Hillsborough program encourages military women to share feelings, experiences

Courier News, myCentralJersey.com

By Pamela Sroka-Holzmann, Staff Writer

When recalling the horrors of World War II, township resident and retired cadet Army nurse Mildred Murphy said she saw it all.

Murphy was stationed at a hospital that the Army rebuilt so it would have access to the New York City piers, where ships were bringing in thousands of wounded soldiers from the European and Pacific warfronts.

The U.S. government created the Cadet Nurse Corps in 1943 in response to a nursing shortage. More than 124,000 nurses went through the program between 1943 and 1948, the Office of the Public Health Service Historian has reported.

Murphy, a Hoboken native, recalls treating men her own age with half their skulls blown away, half their faces gone, no arms, no legs, moaning from gunshot wounds and the results of torture inflicted by the Japanese. She recalls placing metal plates in soldiers’ heads for four months and one soldier dying in her arms.

Murphy plans to discuss some of these tragic experiences next week through the program titled "Achieving Personal Balance" offered to military women by the EmPoWER Somerset, Encouraging Prevention With Education and Resources. The event is funded by a state grant from the New Jersey Department of Human Services in partnership with the New Jersey Prevention Network. Other speakers also are scheduled.

"To me, it (experiences as a nurse) was devastating because I am dealing with fellas almost my own age — to see the horror and screaming — it’s something you never forget," Murphy said. "It’s just something I will never, ever forget."

Murphy also recalled how her late husband, James, was a Marine who served on Iwo Jima and was charged with going into the island’s numerous caves. A sniper shot him in the neck, barely missing his jugular vein, and two medics were killed trying to treat him. Even after he was rescued and flown off the island, his plane was shot down.

"I think a program like this is going to help others — because now they can talk about it (their experiences during the war) after bottling it up for so long inside," Murphy said. "It’s the worst thing they can do, to bottle things up. Everybody needs somebody. With this program, hopefully, enough people will come forth and discuss their feelings. Now, they’re able to come forward and talk about it."

Committeeman Anthony Ferrera, also EmPoWER Somerset’s director of operations, is urging as many area military women as possible to participate in the program. Although EmPoWER Somerset in the past has offered similar programs, Ferrera said this is the first time the program has been geared strictly to military women.

Ferrera said the program will give participants an opportunity for relaxation and self-reflection while learning positive coping skills they can apply in managing everyday stress.

"Achieving personal balance is a great opportunity for the women who have served our country bravely to take time for themselves, learn new skills and bond with their peers who share similar life experiences," Ferrera said.

Dinner will be provided at each session and the township-based Massage Envy, owned by Greg Robertson, plans to offer free massages following the final session in May.

"Very few individuals, including myself, understand the physical and emotional impact on those who serve in the military of our country," Robertson said.

Additional Facts
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Achieving Personal Balance program by EmPoWER Somerset, Encouraging Prevention With Education and Resources.
WHEN: 6-8 p.m. Tuesdays, March 30 to May 18.
WHERE: Hillsborough Municipal Building, 379 S. Branch Road.
HOW MUCH: Free.
MORE INFO: To register, call EmPoWER Somerset Office Manager Wendy Bender at 908-722-4900; go to www.co.somerset.nj.us/hservices/veterans/familyhelp.html; or www.empowersomerset.com.