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November 16, 2016
Nurse, veteran, hero
By Midge Rothrock
Linda Sharp Caldwell approached the ‘60s very responsibly. She attended the University of San Francisco, an all-male Jesuit school except for the nursing degree program, which included nuns of the Sisters of Mercy and female nursing students. She spent her time anticipating a large student loan payoff and trying to determine ways to cut those future costs. The solution Linda chose was to join the ROTC unit, which was also open to the nursing students. As a sophomore, she committed to serve, and for her junior and senior years, she was ranked as a private first class, with a stipend as well as the cost of tuition and books covered. Linda’s father was career U.S. Air Force, serving during World War II. He was then recalled for Korea and Vietnam. Along with way, he got a degree, was commissioned and served as an auditor for finance in the USAF. Her granddaddy was a doughboy in World War I in France. This U.S. Army Nurse Corps veteran has quite a story. In May of 1966, 25 percent of the 45 graduating nurses at the university opted for military service. Linda’s four-year baccalaureate degree was unique. She was sent to Fort Sam Houston in Texas as first, then to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which was her first foray to the East Coast. Army Nurse Corps Headquarters was visited by a recruiter looking for nurses to serve one year of foreign duty. Please see NURSE, Page 2
INSIDE LIFESTYLE
The Smith Group Page 2
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Linda Sharp Caldwell, shown with her husband, Brent, served as a captain with the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in Vietnam. Brent was a captain in the U.S. Air Force.
Boomer Briefings Page 3
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