In our 60th edition of the Donut Dollie Detail, Pat explains that the lure of travel prompted her to join the SRAO’s Clubmobile program, that being a California native she unexpectedly had to get snow boots when she arrived in Korea, and that the women who served in Korea were patriotic and eager to serve.

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Please meet Red Cross Donut Dollie Pat Toombs Green…

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

I wanted to travel after college, and this job offered a short term commitment, even though the Peace Corps was just starting as well.   I think my parents felt a little better knowing I’d have one foot on American soil on military bases supervised by the Red Cross. 

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

I was stationed at Camp Pelham, which was First Cav Division, then ASCOM CITY (Army Support Command).  I regret I don’t remember my third assignment.  I tried to go on line to check out names, but often we knew the names of the military units, not the official name of the installation.  I was in Korea from November, 1962 to February, 1964. My nickname was Toombsie. 

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What was a routine day like in Korea?

Since Korea was on Armistice status, rather than active fighting, our days were fairly routine depending on the weather: developing programs, participating in events on base, going out with our programs into the various, often remote installations with our donuts, writing, reports, keeping stats, etc. 

We were often flown around in small prop planes or helicopters to remote bases that would have taken too long to get to by truck or Jeep. Often the pilots were glad to fly us, since it gave them flying hours.  The military provided us with fatigues, which were custom fitted by the tailors in the villages and the Red Cross patch, name tag, etc. were sewn on by them.  When I first got to Korea, we were taken into the “Vill” to have snow boots custom made.  I even had them in San Diego when I got back.  Winter clothing was provided by military and was probably one BIG difference from Viet Nam, that and the fact that they were actually in a combat zone. 

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

I had flown to another base TDY (Temporary Duty Assignment) and after getting off the plane, I almost walked into the still whirling propellers, but one of the Korean soldiers grabbed me.  

Were you ever injured while in Korea?

Mercifully no.  

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

I enjoyed that.  ASCOM had a MASH unit, medical specialties and training for Korean medical personnel.  I had been a pre-nursing major in college.  It was nice to be able to help some of the injured soldiers with letters, programming to the men on the rehab unit and just talking, or rather listening.  It’s no surprise that I continued working in hospitals as a Medical Social Worker until my retirement 5 years ago.

How was the transition returning home to the United States?

Like many, I traveled home “out of route” for another year and a half, mostly by ship, and I sailed into New York in tears on deck passing the Statue of Liberty in June, 1965.  I still had some traveling and visiting to do before finally getting home, but I had stopped at the American Red Cross HQ in Washington, D.C. to find out about jobs when I got back.  Coincidentally, my parent’s neighbors in Berkeley, my home town, were Korean and the smell of Kimchi fermenting would permeate the area.  I went back to work for Red Cross at US Naval Hospital (AKA Balboa Naval Hospital) as a recreation worker and have been in San Diego since, except for the 10 years I lived in Santa Monica.

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

We were young, adventurous women, patriotic, eager to serve, but also eager to see some part of the world, and learn about the military.  Since our country was not actively at war, at least not overseas, perhaps it was not as intense as for those who served in Vietnam.  It took us a while to convince the active duty men who couldn’t understand why wholesome American girls would volunteer to come to a “Hellhole like this”.   At the time we were there, Korea was an isolated tour of duty for most.

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

I’ve spoken with mostly Vietnam veterans who were appreciative of our being there.  But many veterans were well aware of various Red Cross services to military bases overseas.  

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

I enjoyed visiting the Turkish bases, they were part of the UN Peace Keeping Forces and were regular stops on our programming runs. There I could get yogurt, plus we had talent exchanges occasionally and I even ended up singing for them, participating in plays and musical productions. Through the SRAO program I got to see a lot of Korea, plus I had the opportunity to travel to Japan on R&R.

One memory is of standing on a table helping to decorate one of the outposts for Christmas and falling over into a tray of donuts, which generated great laughter. As a native Californian, I’d never lived in snow or 4 real seasons.  I often got off base to explore “The Vill”, got to know some of the Korean prostitutes and learned a lot about their survival.  It was after all, 10 years after the armistice.  It was a learning experience to observe first hand the prevalent racism in the military at the time, which was passed on to us from the Red Cross as a “no interracial dating” order.  The Red Cross wanted to be sure we understood that we were guests of the military.  

