Angels of the Pacific by Elise Hooper
If you only read one book about women who served in the military during World War II, I heartily recommend Angels of the Pacific (William Morrow) by Elise Hooper. Many books have been written about the war in the Pacific, the occupation of the Philippines by Japanese troops and the horrific conditions at Bataan and Corregidor, but little has been written about the intrepid U.S. Army and Navy nurses stationed and stranded there, alongside thousands of American military personnel and civilians, who were prisoners of war. Hooper’s novel depicts the harrowing experiences of these real and courageous women.
Before World War II, being stationed in the Philippines was a choice assignment and rather glamorous for military nurses. Considered by some to be an exotic but safe adventure, complete with military pay and privileges in exchange for routine hospital duties, the American territory boasted beautiful sandy beaches, fine weather, excellent food and drink and opportunities to shop in the vibrant capital city of Manila. Officers Clubs were known to host events with Big Band music, golf and tennis tournaments, and there were scores of handsome men for the nurses to meet. In late 1941, however, this dream job came to an abrupt, nightmarish end.
NIGHTMARE IN A FORMER PARADISE
Japan began its invasion of the Philippine Islands on December 8, 1941, the day after their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, which brought the United States into World War II, effectively putting the armed forces and everyone stationed here directly under enemy fire. Their tropical beach paradise vanished, and these patriotic nurses were suddenly on the front lines of one of the bloodiest wars, soon to be imprisoned for four long years. Taking cover from the enemy’s bombs and bullets in a huge subterranean tunnel for sometimes weeks at a time, they wondered if America, their homeland, had forgotten them.
These heroic nurses have rightfully been called “The Angels of Bataan.” Their role in history has not been as thoroughly documented as that of the captive soldiers and sailors, particularly those who endured the infamous death march to Bataan that initially killed over 10,000 American and Filipino POWs. 77 nurses were left behind when General MacArthur, along with his family and staff, departed Corregidor on March 11, 1942, following orders from President Franklin Roosevelt. By mid-summer, 66 Army nurses were held in Manila’s Santo Tomas Internment Camp (where they helped to establish the Santa Catalina Hospital) along with approximately 6,000 other POWs. 11 Navy nurses were relocated from Corregidor to the smaller Los Banos Internment Camp, 45 miles southeast.
While held captive, these courageous women maintained strict discipline, adhered to a duty roster and continued to wear their increasingly tattered uniforms. They helped to raise morale and maintain hope while providing comfort and dispensing therapeutic care to servicemen, their wives and juvenile dependents despite limited medical supplies and unsanitary conditions. As the war and occupation progressed, rations provided by the Japanese decreased, and all prisoners suffered greatly from malnutrition. The camp prisoners also provided as much support as possible to the Filipino residents and neighboring communities.
UNTOLD COURAGE, MIRACULOUS SURVIVAL
Everyone endured untold hardships, including starvation rations, bombing and strafing attacks from the Japanese warplanes, humiliations at the hands of their captors, and personal illnesses while continuing to work long hours. They bravely fought to survive and to maintain the safety of fellow prisoners. Miraculously, all of the nurses survived until liberation by returning American troops, which came in February of 1945, for those in Santo Tomas, and in March for those in Los Banos.
The Philippines had been one of the wealthiest Asian countries prior to WWII but suffered tremendous loss of life with over 500,000 military and civilian deaths. Manila was bombed into rubble and fighting continued until Japan’s formal surrender on September 2, 1945. The Filipinos were determined, relentless resistance fighters until the end and provided food and material assistance to the Americans.
Hooper thoroughly prepared for writing this exceptional work of historical fiction through extensive reading of books, articles and archival documents held in several museums. She conducted interviews with former military nurses and other Veterans and visited the Philippines, touring the ruins and remnants of the camp sites. Her protagonist and narrator, the fictional Army nurse Tess Abbott, and her band of nurses are vividly depicted, and the plot intensifies as Tess is drawn into resistance work with Flor Dalisay, a Filipina student nurse. Angels of the Pacific provides readers with a greater understanding of what the far-off war was like for those fighting and imprisoned in the Philippines. It is a richly imagined work of fiction that book club members will want on their reading lists.
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