Oral History Interview with Mrs. Robinson, February 8, 2000

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Mrs. Robinson. Robinson joined the Navy in June 1944 and received training at the National Naval Medical Center in Maryland in February 1945. There she tended to both psychiatric patients and amputees and participated on the medical advisory board as to whether a patient should be discharged or returned to duty. She sold tickets at a movie theater in her spare time and recalls the day when one of her patients reached into his pocket and proudly presented her with a dime, made possible by his prosthetics. She also describes treatment given to psychiatric patients whose experiences at war triggered psychotic breaks, particularly schizophrenia. One of the patients at the hospital had been injured while aboard USS Birmingham (CL-62), fighting the fire on USS Princeton (CVL-23). He came to the hospital and received psychological treatment for stress resulting from his experience aboard ship. After he recovered, he was discharged but remained at the hospital as a civilian employee. There he met and married Robinson, who upon discharge also remained at the hospital as a civilian employee