Most profound was the month of mourning when JFK was assassinated.  Korea and my travels after were the adventure of a lifetime.  I was impressed with the careers the Red Cross offered to women at the time.  

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In our 59th edition of the Donut Dollie Detail, Diane tells how her upbringing and need to serve others influenced her signing up to go to Vietnam; how serving the men on base, in the field and children in need all were the focus of her service, and how she met her husband of 43-years in Vietnam and in a funny twist of events, married him twice in 1968.

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Please meet Red Cross Donut Dollie Diane Diggs Byrd…

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

I would say that the main reason for my joining the Red Cross Donut Dollies program was because of the experiences I had growing up, based on my family’s focus on church activities, caring for those in our community and appreciating everyone of all races.  At the time of my birth, the only options for race listed on the birth certificate were either white or black, but my family background was Native American.  On my mother’s side, my grandmother was from the Meherrin tribe and my grandfather was Cherokee, and while on my father’s side, his background is Native American, but we need to research this further.  When my mother and father married, the atmosphere surrounding race became a choice for my family, my Mama’s family chose to live with caucasians, while my mother and father decide to live in black society in Norfolk, VA.  I went to an all-black high school and the building was in need of replacement, so when Martin Luther King Jr. heard of our plight, he organized a march asking the city to build a new high school for the black students.  When MLK’s organizers came for the march, they told us that we could be arrested… but we still marched.  Unfortunately, it took 10 years following my graduation for the new high school to be built.

Through these experiences I chose to do something positive with my life and to make a difference.  I began by volunteering with the Red Cross in high school, which began my 30 years of service with them.  My plan was to use my medical studies to work as a  medical missionary, when I decided to join the Red Cross to serve my country, and was then assigned to Vietnam through the SRAO program.  The trip from the U.S. to Saigon was quite an experience, because up to that time, I had never been on a plane with only men on it.  Plus, they all were smoking and that wasn’t something I was used to.  Another thing I hadn’t experienced before was in the airport and on the plane, the men showed their enthusiasm at seeing me and my Donut Dollie sisters, it was quite a reaction. 

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

I was stationed with the II Field Force in Long Bien from early July to December, 1968.  I flew to Vietnam on July 4th.  There were 12 ladies in our unit.  I went by the name Diane.

What was a routine day like in Vietnam?

A routine day at the beginning of my tour started with our programming on the base. We designed our programs to stimulate the mind of the service members to recall basic facts on a subject using questions and visuals in a game format.  I usually designed my programs using science facts, because my degree was in Pre Med Biology.  I also liked to use questions from botany and other scientific areas.  At first we were doing our programs in the recreation center on base, but when the USO came in, our center was closed down.  We then became a Clubmobile unit, taking our programs out to the men in the field.

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Our programs were designed like quiz shows, like those that the service members would remember from TV or challenges that I would develop.  The programs were designed to be fun and challenging, and when we divided the service members into teams that made them more competitive.  Two Donut Dollies would travel together each day to their assigned units in a jeep, helicopter, MPC’s or other form of military transport.  We spent the day programming, visiting units, sometimes visiting places where children were living who needed help.  The service members in these units would often provide food for the children.

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

No

Were you ever injured while in Vietnam?

No

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

I enjoyed visiting service members in the hospitals and their units.  It seemed to bring joy to them just to see we cared enough to come.  I received many letters from the men stating that just seeing me made them think of home and that talking with them brought back good memories.

How was the transition returning home to the United States?

My transition returning home was different from many of the Donut Dollies, because I was married to a service member and my life was with service members and their families on a full-time basis.  I was working with new military wives getting them adjusted to military life with their deployed husbands, still visiting hospitals, and creating programs for the military wives clubs.  My husband and I were stationed first at Fort Lee, Virginia, where I worked with the Red Cross in the hospital.  At every point of our deployment, the experiences I had in Vietnam were helpful.  

