"We would sunbathe on the deck, and it would be like the 4th of July, and you knew a lot of casualties were coming in, so you’d hurry and get your uniform on." (Video Interview, 6:49)

Sharolyn Walcutt

Sharolyn Walcutt War: Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Branch: Navy Nurse Corps Unit: USS Repose (AH 16) Service Location: St. Albans, New York; Oakland, California (Oaknoll Naval Hospital); Vietnam Rank: Lieutenant Commander Place of Birth: Lima, OH

Stationed on the Repose, a hospital ship anchored off the coast of Vietnam, Sharolyn Walcutt was among the first group of nurses to serve in Vietnam, arriving in 1965. The war was something that was close enough to sometimes see and hear and yet the Repose was a kind of refuge, too. Following her one-year stint, Walcutt literally saw the world, taking the long way back to the States through India, the Middle East, and Europe. Walcutt formed many close, long-running relationships from her days aboard the Repose.