Lehman_Buena_05242002 edited
Buena Farris McQueen "Mac" Lehman served in the Army Nurse Corps in World War II. In 1936, she graduated from Watauga Academy in her hometown of Butler, TN. She wanted to explore the world as a stewardess for an airline, however at that time stewardesses were required to be nurses. Mac enrolled at the Appalachain Hospital School of Nursing in Johnson City, TN and graduated in May 1941. While Mac was working at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Mac applied for a commission as an Army nurse and was accepted and sent to William Beaumont General Hospital in Fort Bliss, near El Paso. This is where she met a young Army lieutenant from Galveston named Charles E. Lehman. Mac and Charles were married three weeks after they met. A few days after their marriage, both received orders to ship out to Europe. Buena's unit, the 79th Field Hospital, treated casualties in England, France and Germany. They worked and lived in tents without floors. Mac then got sent to work out of a field hospital during the Battle of the Bulge where the medics brought the wounded straight from the battlefield. Mac and Charlie found finally found where each was stationed and were able to meet up and spend time together throughout their time in Germany. After the War they returned to Texas where Charlie finished his college. Mac and Charlie were married over 62 years at the time of the interview.
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