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

The Donut Dollies were dedicated to serving our country and the men who served.  For myself, I served with the Red Cross following my time as a Donut Dollie in Vietnam in many locations during the time of my husband’s military service.  Through my work with the Red Cross and the military, the focus of my service was to military families, as an instructor of international law, serving the diverse community and through disaster services, providing disaster training for children in the community and many other areas of Red Cross service.

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

My husband Mel served for 32-years active duty and attained the rank of Brigadier General.  During this time I became very active in military life, supporting the wives and families of the deployed men, and regularly interacting with them in casual and formal settings.  Respect for those who served has always been present around me. I love my country and I feel that the experiences I had serving in Vietnam made me stronger and deepened my dedication to service.

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

One of memories from Vietnam that led to the most impact on my life, were my early days at II Field Force, when a line of Jeeps came rolling up to us Donut Dollies.  The leader of this “convoy” was Kelly, a man I knew from Morgan State College back in the states.  As the men were showing their interest in us, he called out to all of them, saying something funny like “I know this young lady… so everybody just turn around”.  Shortly after this, I got a brief note from one of those men, saying he was temporarily in another area, but that when he got back he hoped he could meet with me.  And that’s how I met Mel, my husband of 43-years.  During the time we were both in-country, we had very little time to date, which was frowned upon by the Red Cross, so our relationship grew through late night phone calls, letters and brief times when we were both in the same place at the same time.  

Another memory regarding Mel, is that we married twice, which is a funny story.  We had both taken R&R in Hong Kong during our tours in 1968 and we got married.  From the time we became engaged and then married, I had to hide my rings and I didn’t inform the Red Cross, but Mel had to inform his superiors.  Shortly after getting married I saw in a movie about a couple who got married overseas and then they learned it wasn’t official.  Of course, the possibility of this happening to us was concerning.  So once I completed my tour, Mel took R&R in the states and as soon as the plane landed, we were married again in New York.  

My fondest memories in Vietnam are of the women with whom I served and the joy on the faces of the service members when they saw we cared enough to come.  I often remember my Donut Dollie partner Ramona jumping out of the helicopter after a day of service into a mud puddle.  I also remember the day that the canvas tops were ordered off the Jeeps during the rainy season and we came back really wet every day.

Another memory I have is of the day I went to a unit I visited on a regular basis.  I had fond memories of visiting with these men and talking to them about home and their families.  One day we went back to program and their living quarters were empty, although the pictures of their family members were still hanging and other items they cherished were still there.  I asked where they were and I was told they were all gone.  They have been killed while in a convoy.  I still have that picture of them in my head and their treasured pictures still hanging in their living quarters!  I still feel the pain I know their families felt.  I know they died for our country – they were so young.

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In our 58th edition of the Donut Dollie Detail, Paula tells that when her fiancé was declared MIA in Vietnam it made her determined to learn more about the Vietnam War for herself, she recounts two very challenging moments of her time in-country and how her Donut Dollie service led to a 2 decade career with the Air Force.

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Please meet Red Cross Donut Dollie Paula Wright Haley…

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

I was engaged to a pilot who was flying over Vietnam and was shot down and was declared missing in action.  I was heartbroken and could not understand why America was in this war and what we were doing there that would get our best and brightest killed.  Was the sacrifice worth these young men’s lives?  

I had discovered this relatively unknown Red Cross program called SRAO and became interested in going to Vietnam to have a better understanding of this horrible war.  I was selected to go and I thought at the time it was an honor to be selected.  Little did I know how stupid that really was and I don’t think anyone else had even applied… really who would want to go to a war zone in 1968?

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

My fist assignment was Chu Lai, my second assignment was Ahe Khe and the third place was Phan Rang.  I arrived in September 1968 and left September 1969.  The soldiers called me the Donut Dollie from Texas… so they usually called me Tex.  

What was a routine day like in Vietnam?

