Honoring Carolyn Hisako Tanaka

A great salute to this honorary women who daily brave their live to ensure our safety.  We love, applaud and are appreciative for taking a stand and fighting for our freedom.  On this note, we take great pride in honoring Carolyn Hisako Tanaka a trailblazer.  Smooches!

"I could not believe I was coming home to the same reception I received twenty-three years before, following World War II. This time I was not the enemy, but I was there saving lives, perhaps their loved ones." (Memoir, page 59)
Nicknamed Road Runner for her unflagging energy and enthusiasm, Carolyn Hisako Tanaka served in Vietnam in spite of a scarring childhood memory. At the age of six, she saw her family evicted from their California home in the wake of Pearl Harbor and relocated to an internment camp in Poston, Arizona. When the family returned to California after the war, they found their home burned to the ground. In 1966, as an emergency room nurse, she decided to enlist in the Army, telling skeptical friends, “I have a skill that is needed in Vietnam, and I’m going there to do my duty for my country.” Ironically, she returned from that war to a “welcome” that brought back bitter memories.

Biographical Information Name: Carolyn Hisako Tanaka State of Birth: CA Home State: CA Gender: Female Race: Unspecified War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Status: Veteran Dates of Service: 1966-1968 Entrance into Service: Enlisted Branch of Service: Army Nurse Corps Unit of Service: 24th Evacuation Hospital Location of Service: Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Ord, California; Long Binh, Vietnam Highest Rank: Captain Prisoner of War: Unknown

Courtesy: The Library of Congress