OUR STORIES- From Chandler to the Vietnam War: A Conversation with Maria Luisa Ayala Mellman, Army Combat Nurse In-Person
PBS recently aired The Vietnam War, a documentary series. Explore a local story with Chandler native Maria Luisa Ayala Mellman, who will present her wartime experience. Maria Luisa traces her roots to the Marquez family, who journeyed from Mexico to Chandler in the early 1900s, eventually opening El Zacatecaña grocery store in the Southside neighborhood. She graduated from Chandler High School in 1961, and entered Arizona State University with a nursing school scholarship. In the midst of turbulent sixties, she joined the Army Nurse Corp and was stationed at the 12th Evacuation Hospital, northeast of Saigon in 1967. She became the first Mexican American combat nurse to care for 25th Infantry Division soldiers, the “Tropic Lightning” Division that incurred heavy casualties under questionable orders. Become a part of the discussion with Maria Luisa and Dr. Christine Marin as they provide insight into the experiences of a Vietnam War nurse, Chandler’s historic Mexican American community, and the how the war affected local towns and communities.
- Date:
- Saturday, October 28, 2017
- Time:
- 10:30am - 12:00pm
- Time Zone:
- Arizona Time (change)
- Location:
- Copper Room South
- Library:
- Downtown
- Categories:
- * Adults * All Ages Art, Culture, Film & Music