[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 128 (Wednesday, September 22, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H6860-H6861]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1850
                     A TRIBUTE TO OUR FIRST NURSES

  (Mr. SABLAN asked and was given permission to speak out of order.)
  Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, as early as the tiempon Hapones, the 
Japanese times, in the Marianas our local women began to train as 
nurses. Nursing was one of the few professions open to women. But the 
realities of the work meant that only those whose hearts, minds and 
bodies were strong could meet the arduous challenges and discipline 
required.
  World War II opened the door wider. With thousands of military and 
civilian casualties littering our islands, the U.S. forces had to 
recruit nurses from the local population. After the war, the Navy, then 
the civilian administration, set up the hospitals and clinics; and 
these facilities, too, demanded nursing staff.
  Training was made available at a series of schools through 
Micronesia, raising the skills of our native nurses. From 1944 to 1978, 
some 250 of our local people found work in nursing.
  We, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands, salute these nurses 
and thank them for their professionalism, courage and service.
  Madam Speaker, to begin the story of the pioneer, native nurses of 
the Northern Mariana Islands, one must go back to the late 1930s and 
early 1940s, to the tiempon Hapones or Japanese times in the Marianas. 
In those days nursing was one of the few professions open to our local 
women and so attracted attention. But the realities of the work meant 
that only those whose hearts, minds, and bodies were strong could meet 
the arduous challenges and strict discipline required. It is believed 
that Mrs. Rosa Blanco Camacho, now almost ninety, is the only one of 
these pre-war nurses alive today.
  World War II changed everything. The Marianas were the site of some 
of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific. After the invasion, the island 
of Saipan was a wasteland, littered with thousands of military and 
civilian casualties. Makeshift field hospitals were hastily erected, 
and young native women--and men--were quickly enlisted to assist 
military medical personnel in caring for the wounded and dying. On-the-
job field training for these native nurses and corpsmen was the order 
of the day. Besides the challenge of learning how to take care of the 
wounded, these native recruits faced a more basic obstacle: they had to 
learn how to communicate in English. Few American servicemen spoke or 
understood Japanese, and few, if any, knew the native Chamorro or 
Carolinian languages.
  They faced tasks unlike anything they had seen before; and the hours 
were grueling. From Monday to Sunday the nurses worked on at the 
hospital sites. Only on Sundays were they packed onto trucks and 
allowed to return to spend time with their families and the rest of the 
civilian population, which had been gathered up by the military and 
encamped at Camp Susupe.
  When the war ended in 1945, the U.S. Navy built a permanent hospital 
on Maturana Hill, Saipan, where the native nurses were employed and 
which served both the military and civilian population. The Navy also 
built a leprosarium on Tinian with three native nurses. The U.S. also 
began to offer more formal training for the nurses from the Northern 
Marianas. Some of those from Saipan and Rota were sent to the U.S. 
Naval Hospital School of Nursing in Guam. When this training facility 
closed in 1952, those nurses who were in the middle of their studies 
were sent to the Trust Territory School of Nursing in Chuuk. Later, 
that school was relocated to Pohnpei, then to Palau, and then in the 
late 1960s to Saipan. The final move was to the Marshall Islands in 
1986. Despite these frequent moves, over the years the Trust Territory 
School of Nursing graduated many students from all the Trust Territory 
districts, including the Marianas District.
  When the U.S. Department of the Interior assumed administration of 
the Northern Mariana Islands in 1962, the U.S. Navy closed its hospital 
on Maturana Hill and the native nurses who worked at the aging naval 
hospital gladly transferred to the brand new Dr. Torres Hospital on As 
Terlaje Hill on Saipan. Dr. Torres Hospital was a civilian-run, eighty-
four bed inpatient and outpatient care facility where nurses could, 
with seniority and patience, develop a specialized practice, in surgery 
or obstetrics for example.

  The population in the Northern Mariana Islands was growing now and 
there was a corresponding growth in the demand for nurses. Health 
centers on Tinian and Rota had been built and were expanding. And 
public health dispensaries were opened in some villages on Saipan, all 
of them staffed by nurses.
  Nursing remained one of the few professions open to women. It still 
had its attractions: a regular salary, the status that the nurse's 
uniform conveyed. But at its heart nursing also remained--and remains--
grueling work that demanded strength of mind and body, an attention to 
detail and self-discipline.
  We, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands, appreciate and salute 
the following nurses, who served from 1944 to 1978, for their 
professionalism, courage, and service:

