Mickey Gilberg
Nurse in the Battle Of The Bulge December 1944

This is my story!
May 15,2000

I have to give you a partial autobiography to lead up to the information I want to present.

I finished nursing school at the hospitalof the University of Pennsylvania in September 1940. Not knowing what I wanted to do with my professional life, I decided one year in the Army would help. I would get to travel, meet guys, and hopefully give me focus in my future profession.

I was sworn into the U.S. ARMY Nurse Corps on April 14, 1941 at Camp Lee Va. For a period of ONE year. During my time there a unit was being formed to go overseas. A timely appendectomy prevented me from going with them. They went to Iceland! Upon recovery from my surgery I was transferred to Fort Dix, N.J. I worked on the Fort Dix General Hospital Staff for 13 months. During this time I met and befriended a blond nurse from Buffalo N.Y. by the name of Ruth Elizabeth Cox. The Lord blessed our friendship which has lasted nearly sixty years and is stronger than ever. About this time also a hospital unit was being formed in Texas, to be named the 38th Station Hospital. Ruth and I joined this hospital at Camp Kilmer, N.J. in October 1942, and proceeded to the port of embarkation to board the USS Mariposa. I was disgustingly seasick during the entire voyage.

We arrived in Birmingham, England nine days later and spread our blankets in someone’s yard which turned out to be a cabbage patch. The next day we convoyed to Winchester in the south of England and set up our hospital in the facilities of the prestigious St Sevithin’s Girl School. We worked hard and played hard and I met and fell in love with Staff Sgt "Bud Burrichter.

On D-Day, the 6th of June the allies invaded Normandy and all hell broke loose. I believe the 38th Station Hospital was being downsized as many of us were transferred to other units. Ruth and I were transferred to a replacement depot and here in lies another story.

After bouncing all over England we eventually boarded a ship at Southhampton to cross the English Channel. We met a couple of officers who had bottles of cheer, which we helped them consume. THE next morning we arrived at Normandy shores, badly hung over. Weighted down with helmet, gas mask, musette bag, blanket roll, etc. We were expected to climb over the side of the ship and down a rope ladder to a landing craft. Well, I got my body and equipment over the side but did not know how to go down the rope ladder. So somebody gave me a push and I fell into the arms of some GI in the landing craft. They transported us to about 10 yards from dry land and we waded the rest of the way to the shore.

Ruth and I wandered around the beach looking for someone to tell us what to do. A fellow driving a truck allowed us to ride back and forth with him from the beach to someplace inland to deliver supplies and back to the beach during the early evening.

Finally, a chief nurse told us to spread our blankets on the ground and get some sleep. (ON THE MUDDY BEACH ?!? – NO WAY). The only dry area on the beach was the nuse’s latrine tent, so we went in there, spread our blankets on the latrine boxes and tried to get some sleep. Women being as they are, you know we were frequently interrupted by middle of the night visitors.

From August to November we were shuffled through temporary duty at various units till we finally arrived at the 16h. Field Hospital near Nancy, France. We were assigned to the Third Platoon which supported the 6th and 9th armored divisions. During this time we learned the joy of "HELMET BATH" , tat is, one helmet full of warm water to bath our body and wash our undies and socks.

We followed General Patton’s compaign from France all the way up to Wiltz, Luxenburg, which was a few miles south east of Bastogne. We were assigned to the basement and first and second floors of a house, whose top two floors had been shot away, up until this time we had been billeted in tents.

A few years ago I visited this town, was greeted by many of it’s citizens and think I identified the house where we were stationed. It had been rebuilt and renovated.

In the basement were housed our men, on the first floor were patients and O.R. and on the second floor were nurses quarters. No bath rooms, no running water, no electricity.

The BATTLE OF THE BULGE started on December 16, 1944, This was not a diet club, but the real thing, To explain: Hilter had received reports that there was a weekly defended allied line between Germany and Luxenbourg. H gathered may forces together and pushed through this weak spot, progressing just past and surrounding Bastogne ( and Wiltz). Many allied forces pushed the Germans back into Germany and the rest is history. Historians claim that the BATTLE OF THE BULGE was " the greates land battle ever fought by the U.S ARMY."

In the next six weeks we were in and out of Belgium and Luxembourg according to the needs of the wounded. One of our surgeons was air-lifted into Bastogne and we never heard from him again.

We spent New Year’s Eve 1944 – not celebrating with bells and whistles, but ducking under tables and cots to protect ourselves from flying bullets, our shot up house was beside a road where allied tanks were headed to Bastogne. The enemy was strafing these tanks.

In the field hospital our spiritual needs were provided by occasional visits of a priest, who administered communion to everyone whether they were Protestant, Catholic or Jew.

The BATTLE OF THE BULGE lasted from December 16, 1944 through January 25, 1945.

Eventually we crossed Germany in spurts and arrived in Erfurt, Austria in May 1945. Their toen was beside the Danube river, which was not "beautiful Blue", as we always heard, but dirty, muddy, brown with human and animal corpses floating by.

We remained here in Austria during the summer. Sometime in this period Ruth received orders to go home. Also during this period, on August 2, 1945, I flew to Charters, France and married my sweetheart in a formal wedding in the famous Charters Cathedral. ( We had our honeymoon in Paris).

My wedding gown was made of white crepe material which a maid had procured and my veil was of lace from a curtain in a local convent. My mother sent artificial orange blossoms for my veil and a white Bible.

Eventually I traveled to Le Havre, France where I boarded the USS West Point to come home. I was not seasick on the return trip because I had obtained a hand full of sleeping pills and slept all the way across the Atlantic. My friends periodicallly brought me water and soda, and took me to the head.

I arrived at Norfolk, Va. On October 26 and transferred to Fort Dix N.J. for separation

From the U.S ARMY. MY 201 file reads "departed this date on terminal leave to revert to inactive status 19 January 1946, etc, etc. This was my HONORABLE DISCHARGE.

My ONE YEAR voluntary Army duty lasted almost 5 years on two continents and six countries.

Finally back to the loving arms of my family in Harrisburg, Pa. And eventually to the loving arms of my husband in San Francisco, Cal.

For may years I did not think about a talk about my war time experiences. I was too busy setting yp housekeeping, raising a daughter and following my nursing career.

My husband passed away in 1977 my daughter got married and I was free to pursue my own interests.

About 15 years ago I was invitee to join the National Association of Veterans of the BATTLE OF THE BULGE. Our mission was to keep alive the experiences of the men and women involved in that great battle and to support those who were still alive, and record their stories. This we did with great energy. There are "4" chapters in Florida and several chapters in our nation.

More recently our local veterans have taken it upon themselves to erect a statue of a soldier in Lake Eola Park, located in downtown Orlando and "dedicated to the gallent men and women who participated in the BATTLE OF THE BULGE". The six foot bronze soldier stands on a marble block centered on a huge star whose plaza is surrounded by engraved red bricks. These bricks are in honor of or in memory of veterans who fought in the BATTLE OF THE BULGE, and there is also an area for WWII veterans. The bricks are a fitting tribute to our loved ones.

I thank you for the privilege of sharing my memories with you.

Evelyn Gilberg