Alexis graduated from high school last year along with her childhood sweetheart. They had plans for getting married on Valentine's Day in 1942, but the war changed all that. Alexis's fiance, Lance, joined the Navy right after the disaster at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Lance was assigned to a fire control party on board a new aircraft carrier called the Hornet. She has not received word from him since he said that the ship was moving from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
Alexis is not the type of girl to sit and cry over a picture. She wanted to do whatever she could to help the war effort. Like thousands of other girls, Alexis joined the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps. She wanted to be a nurse anyway, so now she is getting that training. She was shipped to Hawaii in April 1942. Unknown to her, Lance, at that same time was taking part in the famous Doolittle Raid of April 18, 1942 - the first bombing of Japan.
Alexis feels that by helping other young men wounded in combat she is somehow helping Lance. Who knows? Maybe she will see him but hopefully not in a hospital.
Sometimes she "sweet-talks" a young soldier to help his morale. More than once she has held the hand of a dying soldier, telling him how much she would like to go on a picnic or walk in the park with him, even though he doesn't realize his legs are gone and he is about to close his eyes for the last time. Death comes a little easier to the soldier, but Alexis can rarely hide her tears. She wipes her eyes the best she can and goes to the next patient with her smile and gentle touch.
Alexis is not the type of girl to sit and cry over a picture. She wanted to do whatever she could to help the war effort. Like thousands of other girls, Alexis joined the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps. She wanted to be a nurse anyway, so now she is getting that training. She was shipped to Hawaii in April 1942. Unknown to her, Lance, at that same time was taking part in the famous Doolittle Raid of April 18, 1942 - the first bombing of Japan.
Alexis feels that by helping other young men wounded in combat she is somehow helping Lance. Who knows? Maybe she will see him but hopefully not in a hospital.
Sometimes she "sweet-talks" a young soldier to help his morale. More than once she has held the hand of a dying soldier, telling him how much she would like to go on a picnic or walk in the park with him, even though he doesn't realize his legs are gone and he is about to close his eyes for the last time. Death comes a little easier to the soldier, but Alexis can rarely hide her tears. She wipes her eyes the best she can and goes to the next patient with her smile and gentle touch.