Ground broken on statue to honor Vietnam nurse

From The Times-Tribune: Ground broken on statue to honor Vietnam nurse
Second Lt. Carol Ann Drazba began her nursing career at the Scranton State General Hospital.

In 1966, the Army nurse was killed during the Vietnam War.

Now the Dunmore native will be forever remembered at the site where she learned the profession that she loved.

A ceremonial groundbreaking into the icy sod on Wednesday outside the Gino J. Merli Veterans Center marked what has been a more than two-year process in securing funds and a site for a statue that will honor Lt. Drazba, who died at age 22 in a helicopter crash near Saigon in 1966. She and another nurse in the crash became the first female service members to die in Vietnam.

"This is where she began," said Friends of the Forgotten member Kim Atkinson, who has led the project. "This is where she will stay. ... She will be here to watch over her patients."

On Wednesday, the local chapter of Friends of the Forgotten received the last portion of the $65,000 it needed for the memorial.

Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area presented the group with a $10,000 check. The donation fits with the group's mission to preserve the area's heritage, which includes honoring its people, said Natalie Gelb, the group's executive director.

"It's an honor to be able to recognize someone of national significance, who has contributed so much," she said.

Wednesday's groundbreaking was a joyous occasion for Mrs. Atkinson, who as a student nurse, learned of Lt. Drazba's story because of a plaque located in the Scranton State General Hospital.

The memorial for Lt. Drazba will be located at Mulberry Street and Franklin Avenue, at the corner of the Merli Center property, the former site of the hospital.

The six-foot-tall statue will depict Lt. Drazba holding a Florence Nightingale lantern. The site also will include a miniature version of the Vietnam Wall and granite benches. Work should be finished in June, Mrs. Atkinson said.

The group had originally broken ground for the statue in April 2011 outside St. Joseph's Center offices in Dunmore. The plan fell through, and Mrs. Atkinson approached the Merli Center.

Lt. Drazba's sister, Joanne Katula, was only 23 when her sister died. On Wednesday, she scraped a golden shovel on the icy ground.

"It's full circle," she said. "She'll be forever here."

Engraved pavers also will be part of the memorial, and are available for $100. For more information, call Anne Domin at 842-9653.