Interview with Cindy Dumas September 21, 1988

Partial Transcript: My name is Kelly Steele and I am interviewing Cindy Dumas.

Segment Synopsis: Introduction to the interviewer, the project, and to Cindy Dumas.

Partial Transcript: Cindy, where are you from?

Segment Synopsis: Ms. Dumas was born in Vermont, but mostly grew up in Florida, which is where she graduated High School from in 1960.

Partial Transcript: And when did you join the army?

Segment Synopsis: Ms. Dumas joined the Air Force when she was 23, but did not go into active duty until 1967. She received her nurses training in Florida from 1960 to 1963.

Partial Transcript: And, so, did you volunteer for Vietnam?

Segment Synopsis: Ms. Dumas relates what inspired her to volunteer to go to Vietnam and her opinion about the war before entering the war.

Partial Transcript: My mom and dad, and brother and sisters never tried to talk me out of anything I wanted to do.

Segment Synopsis: Ms. Dumas says her friends and family accepted her decision to go to Vietnam. She mentions why she believes she did not receive any negative feedback, and talks about why she did not need to make any special preparations before leaving for the war.

Partial Transcript: And where did you basic training?

Segment Synopsis: Ms. Dumas did basic training in Texas. She talks about learning the different protocols, what she did after classes, and how it did not help prepare her for Vietnam.

Partial Transcript: Did you have any kind of an image in you mind about what you were getting into?

Segment Synopsis: Ms. Dumas says she had a vague idea of what the wards would look like, but did not know the details of what to expect.

Partial Transcript: So when did you arrive in Vietnam?

Segment Synopsis: Ms. Dumas arrived in Vietnam in 1968. She talks about the flight, landing in Vietnam, and her feelings when she got there.

Partial Transcript: What was the living quarters like?

Segment Synopsis: Ms. Dumas describes the size of her living quarters while she was in Vietnam and how she attempted to decorate with her roommate.

Partial Transcript: So you were in Cam Ranh Bay?

Segment Synopsis: Ms. Dumas was stationed at Cam Rahn Bay. She compares Cam Rahn Bay to some of the other bases with nursing wards.

Partial Transcript: Did you work on different wards?

Segment Synopsis: Ms. Dumas worked mostly in the Hepatitis and Malaria wards, though she did some work in the Vietnamese ward. She describes the number of wards at Cam Ranh Bay, and the protocols for patients.

Partial Transcript: What were the physical working conditions like?

Segment Synopsis: Ms. Dumas describes the physical structure of the wards, the amenities and lack of amenities there, differences between nurses in the wards and the nurses in hospitals in the United States, having good relationships with her co-workers, and where she vacationed.

Partial Transcript: So your patients...they weren't there for very long periods of time?

Segment Synopsis: Ms. Dumas says she did not get to know most of her patients because they did not need to stay very long, though she usually got to know the patients with illnesses as they had to stay longer. She remembers being able to tell those who were going back to combat duty, because she could tell they were afraid.

Partial Transcript: I was just telling you about the oral histories that I had read recently and...

Segment Synopsis: Ms. Dumas talks about how experiences in Vietnam differed between nurses working in different branches of the military, between men and women, and between combatants and noncombatants.

Partial Transcript: Do you, did you feel like that you had a purpose?

Segment Synopsis: Ms. Dumas explains why she felt she had a sense of purpose. She also talks about how the men were affected by the war and the feelings of cynicism she began feeling around 1969, when she realized the United States was not winning the war.

Partial Transcript: So, you felt like, when it was time for you to leave, were you ready to come home?

Segment Synopsis: Ms. Dumas explains why she was ready to come home and she talks about the flight back and how it was different from the flight to Vietnam. She also goes into some detail about what she did when she came back to the U.S., how her family acted, and how being in Vietnam affected her schooling.

Partial Transcript: What made you decide to come to Louisville?

Segment Synopsis: Ms. Dumas talks about how she ended up in Louisville after rejoining the air force in 1972. She also mentions that she has worked at The Visiting Nurse Association since 1980.