It was get up very early, put on the skimpy uniform rush to the helicopter pad, jump in and go-go-go all day.  Come back to base camp late, fall in bed and start over the next morning.  In Chu Lai there was no recreation center, so every day it was out to wherever the soldiers might be.  One time I was sitting next to a soldier in the helicopter and when he got out of the helicopter he walked into the back blade of the copter and his body flew in one direction and his arm went in another direction.  I jumped out of the helicopter, ran over and picked up his arm and got on top of the soldier and was trying to put his arm back on him.  By the time the soldier got to him they had to lift me off of him and I was covered in blood.  To this day when I see a man without an arm I have to hold myself back from going up to that person and ask if it happened in Vietnam.

While in Ahe Khe, we split our time between the recreation center and going to the field.  There was no set routine… we did whatever had to be done any given day.

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

I would say twice.  One time we were out in the field with the soldiers when all of a sudden there was a battle.  There was gunfire everywhere and I laid on the ground with a jacket over my head thinking that if we were overrun, this was my last day to live.  After a while it got very quiet and no one spoke, but then there were a lot of men running around trying to take care of the wounded.  A helicopter arrived and they put the wounded on the chopper.  A second helicopter arrived and the other Donut Dollie and myself jumped on the chopper and we left.  As soon as we were airborne, I realized I was sitting on top of dead men… VC that is!  One of the soldiers on the chopper put his hand in the pocket of one of the dead men and pulled out a picture and he handed it to me.  It was my moment of truth.  I stared at the photo and it was a picture of a Vietnamese man, women and a child.  It was the first time I realized that these people who were our enemy, were real people who had mothers and fathers and wives and children.  Someone would be heartbroken by the death of this man, whom I was now sitting on top of!

Another time when I was in Ahe Khe, it appeared that the base camp would be over run.  The base camp was built around a small mountain.  The VC were running through the base camp to get to the wooded area of the mountain.  We Donut Dollies were instructed to go to the small compound for cover.  We had to run a distance.  I can’t remember how far we had to run, but we didn’t make it and we hid in a ditch and it was raining.  I remember laying in the ditch and I wasn’t even afraid.  I was thinking “how in the world did I ever get here… I wonder what the folks back home would think if they saw me now!?!

Were you ever injured while in Vietnam?

No

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

I did not visit the hospital.  I was never in a place where there was a hospital. 

How was the transition returning home to the United States?

I remember coming home on a flight that had flight attendants.  I remember looking at this flight attendant who was very clean, nice hair, nice red fingernails and for the first time I was totally aware of what I had missed in the real world.  I then realized how I had spent a year without makeup, no fancy anything and I had forgotten what I used to be.  

At first it was great seeing my family, but people really didn’t want to hear about Vietnam.  I felt isolated and at times as crazy as it sounded I missed the soldiers, the high energy and the happiness and the sadness I felt while there.  I wrote several articles about Vietnam and I called one article “What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?”.  Vietnam changed me forever.   

I am glad I had the experience but would never want to face another war like that again.  I came back, got my master’s degree, joined the Air Force and became a military officer and served for 21 years and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.  Upon retirement, I was the director of the Los Angeles  National cemetery for several years.  The more I have studied the Vietnam War and have a better understanding of how and why we were there… it  makes me very sad.  I went back to Vietnam last year and I wish I had never gone back.  It was too sad to think about the horrible things that happen in that small county.

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

I know this sounds rather dumb, but the Donut Dollies were not nurses.  While I was in Vietnam I never set foot in a hospital.  I have this friend who introduces me as a nurse who served in Vietnam and every time I correct him.  It is so stereotyping to say any woman who was in Vietnam must have been a nurse.  There were women who were line officers in the military, women who served with the USO, etc.  Not every women who was in Vietnam was a nurse.  I take my hat off to the nurses, but that wasn’t who we were while in Vietnam.

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

The soldiers whom we came in contact with still love us to this day. The real grunts in the field remember us and that’s all that counts.

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

My very favorite memory was Christmas Day 1968.  We boarded a helicopter very early that morning and we flew to every area possible giving the soldiers bags of goodies, which were donated by the American people.  It made me feel good that the people back home cared enough to make sure the soldiers were remembered and how happy the soldiers were to see us and to know the people back home cared.  I don’t ever remember being that tired in my life, but even today it can bring a tear to my eyes to think back on that day.  The song which was played over and over again was “I’ll be Home for Christmas”.

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