The Times Leader from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania • 123

Sunday, June K), 2012 GOLackawannaV One-of-a-kind nurse aw' 4 I I ".,4 "mi.mi,j Ill ij Carol Ann Drazba's patients lovingly remember her care DON MCGLYNN dmcglytmgolackawctmw.com During the time 2nd Lt. Carol Ann Drazba, R.N., U.S. Army Nurse Corps was stationed in Vietnam she had the opportunity to nurse back to health a number of veterans from all different parts of the United States, and at least one from West Scranton. Drazba, the first American military woman to' be killed in the Vietnam War, who will be honored with a memorial on Saturday, June 16 at 2p.m., placed at the corner of Mulberry Street and Franklin Avenue at the Gino J. Merli Veterans Center, was the first person Sgt.

1st Class Pat DeSarno of the U.S. Army saw after being operated on in Vietnam. "She woke me said DeSarno. "And when she woke (me) up, I thought, 'Did I die and go to heaven, or She was a very pretty girl." Born and raised in West Scranton, DeSarno joined the army when he was 17 years old and was stationed in Vietnam in 1965. He was wounded by shrapnel on December 18, 1965.

"I was out with a special forces unit in the woods, so I had to get air (evaced) with a couple other people, and when I went in there they took me to the third field hospital in it was like a MASH unit, but it was a hospital," said DeSarno. "(I) went right into surgery. I woke up in a bed and my arm was in a cast, and she walked by and said, used to watch you Drazba, a Dunmore native, recognized DeSarno from Idle Hour Lanes in Dickson City, a-bowling alley he used to frequent. DeSarno spent a month in the hospital, and during that time he was able to see Draz JASON RIEDMILLERFOR GO LACKAWANNA Friends of the Forgotten gathered to continue making plans for the memorial In honor of 2nd Lt. Carol Ann Drazba, R.N., U.S.

Army Nurse Corps. Present at the meeting were, first row, from left George Atkinson, Maria DeJesus, second row, Ed Faatz, Angelo Bene-detti, Kim Atkinson, Breona Cox, Jack Stahulak, Don Knight and, third row, Marcelo DeJesus. "She woke me up. And when she woke (me) up, I thought, 'Did I die and go to heaven, or She was a very pretty girl." Sqt. 1st Class Pat DeSarno of the U.S.

Army said after being operated on in Vietnam. learned about the late nurse the more impressed she became of her, especially after hearing about how she helped patients like Johnny Williams. Williams was shot and left for dead in the jungle of Vietnam. After being rescued by a medevac team, the jeep he was riding in was ambushed, and he was shot again. He was rescued a second time and brought to the hospital where he underwent surgery.

"He came out of surgery and was on Carol Ann's ward. She was making rounds that when she checked him he was unconscious and he was bleed- more frequently in the weeks leading up to Saturday's unveiling. "Gabriel Zini (a Pittsburgh native) was a patient of he said when she came in the atmosphere of the war changed, the atmosphere of every patient. Every patient hoped that she would be their nurse that night," said Kim Atkinson. Atkinson first heard Drazba's story while a student at the Scranton State General Hospital School of Nursing, the same school Drazba attended.

As she continued on with her career, Atkinson met more people who had known Drazba. The more Atkinson ed a pizza, and as usual, Drazba made an attempt to please her patient. "She actually tried to make one, I think," said De--Sarno. Sentiments like DeSarno's have been echoed to the members of the Friends of the Forgotten, who are responsible for raising the funds for the memorial, ba working to make everyone's stay as pleasant as it could be. "She was always great, really sweet girl," said DeSarno.

"She'd do things like get you an extra soda, or whatever they had there. She would go out of her way and say, 'What do you One day DeSarno request See DRAZBA, Page 4.