A Nurse Neglected: Reba Z.

Whittle

Mia Keller Senior Division Individual Website

While beginning to research topic ideas, we began to study World War I in class. I remember my history teacher telling us that women were unable to truly be active on the front lines in the military until World War II, and that genuinely sparked my interest. I knew that I wanted to find a topic where I would be able to capture a brave, strong woman who defied the limitations set for her, and with my interest in medicine, researching an army nurse seemed like a clear path. After doing internet research, I came upon a site that highlighted some of the wars bravest nurses, and immediately I felt a connection with Reba Z. Whittle. Not only was her story relatively unknown, but her inspiring journey made me eager to research and learn more. However, Whittles unknown story made it somewhat difficult to study her, especially since prisoners of war are generally unable to disclose a lot of information. There were few resources more than a short article. Yet there was one major source that I used- Reba Whittle kept a diary while imprisoned in Germany, an unpublished, unedited primary source. From this, and the annotations to it provided by Mary Frank of the U.S. Army War College, I was able to locate books and articles that provided me with more information. One source led to another, and eventually I had a large collection of primary and secondary sources to use in my project, including photographs, quotations, articles and videos. I selected my category because of what I believe history to be- it is multimedia, not just a quote or a book. History is visual and alive, and I needed a platform in which to convey this. By doing a website, I could have it all. After making this decision, I used Weebly to combine everything I found. I inserted photographs,

video, music, Whittles diary fragments and the quotes I had compiled into one place. I also included links between pages and photo galleries to make the website as interactive as possible. In order to make certain pieces of text stand out, I bolded them and changed the color to match my theme- a dark olive green, based on the color of Whittles flight nurse uniform. My topic relates to this years theme, Rights and Responsibilities, for a few key reasons. First, while imprisoned, Whittle gave aid to wounded soldiers, never neglecting her responsibilities as a nurse- nor the rights of her patients to medical help. Second, after her repatriation, Reba Whittles right to prisoner of war status was refused, even though under the law the government is responsible for the equal treatment of veterans. She could not get health benefits or the national recognition she deserved for her brave efforts. Her selflessness and incredible work truly make her a dauntless hero, and a woman whose amazing story deserves to be heard.

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