       Dolores Reyes Agulto, Joaquin Santos Aguon, Jesus Castro 
     Aldan, Jose Palacios Aldan, Josepha Castro Aldan, Merced 
     Deleon Guerrero Aldan, Vicente Matagolai Aldan, Estefania 
     Rabauliman Amirez, Dionisia Taitano Apatang, Lucia Villagomez 
     Arizapa, Elena Camacho Arriola, Jesus Saimon Arriola, 
     Magdalena Demapan Arriola, Maria Kokure Arriola, Maria 
     Benavente Atalig, Maria Hocog Atalig, Rosina Ayuyu Atalig, 
     Rosario Imamura Atlaig, Rosario Cabrera Attao, Teresita San 
     Nicolas Attao, Rosa Litulumar Ayuyu, Carmen Nekai Babauta, 
     Maria Lizama Babauta, Roberto San Nicolas Babauta, Urbano 
     Crisostimo Babauta, Teresita Atalig Barcinas, Lucia Castro 
     Barcinas, Sylvia Barcinas, Felisa Chargualaf Basa, Trinidad 
     Arriola Benavente, Maria Attao Bermudes, Maria Pura Tagabuel 
     Billy, Olympia Selepeo Borja, Petra Hoashi Borja;
       Rosita San Nicolas Borja, Alejandro Reyes Cabrera, Ana 
     Torres Cabrera, Angelica Muna Cabrera, Anita Torres Cabrera, 
     Herminia Pangelinan Cabrera, Jose Manibusan Cabrera, 
     Magdalena Brel Cabrera, Maria Duenas Cabrera, Dela Cruz 
     Cabrera, Victorina Bias Cabrera, Salomae Hocog Calvo, Dolores 
     Benavente Camacho, Estefania Flores Camacho, Fermina Mendiola 
     Camacho, Lucia Leon Guerrero Camacho, Namiko Ketebengang 
     Camacho, Rita Duenas Camacho, Rosa Ada Camacho, Rosa Blanco 
     Camacho, Ana Songsong Castro, Carmen Moses Castro, Daniel 
     Pangelinan Castro, Loretta Mesngon Castro, Maria Manibusan 
     Castro, Ruth Albert Castro, Taeko Elizabeth Kumangai Castro, 
     Antonia Taimanao Celis, Maria Muna Celis, Rita Sablan Celis, 
     Antonio Santos Cepeda, Juan Cruz Cepeda, Rosa Manibusan 
     Cepeda, Ana Maria Gogue Charfauros;
       Ramona Seman Chong, Carmen Attao Concepcion, Irminia 
     Benavente Cox, Conrado Deleon Guerrero Crisostomo, Ana Kokure 
     Dela Cruz, Jesus Ogo Dela Cruz, Francisco Palacios Deleon 
     Guerrero, Gustav Acosta Deleon Guerrero, Mariana Camacho 
     Deleon Guerrero, Anunciasion Cruz Demapan, Justina Rdiall 
     Demapan, Luis Cepeda Demapan, Micaela Sablan Demapan, Juanita 
     Duenas Diaz, Maria Mendiola Diaz, Elisa Maratita Dim, 
     Elizabeth Naputi Dudley, Ines Cruz Duenas, Margarita Attao 
     Duenas, Monica Camacho Duenas, Estefania Atalig Dumale, Luis 
     Osomai Elameto, Amania Mechaet Elidechedong, Vicenta Lizama 
     Evangelista, Mary Farley, Rosa Tenorio Fejeran, Rosa Maliti 
     Fejeran, Rita Castro

[[Page H6861]]

