Honoring the fallen

Nov. 10—Connie Evans is sure she cared for some of the 58,000 souls whose names are etched into the wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Because of the nature of her job at the Army's 12 Evac Hospital at Cu Chi, she can't be certain. Evans worked as a post-op nurse from 1966-67 taking care of wounded soldiers after they exited surgery. The environment was too transitory to develop relationships or even have the men's names etched in her memory.

"I actually never did see anybody walk away," she said. "We either medevaced them out as soon as they woke from anesthesia or we sent them to a different ward."

But there are things she can't forget.

"I saw horrendous wounds and too many young men die," she said.

Evans, originally from Kamiah and now of Lapwai, will be at the wall Friday to help commemorate the 40th anniversary of the memorial comprised of 140 black granite panels. It's not her first time.

"When I visited the wall in 1992, it was really difficult because I didn't know any names and yet I cared for many who died."

The now 80-year-old was selected to speak at the ceremony and represent the 11,000 American women who served in Vietnam. She said many of them were like her, young and with little career experience. Evans, a member of the Nez Perce Tribe and a freshly minted second lieutenant, had worked for a year at the pediatric ward of an Army Hospital in Texas before shipping out.

"A lot of women just came out of nursing school and went straight over there. We weren't prepared at all but most of us adapted."

They were close to the fighting. Her hospital was about 35 miles from Saigon and surrounded by the Ho Bo Woods and near the Iron Triangle. Both were home to frequent battles that produced mass casualties. Although the hospital was not directly on the front, it wasn't immune to shelling.

"We had fierce fighting going on around us all the time. We had to distinguish from incoming rounds and outgoing rounds. We had to quickly learn how to run to a bunker and if we were working, we had to learn how to take care of and protect our patients."

The weather was harsh. Hot and dry at times, with intense dust. During the monsoon season, it was hot and muddy.

Evans formed tight bonds with her fellow nurses and attended reunions for many years.

"I had really close friends I have kept in contact with and I have lost really close friends. We are all getting older."

Following her service, Evans attended the University of Washington on the G.I. Bill and earned bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing. She worked in Seattle for a few years before returning to Idaho, where she worked for the Indian Health Service on the Nez Perce Reservation. She retired in 1991.

She confesses to being nervous about her speech. Evans dislikes public speaking but is comforted that she only has to talk for five minutes.

"I thought, 'oh my gosh. I can't get up there. There are thousands of people who come to that and this is going to be the 40th anniversary.' But I knew I couldn't say no."

Her hectic schedule may serve as a distraction. The 40th anniversary of the memorial is not the only ceremony honoring veterans Friday at Washington, D.C. Evans will speak at about 1 p.m. An hour later, other members of the Nez Perce Tribe will participate in a procession and dedication ceremony for the National Native American Veterans Memorial on the grounds of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. The procession starts at 2 p.m. and the dedication is at 4 p.m.. Evans hopes to attend as much of both ceremonies as possible.

Mary Taylor, director of the Nez Perce Tribe Veterans Program, said the tribe is sending 19 veterans to the events. Some will attend the ceremony at the wall while others will participate in the procession. The entire contingent including Evans will attend the Native Americans Veterans Memorial dedication ceremony.

The new memorial was completed in 2020 but the dedication ceremony was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Native Americans, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians serve in the military at a rate five times the national average and have one of the highest per capita service rates among all minority groups. Service members from these groups have fought in every major conflict the country has been involved in dating back to the Revolutionary War — more than 44,000 served in World War II and 42,000 in the Vietnam war.

"We are small but we are the largest group that has served," said Taylor. "That is why it's such an honor."

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.

On the web

The ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial will be livestreamed at vvmf.org/live and on Facebook.com/VietnamVeteransMemorialFund.

The procession and dedication of the National Native American's Veterans Memorial will be livestreamed at americanindian.si.edu.