2023 Hello , Did you know even the most successful writers suffer from self-doubt about their ability to write another book? Here's yesterday's post from a writer I admire, Nicola Yoon, a New York Times best-selling author.
Nicola Yoon wrote:"...when I’m in the middle of first drafting & I’m convinced the book is the worst book ever written & that I am the worst writer every to exist. On those days, I try to remind myself that I’ve been in this place of doubt before and I got through it and made something beautiful. I remind myself that doubt is
part of the process." All this to say, it's been a
difficult week here at my writing desk and I've had to resort to sending you a story from a newsletter I wrote five years ago. However, it's probably a good thing to refresh your memory about this amazing woman. The Angels of Bataan and Corregidor featured in my book PURE GRIT have a sister in courage! She's remembered as the Angel of Diên Biên Phu. And if you've read
CLOSE UP ON WAR, you know
that this French woman may have inspired Catherine Leroy.
This Story Connects Two of My Books
French Air Force Nurse Genevieve De Galard spent two months under siege in one of the most significant battles of the modern era, after which
she was captured prisoner by Ho Chi Minh's forces in Vietnam. Genevieve De Galard in
Vietnam
Like the American soldier's in the Philippines in WWII, French soldiers in Vietnam were running short on water, food, medical supplies and ammunition. Genevieve was a flight nurse helping transport the
battle wounded from Diên Biên Phu to Hanoi, often landing and taking off under artillery fire. In March,1954, the Viet Minh bombarded the French, who fought back while hoping in vain for reinforcements. One morning at dawn, an enemy shell destroyed the plane that was Genevieve's only flight out, stranding her in the battle zone, the only French female among more than
10-thousand soldiers. Geneviève de Galard helps treat a wounded soldier at Diên Biên Phu.
As the assault intensified, Genevieve volunteered to assist in surgery, 250 operations a day in an underground combat hospital. Later, she was put in charge of a 40-bed ward, caring for the most severely wounded soldiers. As French outposts continued to fall to the Vietminh, 250 patients were crowded into a hospital built to house 45. The rainy season filled the underground hospital with mud, rot, and an outbreak of maggots. Genevieve also went out to the fields, risking her life to care for lines of wounded for whom there was no room in the hospital. During a break in the battle, the garrison commander awarded Genevieve one of France's highest honors, the Legion of Honor for courage and devotion to duty. Then she went back to work, comforting the dying and symbolizing hope for living. French forces dig in between counter attacks at Dein Bein Phu, 1945. BBC photo.
When the end came May 7, some 2300 French troops and
4000 Vietnamese soldiers had perished in the 55-day bombardment of Diên Biên Phu, after which more than 11,000 men and one woman, Genevieve, were captured by Viet Minh forces. Just as the nurses featured in my
book, this French heroine continued to care for her wounded patients in captivity. When the Viet Minh started confiscating medical supplies, she hid bandages under the stretcher where she slept. In peace talks, France agreed to
withdraw its forces from Indochina, the beginning of the end of its colonial ambitions. Vietnam was partitioned into the communist North, and the Republic of South Vietnam, setting the stage for a war in which 55,000 Americans would die over the next twenty years. After 41 days of battle and 18 days as a POW, Genevieve De Galard was forced to leave her patients, evacuated to safety to Hanoi, May 24, 1954. Her story inspired the world. U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower awards Genevieve De Galard the Medal of Freedom.
"Her service to her comrades, marked by the courage of a woman in battle and by the devotion of a nurse to her sworn duty, has been unsurpassed in this century....Her service at Diên Biên Phu reflects great credit upon herself and her country and the cause of freedom around the world," said President Eisenhower before pinning the medal upon Genevieve. Genevieve received accolades around
the world with these words: "I do not deserve this honor... I have only done what any nurse would do." New York City Mayor Robert Wagner
welcome Genevieve de Galard with a ticker-tape parade July 26, 1954, calling her "the heroine of the entire world." The American Nurses Association and the National League for Nursing also presented Genevieve awards.
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Sources https://www.historynet.com/valor-genevieve-de-galard/
I'm thrilled to be part of a literary event at Point Loma Nazarene University next month. It's sponsored the
Department of Education and will take place on zoom! Registration is not yet open to the public, but if you want to attend let me know and I'll reserve your ticket. MaryCronkFarrell@gmail.com
If you know any teachers, tell them about this event because Point Loma has a special offer for one luck attendee: *Win a conversation with Mary Cronk
Farrell for your classroom! I'll have more information on this event and how to register coming up in a week or two.
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