Opal James Grapes was born in Franklin County, Virginia in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She grew up on a farm. There was no money but food was grown on the farm. Consequently, there were no problems with food for the family. They raised chickens and cows. They sold eggs and butter that they did not consume. They grew wheat and corn so they had plenty of flour and corn mill. The Great Depression did not hurt them very much. She did grow up working very hard. She helped in the garden with the vegetables. The family would can the vegetables for later use. Everyone in the family had their own jobs. She had two sisters and three brothers. She attended Methodist High School. Her older sister became a nurse. Her mother worked for the family doctor at her home. Her mother was not a nurse but she had an interest in the occupation. Grapes completed high school and one year of college. She followed her mother’s interest in nursing. She trained and became a registered nurse. She was completing her training when Pearl Harbor was attacked [Annotator’s Note: on 7 December 1941]. She decided to finish her state board examinations and then go into the Army. She picked the Army for reasons not completely known.

Opal Grapes joined the Army and reported for duty at Foster General Hospital in Temple, Texas. She underwent training for six months and then was sent overseas. The training in Texas consisted of marching, close order drill, and calisthenics. The training did not involve nursing at all. Nurses were required to do many of the same types of traditional military training, but not all. After Texas, a group of nurses was sent to New York to prepare for deployment overseas. There was no added training in New York. Approximately 300 nurses boarded a troopship called the SS George S. Simons. The ship was full of troops along with the nurses. The ship traveled in convoy but was hit by a torpedo after several days at sea. The damage was not tremendous. Grapes did not even feel the explosion. Returning to New York via Nova Scotia, the nurses boarded the Queen Mary and made the trip across the ocean without escort. The liner went across without incident. Presumably, the same passengers that were aboard the torpedoed ship crossed the ocean in the liner.

Opal Grapes arrived in Scotland after about a five day voyage from the United States. She then traveled by train toward a prepared hospital at Axminster, England. They had to walk five miles from the train station to the hospital. The area had been bombed before the nurses arrived so it was assumed that it would be quiet in the future. Grapes served at the 10th Station Hospital. It was a transit hospital. The hospital nurses gave first aid, fed, bathed, and evaluated the wounded to see if they needed further treatment. They assessed if a hurt individual could be sent to a general hospital if they were not too badly injured. Those that were too badly wounded would be kept to see if they would improve but some died. About 1,000 patients could be handled in the facility. There were 30 to 40 nurses and 15 doctors overseeing the patients. Grapes worked general duty but never in surgery. The troops would get out of bed if they were able and help their fellows. She estimates that she arrived in April or May 1944. She cannot remember specifically, and her records are falling apart. There were rumors of the invasion from time to time but the nurses were so involved in getting the hospital in order that they did not take note. They were also drilling and taking calisthenics all the time to stay in shape. Rumors were not paid attention to very much as a result. On midnight on 5 to 6 June, the hospital staff could tell something was happening. It had to be D-Day because the skies were filled with aircraft. They were put on alert that incoming patients could be arriving. The guns could be heard in the distance. The 10th Station Hospital was ready for the influx.

Opal Grapes saw the first patients arriving by midmorning or noon [Annotator’s Note: on D-Day, 6 June 1944]. The wounded were mostly Americans. Later, there were Germans who were treated. They were given the same treatment as the American troops. The Germans were nice and treated the nurses with respect. They must have gotten through prior to discovery that they were enemy troops. The medical personnel worked 16 to 18 hours straight when there was a surge of wounded. They worked until all the men were taken care of with first aid, baths and feeding. There were many abdominal, face, leg and arm wounds. The medical staff had to keep their emotions under control. In the beginning, it was upsetting to see so many wounded at one time. She did not allow herself to get emotional. That control has remained with her over the years since that traumatic time. One of the worst experiences was spending the night with a terribly wounded 19 year old soldier. He had a very bad abdominal wound. Expected to die during the night, he remained alive, and Grapes stayed with him overnight. The man cried, screamed, and prayed during the night. She remained with him. It was a very hard thing. Early in the morning, he died. It was a relief for Grapes because the man was no longer in pain. That is a vivid memory for Grapes. It was the most emotion she felt to that point. She determined to keep herself under control. She and the others did so because they had to. They were so busy with the wounded that they simply had to keep going. It was an awesome and tremendous experience. Grapes is glad she had the chance to do the work. The wounded would come to the hospital [Annotator's Note: the 10th Station Hospital] then after recovery go on. She always felt that she would have liked to get to know them better. The war brought out the best in many people. With a few, it brought out the worse, but she felt the guys were mainly good. If they were able, they would often try to help a fellow wounded man in the hospital. That was an aid for the nurses because they were always under a heavy work load. They were tremendous young men. There were occasions for liberty or rest time for the nurses. A few of the women at a time would go into London for recreation. They met young soldiers on leave there. They would dance or sit and talk to each other and just recover from their stress and strains. There was little time for site seeing. Several of the nurses made friends with the English people. A few days after D-Day, Grapes was called to the gate. Some of her English friends brought half a dozen eggs to her. With the rationing, that was a real sacrifice. The friends were just so happy the American nurses were there. There were no USO shows at the hospital while Grapes was there. The hospital staff could visit restaurants in the village or go to a dance in Axminster. The English folks were very friendly and eager to talk to the nurses. Grapes was at the hospital for about two and a half years. Afterward, she was transferred with a group of nurses to a hospital in northern England. They were to be sent back to the United States for training in tropical medicine [Annotator’s Note: the training was in preparation for the planned Allied invasion of Japan]. There was no German bombing of the area while the Axminster hospital was functioning. The after effects of the bombing could be observed in the local area.

Opal Grapes returned to the United States to study tropical medicine. She spent several months at Camp Siebert, Alabama. There were classes held on tropical medicine. Afterward, Grapes was sent on a 45 day leave. While she was on leave the war in the Pacific ended. After her leave, Grapes went to Fort McPherson near Atlanta, Georgia for a few months. She was invited to stay in the Army, but elected to be discharged. The war broadened her education in many ways. It made her much more compassionate toward other people. She used the GI Bill to finish college with her degree in Nursing Education. The GI Bill was a very good thing the military did for the veterans. She may not have finished her education without the benefits of the GI Bill. She never actually used the degree she earned. Nevertheless, her life was changed. World War II brought the American people closer together. That feeling of togetherness has not been maintained over the years. Grapes is sorry that it did not continue. The war changed the world. Her generation proudly likes being called the Greatest Generation. France has shown resentment toward the United States at certain times. The same could be said of England although they are very friendly today. Harry Truman did the right thing by dropping the atomic bombs. Without that decision, many, many Americans would have been killed in the invasion of Japan. Her husband was in the last major battle with Japan. After being at Okinawa, her husband felt many Americans would have been killed in a very difficult invasion of Japan. The National WWII Museum will help keep people aware of what happened in the war. So many of the visitors and school children will be educated more about what went on at that time. Today’s schools do not teach very much about the war. Some children learn more about war in movies rather than studying about it. War movies help in that way. Grapes was glad she had the opportunity to serve in World War II. It was an awesome experience even though so many sad things happened. It was something she would have never experienced in ordinary nursing.