas
US History, Period 3
11 May 2006
Personal Interview: Mary Sirois
Q: To begin, can you tell me about yourself?
A: My name is Mary Sirois. I was born on August 27 1921 in the Ukraine. I moved to Detroit with my family when I was six.
Q: Can you first briefly summarize your activity during the war?
A: I served most of my three and a half years in Pennsylvania, and six months on the Atlantic ship Massachusetts with the Red Cross.
Q: How did you first become interested or involved in Nursing?
A: Well, I grew up in a large family. I have four brothers and sisters. My father was killed when I was very young, which you know right? We had to take care of ourselves for the most part. At that time we did what needed to be done. I learned what I could in school, my favorite class was science, but I learned more from caring for my brothers and sisters.
Q: How did you come about entering the war?
A: Oh, well after school I began working at St. Monica’s downtown for a short time as an assistant to the nuns. When the war started, lots of the girls who weren’t nuns enlisted together. Since everyone was joining, I asked my mother, applied for the Red Cross, and was accepted a week later. My strongest memory is of her walking me to the train station so I could head east. I don’t remember now where I was going, but I remember my mother was very sad and gave me extra sandwiches.
Q: Where were you first sent?
A: I was first posted in Alabama for a three week training program. Then I was stationed in Baltimore for six months, then another six months on the Massachusetts, and the rest of my time in Philadelphia.
Q: What was life like there?
A: It was very exciting, I remember being excited by the chance to do something new and helpful, all of us were very excited at the beginning of the war.
Q: What type of people did you work with?
A: Well at my first station, nearly all the girls came from small towns in the Midwest, many from the same region.
Q: Did you usually work with men or women?
A: I would say both, but at that time mainly women. There were still a lot of men working, but they were all older than us and had families so we kept to ourselves more, but by the end of the war as more men were called away, I worked with larger groups of women.
Q: How were you treated on the job?
A: Oh, very nice. People were much more personable back then than they are now. The girls all gossiped, and the boys that came in were more than willing to talk to pretty young girls. I had a few boys buy me flowers from the shop down the hall when I was in Philadelphia.
Q: Really, what did you have to do?
A: Well I thanked them very much because they were such beautiful flowers, but I told them I couldn’t accept them and apologized.
Q: What sort of work did you do on the ship?
A: Well I’m sure I didn’t do much of what you’re thinking. I was only an aide at that time and spent most of my time in the infirmary. I distributed medicines, cleaned, and helped prepare for the doctors. Twice after battles we ran short handed on nurses and surgeons and I was told to help out in the surgery ward. I stood by the soldiers that had already been and cared for and looked them while the other nurses were working. I worked for 16 hours that day before we were relieved.
Q: Was that the only time you saw combat injuries?
A: No, but that was the first time I had seen them up so close. When I was stationed there I dealt with the sick and non-severe wounds. Most of my service was on the East Coast many miles away from the actual fighting. If a soldier was sent home from the front, it was usually for good reason as the Army did not like to lose any possible numbers. By the time any injured made it to us they had likely been treated by doctors more qualified than our own. Our main job then was to care for them and make them comfortable while they recovered. There was very little else we could do.
Q: So then, did you experience much death during your service?
A: Well yes I did, many people I knew died during the war. In my specific position I was not very exposed. The serious cases were treated in the other half of the medical ward, and very few people I helped died of sickness, though a good deal from infections. Death was not common in my position. I instead heard stories and gossip from the other nurses about which patients died later. One of the boys that bought me flowers later died in Italy. I remember his name was Wally Preston from Georgia. He had come in with a badly sprained ankle.
Q: That’s a shame.
A: Yes it was, he was very sweet.
Q: Alright, well I believe that is enough. Thank you very much.
A: Oh of course, its nice talking to you again and I’m very glad to help.
Q: Yes, thank you. You helped me a lot.
A: Good, I’ll see you in two months then. I love you.
Q: You too Grandma. Bye.