Meet Red Cross Donut Dollie Lorna Collins Pierce

In our 65th edition of the Donut Dollie Detail, Lorna tells how in Korea her uniform were fatigues and combat boots versus the dresses the Donut Dollies wore in Vietnam and how her daily personal goal was to make one soldier smile. 

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Please meet Red Cross Donut Dollie Lorna Collins Pierce…

What prompted you to join the SRAO (Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas) program and want to go to Korea?

I joined because I was interested in doing something besides teaching, and the idea of travel was irresistible. (Although I did end up teaching at the university level later). 

When and where were you stationed in Korea?  Did you go by a nickname?  

I was in Korea 1960-61. We wore fatigue uniforms and combat boots daily.  I found it interesting to see that the DDs in Vietnam wore skirts.  I was stationed at Camp Red Cloud in Uijeongbu between Seoul and the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), I Corps; then 7th Division Artillery.  I didn’t go by a nickname in Korea. 

What was a routine day like in Korea?

A routine day was gathering props and doughnuts, jump in a truck and visit several small units.  My goal every day was to pick out one soldier and make him smile.

As seen in the photo below, this music event was held in a mess hall.  We had song sheets, so it must have been one of the programs we organized.  All the daily events were in mess halls.

Did you ever have any “close calls” either on base or in any vehicles?

I had no close calls.

Were you ever injured while in Korea?

I was not injured.

What was it like to visit the soldiers in the hospitals?

We did not visit hospitals in Korea.

How was the transition returning home to the United States?

The transition to being in the states was easy, nothing remarkable.

What would you like people to remember and understand most about the women who served?

The women who served were there to do a job, make life a little more pleasant for the soldiers for an hour or so every few weeks. 

How do you feel Veterans think of your time having served with them?  Have any Veterans expressed their feelings to you directly?

The veterans I knew appreciated us and thanked us.

What are your fondest or most interesting memories of your time serving in Korea?

No response provided.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE ARE 64 PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF THE DONUT DOLLIE DETAIL AND 6 EDITIONS OF OUR MEMORABILIA MONDAY FEATURE THAT CAN BE SEEN HERE, JUST SCROLL DOWN TO READ EACH (AT THE BOTTOM, YOU’LL SEE A LINK TO GO TO THE NEXT PAGE OF DONUT DOLLIE DETAIL FEATURES)