I KNEW I WAS MAKING HISTORY
I KNEW I WAS MAKING HISTORY
I was born in Chicago, Illinois, in October 1923 and became a member of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) from 1944 to 1946.
I was a WAC and part of a special project for the Women in Military Service for America Foundation (WIMSA), serving in the hospitals with returning wounded soldiers during World War II.
I knew I was making history, so I recorded my experiences in words and pictures in A WAC Looks Back: Recollections and Poems of World War II. My mission in the Army was to lift and inspire hopeless patients, helping them return to civilian life. I had a hard time adjusting back to civilian life and felt like a round peg in a square hole.
Drawings and poetry helped me cope. In the end, it was the Army that recognized and used all of my talents of portrait painting, sculpture, and welcoming patients to the hospital. I was referred to as “Miss Reconditioning.” Upon leaving the service, I was trying to make up for two lost years of service and later realized that the war deepened my love of art, song, and acting.
I cried uncontrollable tears while writing A WAC Looks Back in 1995 and realized that painting the Beatitudes 20 years after being discharged was a form of healing my PTSD. I am proud and grateful for the opportunity to serve. The Army opened up my life to meeting all kinds of people. The world was my friend. I have a deeper love for my country, for man, and for God.
The Comes a Soldier’s Whisper book cover and website music brought tears to my eyes. The book is a great legacy and helps in healing from PTSD as well.
~Doris "Joy" Thurston, WWII Veteran and author of A WAC LOOKS BACK, RECOLLECTIONS & POEMS OF WORLD WAR II, and Stroke! A Daughter's Story: Trauma and Triumphs Caring for A Father with Aphasia, The Temple Within: Sonnets and Asanas http://www.amazon.com/Stroke-Daughters-Doris-…/…/ref=sr_1_1…
We are very grateful to Doris for sharing her personal story with Comes A Soldier's Whisper, where we are all connected.
God Bless all who serve and keep us safe.
Veteran Tributes: https://www.facebook.com/ComesASoldierswhisperwww.ComesASoldiersWhisper.com
