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Showing posts with the label Spanish-American War

Annie Wheeler's Victory Garden

Annie Early Wheeler, second child of General Joseph Wheeler, was way ahead of her time.  When the Spanish- American war broke out, she wanted to go fight alongside her  father in Cuba.  At that time, the only way a woman could  serve was by  being a nurse.  Annie promptly joined the  American Red  Cross, although she had not had one minute   of nurse's training.  She quickly learned the profession in  tent hospitals  near  battlefields. She became know as the  'Angel of  Santiago' for her work with yellow fever and  malaria  patients  there.   During  World War I, she served in England and France. When World War II started, Annie, then 62 years old,  tried to enlist, but she was told she was too old.  "Go home," she was told, "and plant a victory garden." Miss Annie came home and started planting boxwoods.  Today, many huge box...