A WWII Nurse in Patton's 3rd Army

Heroes Behind Headlines

A different kind of war story and hero: Lt. Mary Balster was a charming Midwestern teenager (the apple of her father's eye) when she enlisted as a nurse at the outbreak of WWII. She proved invaluable on the front lines as a German-speaker, but was unprepared for the nonstop workload; the filth; the horrible injuries and desperation; the quickly formed friendships; having to care for enemy combatants; and being one of a handful of women surrounded by thousands of GIs. Patton insisted on keeping his field hospital close to his front lines, (in order to more quickly care for the wounded) and Mary had her share of challenges and adventures. Her daughter NCR Davis shares highlights from her mother's diaries and war history, including her never-diagnosed PTSD, from her biography, "For the Boys."

Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

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1. A WWII Nurse in Patton's 3rd Army (00:00:00)

2. [Ad] Cold Case Western Australia (00:18:22)

3. (Cont.) A WWII Nurse in Patton's 3rd Army (00:19:09)