Southern-Style
A Downhome Perspective on All Things Southern

When Jean Gillis (far right, second row from top) graduated from T. R. Miller High School in 1939, the world was hurtling toward war.  While it was exciting to be graduating, for her it was Friday.   Her dream was to be a nurse, and for that she would have to leave home.  

Up until that point, the extent of her travel had been bus trips to Shocco Springs  with her church group.  The idea of leaving home was exciting  and scary.     

Her father, John Patrick Gillis, had been killed by logs that crashed into his truck when the ropes broke on the log truck ahead of him when she was thirteen.  Her mother, Eunice, still had four younger children at home. Patricia, the baby, was three months old at that time.  So, accompanied by her Sunday School teacher Miss Lydia Davidson, she paid a visit to Mr. McMillan, the president of the local bank.  There she took out a loan so that she could quit her job at the dime store and the book keeping she had been doing in order to attend nursing school at St. Margaret’s hospital in Montgomery, Alabama. It took courage to sit across the desk from the banker and ask him to trust her with the loan for her education. 

Her brother worked at Stokes Meat Market.  He’d saved up some money from his work at the meat market and his paper route and bought her suitcase.  Her mother bought her a new outfit.  She boarded the bus in Brewton, Alabama.  She cast a longing look behind her as the Greyhound bus pulled away from the station.  Fear and anticipation set her heart pounding as she left all that was familiar behind.  But with determination, she directed her attention ahead of her excitement rising in anticipation of what life had in store for her.  It was just Monday. 

  Jean Gillis

Roommate                                        

While she was sequestered in the security of South Alabama, playing pranks on her roommate from Atmore, Alabama, and convincing the Sisters there wasn’t a serious bone in her body, the world was rocked with the news from Europe and in the Pacific.  They were not immune from the goings on throughout the world.   

Much to the Sisters' surprise the spirited young woman from Brewton scored the highest of anyone in the state when she took the state board in nursing  

                                         Jim Gillis                     

When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and the United States entered the War, young men from her home town began signing up.  Her brother, James Patrick Gillis, enlisted in the Marines.  Those young men were going to serve their country.  
John Patrick Gillis, WWI 

  Jim and Jean salute

Her father, John Patrick Gillis, had made the trip to France in the War that was meant to end all Wars, World War I.  That hadn't happened.   Now, it seemed inevitable.  Someone had to go and finish the job.  And someone had to go and patch those up who were injured in the process.    It could be her little brother lying injured on a battlefield far from home and family.  Those young men were going to serve their country.  Could she do less?  So she when she graduated from St. Margaret’s, Jean also enlisted. For her, it was just Tuesday.  

Eunice Jernigan Gillis, Jean’s widowed mother, had already sent her only son off to War.  She left the three younger girls at home to accompany Jean as far as she could on the train.  The two had always been very close.  Jean had shouldered as much of the responsibility for her family after her father’s death as her young shoulders could bear.  She often said that she and her mother grew up together. 

They met a good looking Naval officer on the train who gave them a copy of the July  “The Mock-Up” upon which cover, the young officer’s picture was featured.  Eunice’s handwritten note on the cover reads, “Jean was on way to Jackson, Miss., her first assignment when she joined Army Nurses.  I went as far as Gulfport with her.  Ensign Tyson was on the trip.  He gave her copy of this magazine.  He was very nice.” 

The many pictures in her picture collection attest to her recollection that picture taking was one of the favorite pursuits of young Americans.   Here she met Eddy Cooley whom she dated during her sojourn in Jackson.  The picture to the left is captioned, Cow Pasture, March, 1943.

These patients had already seen service and were recuperating at her first assignment in Jackson, Mississippi.

The caption of this picture reads: Sept. 2, 1944, Eve of Departure from Atlanta.  Photographers at clubs such as this would take pictures to sell to patrons.  Then they could all sign and write notes on the back of the pictures.  The notes on the back of this photograph read:

 “Here’s to a swell girl and I wish I had met her sooner.  Lot’s of Luck I think lots of you Jean  Always Jim B.”

“Jean I wish we could have been together if for no other reason than you’re a swell kid, a good sport and a old towner.  Here’s wishing you the best of luck.  Helen Rifter” 

“Words cannot express how much luck I wish to you.  Remember what I said about Blackie’s sox.  Heaps of the best.  Joe”

From Atlanta they went to New York where they boarded a troop ship bound for Cherbourg, France, where she would join the 164^th General Hospital for detached service with hospital trains then sent to bring soldiers wounded at the Battle of the Bulge back from the front.  When a soldier was injured he was taken to a field station where they performed triage.  They were then transferred to the hospital train and taken to Cherbourg to board a hospital ship to be transported to a hospital away from the field of battle. She earned a battle ribbon for this service.

This was the 165^th General Hospital station set up outside Cherbourg. 

One of her occupations was writing letters home for patients.    

It was cold…so cold they wore everything they owned layered so thick that the call to the “loo” was a time consuming, sometimes anxious,  experience.  

There occasionally was time to see the sights.  Cherbourg was a beautiful city with warm and friendly people.  Americans enjoyed the town life.

 There was quite a different dress code for going into the city and for everyday frontline activities.  This group of nurses grew quite close during their time together. 

 Although she requested that this picture be eliminated, as her daughter who loves her, I felt it only showed another side of a fun loving young woman.

These eggs have significance.  They were rare. The hospital train stopped briefly as its engineers were constantly doing to chat with those beside the rail,  Jean spied a farmer beside the tracks selling eggs.  It had been so long since she’d had any eggs, she decided to jump down, buy the eggs and then hop back on.  As her luck would have it, the engineer completed his conversation just as she was purchasing the eggs and the train began to roll off.  Putting the eggs in her cap and gingerly clasping the precious commodity to her chest, she hurried back to the train which continued to pick up speed.  Her friend stood on the back of the train and taunted her as she jogged breathlessly beside the train.  “Share the eggs and I’ll stop the train,” he repeated over and over.  She finally realized he meant it and agreed.  Eggs, something she’d taken for granted in Brewton, Alabama, had gained new meaning.

June 6, 1945, Marseilles

Finally, the War was over and they had time for some R and R before returning home.  So, Jean and her friends did the Riviera.