Hello!  Up next on my podcast, EXTRAordinary People is Marj BillkerGraves who worked as a nurse in Vietnam and battled PTSD for years.  She is a passionate speaker on her experiences in the hope that her story will help others.  Please tune in to hear this fascinating interview beginning Monday, November 4 at shirleywachtel.com and streaming.

Till next time!–Shirley

Marj BillkerGraves joined the Army Nurse Corps during her final year of nursing school in 1967.  She served as a head nurse on male orthopedic wards at Darnall Army Hospital, Fort Hood, Texas, and at Ireland Army Hospital, Fort Knox, Kentucky.  As a Captain, Marj volunteered for Vietnam where she continued to serve as a head orthopedic nurse with the 24^th Evacuation Hospital in Long Binh.  During her tour of duty, she was selected as the nurse for a two-person medical team to accompany both the Bob Hope Christmas Tour in 1971 and the Sammy Davis, Jr. USO Show in 1972.  After a return assignment in the United States at Madigan General Hospital, Tacoma, Washington, she resigned her commission to marry her husband, Bob, also a Vietnam Veteran.  She was selected as Kentucky’s Vietnam Veteran for USA Today’s 2012 Veterans Day issue, has been featured in numerous articles in The Courier-Journal,  was inducted into the Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame, is a recipient of the Daughters of the American Revolution Distinguished Citizen Medal, and in 2023 was the first female veteran to serve as Grand Marshal of Louisville’s Veterans Day Parade. She is a retired Occupational Health Manager from UPS.  As a result of her experiences, she battled PTSD and today works to help others struggling with mental health issues.