     Flawau, Lorenza Mendiola Garcia, Ramon Guerrero, Vicente 
     Guerrero, Maria Esteves Halstead, Carmen Wesley Hamilton, 
     Hasmid Haro;
       Ana Ogo Hocog, Felisisima Ada Hocog, Maria Ayuyu Hocog, 
     Guadalupe Reyes Hofschneider, Maria Manibusan Igibara, Andres 
     Taisacan Igisaiar, Lucia Seman Iriarte, Carmina Weilbacher 
     Jack, Berthilia Camacho John, Ensel John, Engracia Aldan 
     Johnson, Carmen Olopai Kaipat, Damiana Olkeriil Kaipat, Diego 
     Litulumar Kaipat, Isaac Borja Kaipat, Natividad Dela Cruz 
     Kaneshi, Ana Igisaiar Kileleman, Neiar Kolios, Violet Laird, 
     Consolacion Limes Laniyo, Lourdes Olopai Laniyo, Mariano 
     Repeki Laniyo, Maria Taitano Lieto, Teresita Pialur Limes, 
     Hermana Ling, Daniel Mettao Lisua, Dionicio Mendiola Lizama;
       Joaquin Reyes Lizama, Juana Hocog Lizama, Maria Ada Lizama, 
     Soledad Mesngon Lizama, Vicente Lizama, Carmen Mendiola 
     Lizama-Torres, Susana Rogopes Macaranas, Vivian Nee Adamson 
     Malmstrom, Magdalena Sablan Manahane, Milagro Hocog Manglona, 
     Magdalena Manglona Manglona, Delfina Villagomez Manibusan, 
     Donicia Rasiang Marciano-Hosono, Francisco Acosta Masga, 
     Maria Cruz Masga, Nathania Maui, Martha Muna Mendiola, 
     Bernadita Reyes Mercado, Juan Itibus Mettao, Likiak Kun 
     Mongkeya, Lorenza Ilo Mongkeya, Carmen Santos Muna, Isidro 
     Camacho Muna;
       Vicenta Santos Muna, Jose Naog, Isidro Nekai, Rosa San 
     Nicolas Norita, Dominina Fitial Olopai, Gregoria Fitial Omar, 
     Elizabeth Atalig Paeda, Maria Indalecio Palacios, Maria Taman 
     Palacios, Milagro Sablan Palacios, Rita Taman Palacios, 
     Dolores Cepeda Pangelinan, Jose Basa Pangelinan, Juan Basa 
     Pangelinan, Magdalena Terlaje Pangelinan, Maria Aldan 
     Pangelinan, Maxima Cruz Pangelinan, Paul William Perry, 
     Rafaela Odoshi Perry, Maria Toves Quitugua, Remedio Naog 
     Quitugua, Viviana Osomai Rabauliman, Casimira Manglona Ramos, 
     Lourdes Maliti Rangamar, Dolores Cruz Rasa, Consolacion 
     Sablan Rasiang, Fuana Remeliik;
       Angelina Sablan Reyes, Joaquina Pangelinan Reyes, Rosario 
     Taman Rios, Maria Borja Roberto, Angela Muleta Romolor, Pedro 
     San Nicolas Rosario, Rosa Benavente Royal, Takeshi Aloka 
     Royal, Juan Satur Ruben, Vicente Faibar Rubuenog, Ana Ayuyu 
     Sablan, Daniel Magofna Sablan, Dolores Reyes Sablan, 
     Margarita Mendiola Sablan, Olympia Reyes Sablan, Ramona 
     Cabrera Sablan, Rita Diaz Sablan, Rosalia Tenorio Sablan, 
     Fidelia Sablan Salas, Margarita Villagomez Salas, Rosa 
     Manibusan Salas, Isabel Manibusan San Nicolas, Juana 
     Manibusan San Nicolas;
       Dolores Apatang Santos, Isabel Esteves Santos, Maria 
     Camacho Santos, Maria Arriola Santos, Maria Luisa Duenas 
     Santos, Martha Cabrera Santos, Carlos Rapagau Satur, Esteban 
     Nepaial Satur, Guillermo Litulumar Saures, Lourdes Mettao 
     Saures, Maria Benavente Sedmik, Antonia Rabauliman Seman, 
     Isabel Jones Seman, Margarita Benavente Seman, John Frank 
     Skilling, Teresita Wabol Skilling, Cresencia Maratita Songao, 
     Francisco Maratita Songao, Mary Grace Lejjena Songsong, Maria 
     Asuncion Stoll, Carmen Maratita Suzuki, Margarita Somol 
     Tagabuel, Gisina Songao Taimanao, Gloria Ramos Taimanao, 
     Marcelina Atalig Taitano, Sabina Rivera Taro;
       Lino Pangelinan Tenorio, Maria Hattori Tenorio, Natividad 
     Cruz Tenorio, Rita Sablan Tenorio, Soledad Takai Tenorio, 
     Elena Litulumar Teregeyo, Enriquetta Peter Teregeyo, Maria 
     Reyes Thompson, Dirruchei Terry Tmakiung, Jovita Blanco 
     Tomokane, Francisco Ada Torres, Maria Jones Torres, Elizabeth 
     Sablan Torres-Untalan, Rita Songao Toves, Sophia Olopai 
     Towai, Consolacion Faisao Tudela, Margarita Cabrera Tudela, 
     Remedio Bermudes Tudela, Maria Salii Udui, Isabel Camacho 
     Villagomez, Margarita Aquininog Villagomez, Josepha Arriola 
     Weilbacher, Donicia Pialur Ythemar, Paul Joseph Ythemar.

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