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Old 05-20-2017, 10:48 AM
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Thumbs up Three Norco nurses who died in World War II are forgotten no longer

Three Norco nurses who died in World War II are forgotten no longer
By STEPHEN WALL - May 20, 2017 at 9:00 am-
RE: http://www.pe.com/2017/05/20/three-n...ten-no-longer/

They didn’t fire a shot or fight on the front lines. But their behind-the-scenes efforts helped the United States win World War II.

Three nurses who worked at the former U.S. Naval Hospital in Norco will be saluted Monday, May 29, at the city’s George Ingalls Veterans Memorial Plaza.

The names of Lt. Lucille Hendricks, Ensign Helen Mary Roehler and Ensign Ruby Toquam have been engraved in black granite in the wall of honor. Ensigns are junior officers in the Navy.

They are the first women to be enshrined and join 24 men who died in service, were killed in action or died of a service-related injury or illness. All were Norco residents.

“These were handpicked nurses,” said City Councilman Kevin Bash, a member of the city panel that approved the distinction. “They were the best of the best that came here. They were part of us. Sadly, they were completely forgotten.”

The three women were killed April 23,1944, in a plane crash in Alaska.

Bash got the idea to honor the nurses after reading local newspaper accounts of their World War II service. He got military records documenting their work and contributions to the community.

Hendricks, a Texas native, arrived in Norco as chief nurse Dec. 22, 1941, and helped set up the hospital. She helped train the largest group of Mayo Clinic specialists outside the famed Minnesota hospital. Hendricks established what would become a groundbreaking medical treatment center that included the first neurosurgery unit in Navy history, Bash said.

Norco was Hendricks’ home the next three years. She made frequent trips to other naval hospitals to teach medical personnel new techniques in plastic surgery, spinal cord operations and treatment of brain injuries.

“She was a pioneer in the nursing field,” Bash said. “Nothing advances medicine like a war.”

Hendricks was assigned head nurse at the naval base in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, in March 1944. She was in charge of creating and expanding treatment centers at several bases and outposts.

Hendricks, Roehler and Toquam died instantly when the plane crashed into a mountain as they were flying to a new hospital on a nearby island.

Roehler and Toquam, both from Minnesota, met during nurses training in Maryland and enlisted in the Navy together in July 1942. The women were assigned to the Norco hospital a few weeks later and worked under Hendricks’ supervision.

With Toquam’s help, Roehler created the first Girl Scout troop in the community’s history. They asked Hendricks to be assigned to the naval dispensary at the base in Dutch Harbor. From there, both helped establish medical treatment centers at outlying posts.

Hundreds attended their memorial service in Norco after their deaths.

Henry Roehler, 88, Helen’s brother, called his sister “a good nurse” who “did her duty for the country.”

“She was progressive, there was no question about that,” said Roehler, who lives in Fairmont, Minn. “Her attitude on just about everything was ahead of her time.”

Jean Borduin, Helen Roehler’s niece, plans to join other family members in Norco for the Memorial Day ceremony.

“It’s a wonderful surprise,” said Borduin, 70, a Vero Beach, Fla. resident. “It shows that this community in California has not lost their focus on those who served so many years ago. It’s a special time for our generation to honor the previous generation and to do that together.”

IF YOU GO

Event: Memorial Day ceremony honoring three Norco Navy nurses killed in World War II

Date: Monday, May 29

Time: 10 a.m.

Place: George Ingalls Veterans Memorial Plaza, 3737 Crestview Drive., Norco

Information: 951-270-5632

ABOUT THE NURSES

Name: Lucille Hendricks

Born: Feb. 22, 1906, in Texas

Died: April 23, 1944, in Alaska

Occupation: Chief nurse, U.S. Naval Hospital in Norco

Awards: American Defense Service Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Norco Wall of Honor

Name: Helen Roehler

Born: July 10, 1918, in Fairmont, Minn.

Died: April 23, 1944, in Alaska

Occupation: Nurse, U.S. Naval Hospital in Norco

Awards: American Defense Service Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Norco Wall of Honor

Name: Ruby Toquam

Born: Oct. 4, 1917, in Minnesota

Died: April 23, 1944, in Alaska

Occupation: Nurse, U.S. Naval Hospital in Norco

Awards: American Defense Service Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Norco Wall of Honor


In behalf of all of us who've served during US American Conflicts - We salute you all for your services provided during WWII and all wars - Right Hand Salute & May you and other's like you Rest In Peace & Thank You All for your services. Boats
__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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