On the recordSeptember 22, 2010
As early as the tiempon Hapones, the Japanese times, in the Marianas our local women began to train as nurses. Nursing was one of the few professions open to women. But the realities of the work meant that only those whose hearts, minds and bodies were strong could meet the arduous challenges and discipline required. World War II opened the door wider. With thousands of military and civilian casualties littering our islands, the U.S. forces had to recruit nurses from the local population. After the war, the Navy, then the civilian administration, set up the hospitals and clinics; and these facilities, too, demanded nursing staff. Training was made available at a series of schools through Micronesia, raising the skills of our native nurses. From 1944 to 1978, some 250 of our local people found work in nursing. We, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands, salute these nurses and thank them for their professionalism, courage and service.
