We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of the American Women Trapped on Bataan

Once again, the women of the US Armed Forces are slighted. We all know about the men who MacArthur abandoned in the Philippines and Corregidor. We know of the thousands who perished during the Bataan Death March and their confinement conditions. We know of the thousands who were sent to Burma to work on the railroad and how many of them succumbed to their captors. But what of the women who were serving and captured? What of their work ethic and sacrifice? There isn’t a good accounting until now. Elizabeth Norman does an excellent job in bringing to light the trials, tribulations the devotion to duty the Army and Navy female nurses performed when the bombs started falling and during captivity. They never gave up and were always concerned with one driving force, the welfare of their patients, no matter their nationality. They were trained healers and loved what they did. What is amazing is what long lives theses women lived after all the depravity and illnesses they endured, along with their male counterparts: malaria, beriberi, wet and dry, dysentery, starvation, jungle rot and who knows what else. How many more of our men would have died if not for their selfless deeds and devotion to duty? This is an astounding work and a must read for all students of World War Two. Five Stars P.S. Two years ago, after watching, “We Were Soldiers,” I came up with an idea, a book of Poetry dedicated to the women who have served in the Armed Forces or who had spouses, boyfriends that were serving. It was the scene where Colonel Moore’s wife was delivering the dreaded Wester Union Telegrams that began the formulation. The book, “Women of War” was released in November of 2018.

As an avid reader of WWII non fiction, this book stands apart from the rest for its unique focus on a story of an amazing group of women in a truly horrific situation. It's a story that most people have never heard of but that the author did an impeccable job in researching and portraying each person in such a way that I felt I knew each one personally. The story of the war in the Philippines is one that usually focuses on the men who were a part of the Bataan Death March or who were imprisoned in the terrible P.O.W. camps. This story follows the nurses of Bataan that worked hand in hand with the men during the battle for the Bataan peninsula. The conditions that they lived and worked in were truly terrible but they managed to survive till the surrender. Because they were women they were put in an internment camp with a large group of international non-military prisoners. They lived with little food and few comforts till the end of the war in the Philippines. Many of them suffering from diseases from malnourishment but still nursing until the end. Their story with astound you and leave you inspired by their courage. I cannot recommend this book enough. The story is so compelling that I would even recommend it to someone who is just dipping their toe into reading historical non fiction. This is anything but boring.

What a forgotten story. Thank you to the author for bringing this back to the fore. Over one hundred nurses based in the Philippines prior to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and Manila did their jobs during the rout of Bataan and Corregidor. After treating thousands of casualties under constant fire and explosions, they were captured and imprisoned. For almost three years, they then survived near starvation and severe living conditions in prison camps while still maintaining military discipline as they treated and comforted the sick and the dying. A few evacuated to safety in Australia but the rest lived to tell a different tale. Stateside they were touted as heroes but then quickly forgotten in the annals of history. The author did painstaking research and met with many of the surviving nurses, forming ongoing friendships with some until their death. An exciting read and addition to WWII literature. My only criticism is to question mosquitos having teeth. 😲😲

This story, so beautifully told in this book, is the sum of the history and people of the greatest experiment in history, The United States of America. These women VOLUNTEERED. They all came from less than preveliged backgrounds. They all were trying to better themselves. They all were looking for an honorable and rewarding life. What they got was a deep and abiding faith in themselves and their comrads and life long lessons in the fragility and the wonder of life. When I finished reading this I cried because we need a whole nation of people people like these women. We have become less and we do not even care .

My cousin was a military nurse in WW 11 so I was quite interested in this

Hard to hear the truth. I highly recommend reading this book. I never knew of the trials some of these women had to face. Please read this book. 2 books later and I am still thinking about this one.

Great book about incredibly strong women. I don’t know how they survived!

I cannot remember where I heard about this interesting book but I am so glad I added it to my Amazon cart. We learn about the difficulties these nurses went through in Bataan and their imprisonment afterwards. We have all heard of the deprivations of war but, in this book we see how it affected the nurses during and after the war. Clearly we did not value their efforts as much as the soldiers which gives insight into those times. You cannot read this book without coming away in awe of their accomplishments.

Excellent - so interesting to read more about the American experience in the Far East. Written in 1999, the author was able to meet the nurses she is writing about, which lends authenticity and personal interest to the book. She was therefore also able to provide us with actual photos of the nurses in the book which is a real plus. These nurses really were a band of angels and I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the Far East war - or indeed anyone interested in other peoples lives.

Excellent read, as a teacher of History it helps to learn new aspects to enrich one's teaching away from ' The Syllabus'!