Service, honor, and the soul of a healer

Diane Carlson Evans is the founder of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in Washington, D.C. She has been nominated for the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States, which recognizes people who have made exemplary contributions to the national interests of the country. 

United States Senator Jon Tester (Montana), Chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee has nominated former U.S. Army Captain Diane Carlson Evans as a candidate for the award for contributions made during her service as a nurse during the Vietnam War, and for her efforts to bring recognition and honor to the 265,000 military and civilian women who served around the world during the Vietnam War.  

Buffalo, Minnesota:

Diane Carlson Evans grew up in Buffalo, MN. She was born on November 10, 1946, at Buffalo Memorial Hospital, which sat above Wagner’s Drug Store on Main Street and had six beds at the time. Diane was raised on a Wright County farm, in a house built in 1868. 

In her book, “Healing Wounds, A Vietnam War combat nurse’s 10-year fight to win women a place of honor in Washington, D.C.,” Diane Carlson Evans tells a story of determination and dedication to others. Diane’s passion for nursing came from her mother, whom she calls her “North Star.” Dorthy Carlson was one of two registered nurses that worked at Buffalo Memorial. As a young girl, Diane recalls being at the hospital during her mother’s shifts, watching and observing how her mother remained calm under the pressure and navigated the demands of the job.

The roots of steadiness and resolve were instilled in Diane at an early age, something that would prove to be of great importance while she tended to the wounded and dying in Vietnam, working under harrowing circumstances and often with rudimentary tools; using a flashlight to perform life saving measures while mortars exploded all around her. 

When the opportunity to serve came calling, and the United States needed additional nurses in Vietnam, Diane knew she had to answer that call, and her mission to care for the wounded and dying was born. 

After Vietnam:

After her service in Vietnam, Diane came back to the United States amidst an unpopular war. Returning Veterans faced a hostile environment. Diane recalls being belittled by a protester at a baggage carousel in the Minneapolis-St.Paul airport when she arrived home. “I was out of the Army, but I was still wearing the uniform.” Diane would experience this deplorable reception many times upon her return as she faced ridicule and scorn from a hostile public angry about the war.  

Carlson tells of her experiences returning to Buffalo, feeling like she had to keep her service in Vietnam hidden to avoid callus reactions and a lack of understanding from those who could never understand what she had experienced. 

She recalls a time at a feed store with her father who had mentioned to the clerk that Diane had recently returned from Vietnam. The clerk gave a cold response, which prompted Diane to ask her father not to mention her Vietnam connection, feeling that she needed to hide that part of her life and keep it a secret. 

For many years, Diane held onto her secret, finding herself isolated from the world she once knew. She wasn’t the same person she was before leaving for war. She had difficulty relating to the people of her generation who hadn’t experienced Vietnam, leaving her feeling cut-off and without anyone to talk to who truly could relate to what she endured. “I’d never been so lonely in my life.”

Diane carried guilt for burying her Vietnam experience. Serving her country and facing hostility for doing so had left her feeling empty and sentenced to a life of shame.

Minimal Resources:

Diane Carlson Evans returned from war at a time when very little research on the emotional impact of serving in combat zones had been done. 

“Thanks to Vietnam veterans demanding in Congress and through Vietnam Veterans of America and other VSOs (Veterans Service Organizations) that something be done about the increase in suicides among veterans and cries for help for the emotional wounds of war.

When I returned home from Vietnam, nothing was offered to me as a resource - for any kind of help. I knew the VA existed and that women were treated there. I also knew from other veterans that it was very unwelcoming for women. Gender-specific treatment and facilities for women didn’t exist or were minimal at best. 

In 1985, a woman Vietnam veteran friend of mine was admitted to a VA psychiatric hospital for her PTSD. She was the lone woman on an all-male ward. She was put in a therapy group of nine men. There was a lack of privacy and very little research into gender-specific treatments and exposures had been done. Great progress has been made on this, but it has taken many years. It is Vietnam veterans, male and female, who fought the VA and lobbied Congress to admit and treat the psychological wounds of veterans who served in Vietnam and during the Vietnam era.”   

Inspiration for the memorial:

Inspiration for the memorial came from Diane’s personal struggles with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and a hostile environment towards veterans who had returned from service in the war. Diane struggled to gain the recognition and compassion that she and her fellow nurses deserved. Diane writes in her book that the public didn’t know about these brave women, and the nursing teams in Vietnam who helped save the lives of not only soldiers, but of the hundreds of South Vietnamese children who were injured and displaced during the conflict.

Diane’s mission to bring understanding and compassion began in 1983. She would spend ten years of her life educating the public, raising awareness, and lobbying Congress on the importance of establishing the memorial and its site on the mall. Through her diligence and persistence, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial was dedicated on November 11, 1993.   

Vietnam Women’s Memorial:

Today, The Vietnam Women’s Memorial sits 300 feet from the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., thanks for the efforts, hard work, and determination of Diane Carlson Evans. The memorial is the only one on the National Mall dedicated to honoring the military service of women. 

Diane Carlson Evans has healed the physical wounds of many soldiers and civilians. Through the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, she has helped to heal the emotional wounds experienced by the many women who served during the Vietnam War. Not only did the memorial open the door to the honor and respect these brave women deserve, it opened the door to healing.    

Diane Carlson Evans currently resides in Helena, Montana. She was scheduled to speak at Waverly’s Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 27, but was unable to make the trip due to health-related issues.