Vietnam memories: Bestselling author, Helena resident appearing at Civic Center to discuss women in war (2024)

The November air was brisk, and the fall leaves a splendor of colors the day a new statue was unveiled on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in 1993.

Three uniformed women – emblazoned in bronze – huddled around a wounded soldier and a pile of sandbags.

Thirty years later a writer put the final touches on her new novel. Her words illuminate those same women immortalized in bronze who put themselves in harm's way to help others during the Vietnam war.

On Wednesday, June 26, join in a special evening with both Kristin Hannah, the “New York Times” bestselling author of “The Women,” and Helena resident Diane Carlson Evans, collaborator and author of “Healing Wounds, A Vietnam Combat Nurse’s 10-Year Fight to Win Women a Place of Honor in Washington, D.C.”

The event, taking place at 7 p.m. at the Helena Civic Center, provides the opportunity to hear firsthand from Hannah of the inspiration behind “The Women,” as well as the work that went into writing it, including collaborating with Evans to understand the nuances and historical details of Vietnam combat nurses.

“I was so excited not just for Diane's connection to Kristin's work but that our community would have the opportunity to read and hear directly from one of the most notable authors of our time talk about the important work of nurses, but especially combat nurses in times of war," said Chelsia Rice, co-owner the of Montana Book Company, which is hosting the event.

Hannah is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels including “The Nightingale,” “The Four Winds,” “The Great Alone” and “Firefly Lane.” Her latest novel “The Women” shows the Vietnam War through the eyes of 20-year-old combat nurse Frankie McGrath, who joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows her brother to Vietnam.

Hannah’s tale may be historical fiction about one woman gone to war, but it offers a glimpse into the thousands of untold true stories of women who made sacrifices for their country during wartime.

“Her book has amplified our experiences and our lives in Vietnam and has people asking questions and people wanting to know more,” said Evans of Hannah. "She’s brought Vietnam back into the conscious of the country and the world and has unearthed the stories of nurses which is so similar to nurses of all past wars and our feelings about it.”

The story of Evans is just one of those true stories. A combat nurse during the Vietnam War, she proved to be one of Hannah’s greatest resources in making her book a reality.

Raised on a dairy farm in rural Minnesota, Evans was first inspired to go to nursing school by her mother, who worked as a nurse for 44 years in a rural hospital. The war in Vietnam was already well underway when Evans began nursing school. It was during her junior year that she heard an Army recruiter on the radio say that there was a shortage of nurses in Vietnam. She enlisted immediately in the Army Nurse Corps and volunteered to go to Vietnam, determined to save lives.

At just 21 years old, Evans touched down among the humid jungle terrain of Vietnam.

“Even on day one it was terrifying,” said Evans. “Only war can prepare you for war. None of us were prepared for the sheer numbers of wounded we would see.”

From 1968-1969, Evans fought to save lives in Vietnam. She served in 400-bed evac units at the 36th Evacuation Hospital in Vung Tau and in Pleiku as head nurse at the 71st Evacuation Hospital. Including her one year in Vietnam, she completed six years total in the Army Nurse Corps.

Little did she know that her efforts were only getting started.

According to Evans, she was one among some 7,500 nurses in Vietnam and 265,000 women who served around the world during the Vietnam War era. Those numbers were something she was proud to be part of and wanted the world to know about.

She began envisioning a memorial specifically dedicated to women to stand alongside the others in Washington, D.C., honoring the men who served during Vietnam.

“If there’s going to be a statue to men there needs to be one for women or they’ll never know we were there,” said Evans.

After 10 years of hardship and opposition to achieve the memorial she imagined, in 1993 Evans finally brought honor, healing and hope to the U.S. military women of Vietnam with the dedication of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Statue in Washington, D.C.

“I looked out and saw the looks on their faces … they were crying, stunned and in disbelief,” reflected Evans of the women present at the memorial dedication. “They were hugging each other with tears rolling down faces.”

“I was so happy for them,” continued Evans. “My next feeling was that no one can ever take this statue away from us – it’s there for eternity.”

Some 30 years after that historic moment, Evans was presented with another opportunity to elevate the women who served in Vietnam.

About one year ago, Evans shared that Hannah contacted her about reviewing her manuscript for “The Women.” Hannah had read Evans' own book, “Healing Wounds,” and knew she could give her the kind of firsthand insight needed to clean up any inaccuracies in the book.

“Diane is such an inspiration to me, both in the writing of this novel and in how to live a meaningful, genuine life,” said Hannah.

“I’d be happy to do that,” said Evans of assisting on Hannah’s book. “But first, I will tell you if I don’t like it because I’ve spent my entire lifetime trying to honor and recognize the women who served in Vietnam and around the world and to do it in a way that brings honor and recognition to them.”

What she found was that the book needed revision on some details that only someone who had been in Vietnam would know. While Evans assisted Hannah with things she personally knew about, she also referred her to speak with one other woman who had served as an operating nurse and a “Dustoff” helicopter air ambulance pilot during Vietnam.

“From our very first meeting, and certainly throughout her thoughts on the novel, she was bold, authentic and strong,” said Hannah of Evans. “I always knew when Diane thought a change for accuracy was in order, and I can't thank her enough for her clear-eyed assessment.”

“She was so great to work with … very down to earth,” said Evans of Hannah’s willingness to receive input. “She wanted to get it right. She worked hard at that.”

The result of the collaboration was the publishing of a book that, while historical fiction by genre, still hit the mark in terms of accuracy of many women’s experiences who served during the war.

“The measure of any of my novels is really whether readers embrace the story and learn from it and talk about it,” said Hannah. “In this case, there is the additional hope that ‘The Women,’ which reflects the lives of so many Vietnam veterans and their families, will advance a national dialogue about veterans and how they are treated when they return home from service.”

The recognition for women Evans achieved with the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, Hannah has now similarly achieved in writing “The Women.” It only seemed fitting to Evans to ask Hannah if she could visit Helena at the end of her book tour to reconnect and reflect on their two journeys and how they came together.

“She doesn’t go to small towns so for her to come here is a big deal, and we’re so grateful that she’s coming,” said Evans of Hannah’s visit. “She will do what she’s done for all her other tours. She talks about why this book was important to her because she wanted to recognize and honor these women. She wants to bring it home to everyone and just have this opportunity to say thank you to the women who served and wherever she can do that she’s just grateful.”

“I am so excited to be back in Montana, where I have a great deal of family history, and I'm thrilled to sit down and really talk to Diane about this novel,” said Hannah. “In all the craziness of the publication tour and publicity, we have never really had a chance to sit and reflect together. I think it will be fun.”