After two long years of grueling work teaching medical residents and helping deliver babies in the Kansas City slums, Ila Armsbury was exhausted. She was ready for a change and some rest. She’d received two letters from the Red Cross suggesting that she join the Army Reserve Nurse Corps for a year of training. Ila thought that sounded pretty good, a nice change of pace from the 24/7 routine she’d been working. So Ila signed up.
Fort Leavenworth
This undated vintage postcard is a picture of Grant Hall at Fort Leavenworth. During a three-year construction program from 1903 – 1906, two older existing buildings were joined together and the new building was named Grant Hall.1
Ila’s life at Fort Leavenworth
Below are excerpts from some of Ila’s letters to her folks back home, describing her uniforms, her work assignment, war preparations, and life at Fort Leavenworth.
*****
Date Unknown but sometime in late 1940 or early 1941
Our suits and blouses came, I guess I told you. It’s really going to be an expense to keep them up. I didn’t realize it — blouses, ties, pins, cleaning and pressing, altering, black shoes, etc. And Miss Miller wants us to get them on as soon as possible. We wear them on the Post , but off the Post we can wear civilian clothes. . . . Things are beginning to tighten up here. We’re — well — I guess I can’t say it. I’ll tell you later. This was is really getting me down. I wish I could forget it, but I guess I’m right where I can’t. Keep the home fires burning. . . .We’re still awfully busy and still having lots of babies.
Community Chest, Red Cross, Salvation Army, and Tuberculosis Society are all on our trails trying to get us to contribute. Sure hope that $20.00 raise comes through.
Ella M. Miller, a.k.a. Miss Miller, was the chief nurse at Fort Leavenworth and Ila’s supervisor. After a lengthy campaign, Miss Miller convinced Ila to join the regular Army which she did in July of 1941. Immediately after joining, Miss Miller took Ila over to the Post hospital and made Ila the supervisor of the maternity ward. Ila was furious because she’d thought she was getting a break from the 24/7 work she’d been doing for the previous two years. You can hear Ila talk about this, Miss Miller’s training methods, and see photos of Ila at: https://cindyentriken.com/2020/10/ilas-war-audio-recording-with-photographs-and-news-stories/
Early 1941
The European crisis looks pretty bad doesn’t it? I’ve never thought very seriously about going over seas until lately, and it surely gives me a funny feeling around my old heart and stomach when I hear the radio broadcasts. And see the pictures in the papers. But maybe I can bring some comfort to someone of ’em if I do have to go.
August 5, 1941
A lot has happened and just keeps happening. Every day we send men out to Alaska, Hawaii, the Philippines, Trinidad West Indies, England and Iceland. There’s been a lot of sweethearts and married people separated and tears are quite plentiful. Gives me a funny feeling. I haven’t heard anything about my foreign duty, but I’d not be surprised if any day I’d receive my orders. . . .Private Olsen [the man Ila had been dating] is really sweet, and he thinks I’m pretty nice, too. Oh! Well! I guess I might as well forget it, what with the war coming on, and everything. But he’s may best Sunday-go-to-meeting boyfriend!
Fall, 1941
We are so buy at the hospital I can’t quite forget it from one night till the next morning. I’m really getting a lot of good experiences in supervising though. I have to make out a duty roster each day, and assign special duties and patients to the nurses. Just like the head nurses had to do on the floors when we were in training. We are having babies by the score. The bassinets are full, and we’re using dresser drawers again. So you see, even though we are so buy, I’m in the height of my glory having babies. Our twins went home yesterday, and we miss them so much. They were precious. . . .
The war situation looks kinda bad doesn’t it? Well you have Daddy look up my insurance policy and read it through carefully, and see if there’s any clause in there concerning war. If so, I may drop it and take Army insurance instead. Have him write to me soon and tell me.
Late Fall, 1941
The trash truck just drove up, and the two prisoners on the back end are taking the lids off all the empty liquor bottles, and pouring a few drops at a time into a medicine bottle. They are laughing, and holding their precious liquid up to see how much they have. Looks like about three ounces. The onery things.
They are the soldiers who are punished for getting drunk and causing a riot, or not coming back to camp for 2 or 3 days, or some silly thing that boys are tempted to do in the Army. They’re sure cute. They look like about 19 or 20 years old and old Nick sticking out all over them.
December 23, 1941
This Army life is surely the nuts. The last snow we had we wanted to go sled-riding and said something to the Colonel about it and he said, “Call ______ and tell him you want a cutter with a driver. So we called, and exactly on the dot, here came a cutter, pulled by two horses and a poor soldier boy sitting up on the driver’s perch.
We went out and he tucked us in, and the bottom of it was covered with straw. The horses had sleigh bells on them so in all our pomp and splendor, we went sleighing. It was swell. It didn’t cost us a cent, and we thought we were pretty smart.
There’s a big store, dry goods store, gift shop, care and grocery — well a small town here, and everything is cheaper and no tax. Then at the Officers’ Club, we can go and drink and eat and not pay a cent. At the end of the month you pay $2.00 — no matter if you have eaten $5.00 worth. There’s a theater – $.15 for all shows, a warmed swimming pool — $.10 a swim — a closed-in riding hall- heated, no cost at all for riding those lovely 5 gaited horses. A bowling alley for women only, a big gym, and womens’ classes in basketball, etc. And are we respected? My stars, the soldiers open doors for us, carry our trays of medications, do everything! We only work half-a-day and that’s all. The food is still good and I feel swell, and am so happy. I like this vacation. We just have a lot of fun and every other morning sleep late and then the made brings food over to the house for us. There’s a housekeeper to clean the rooms and I feel neglected ’cause they don’t have a maid to wash my back. In the Theater the balcony is reserved for the officers (that’s us) and the bottom for the common folks like sergeants and privates and their wives. Ha! I won’t be worth 2 cents when I finish here. If I’d try to do private duty I’d probably tell the patient to get up and come get his thermometer.
April 3, 1942
We are having a practice air-raid tonight, so we are all to report on duty when the siren blows. We don’t know what time it will be, so we all have to stay home. We are all getting caught up on our homework, so I guess I’d better write a line or two. . . .
We lost a new baby today — it never breathed after we delivered it. It was the hardest delivery I have ever assisted with. I was worn out. We couldn’t seem to get it out. I pushed and pushed and afterwords worked with the little thing for 30 minutes but all in vain. I felt terrible about it. I guess it wasn’t anyone’s fault but I can’t help thinking, “Maybe there was something else I could have done. . .” but I guess I shouldn’t feel that way.
1https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM5FF9_Grant_Hall_Fort_Leavenworth_Fort_Leavenworth_KS (accessed 11/5/2020)
