2^nd Lieutenant, Army Nurse Corps

Thelma Alice Redus Byers 

Born: June 21, 1918, Howland, Texas
Died: July 16, 2001, Espanola, New Mexico

Second Lieutenant Thelma Redus Byers joined the Army Nurse Corps in October of 1941, beginning her Army career at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.¹ She volunteered for foreign service in December 1941 and was sent to Hilo, Hawaii.² The hospital in Hilo was a new installation, as the local paper noted:

 “As in all modern military settlements, the hospitals are in cantonment style, green roofed, and carrying a Red Cross on white large enough for the nearest-sighted Jap to see from fifty miles up. Complete faith in the Geneva ground rules is a bit weak, however, since the game is rough from the start – and “fox holes” rut the whole area. You all know where the main hospital is – (editorial hedging to get around censorship), and auxiliary units are spread around the district in centrally located areas.”³

The chief nurse at the hospital was quoted about how busy the newly arrived nurses were; “‘We have been frightfully busy ever since our arrival,’ 1^st Lt. Schloemer said. ‘And we’re still going full steam. When new hospitals are set up you usually have to wait for patients to fill them – we found the patients waiting for the hospitals’.”⁴

It was purely bad luck that one of the first things Redus Byers did in Hawaii was have appendicitis.⁵ Once she recovered from her appendectomy, she not only served 22 months at Hilo, but she also took it upon herself to spend her spare time volunteering at Father Damien’s Leper Colony at Kalaupapa.⁶ This colony had been set up in 1865 when the disease was decimating the native population, and even with the loss of Father Damien, it continued for many years. So it was that not only the soldiers fell under the care of 2^nd Lt. Redus, but the lepers and local civilians, who were invited to participate in an immunization program, during her tenure in Hawaii.⁷

She returned to Denver in January of 1944, serving in Denver, Colorado under the auspices of the Army Nurse Corps, and possibly at other locations until she was honorably discharged on April 30, 1945.⁸

Thelma Alice was born on June 21, 1918 in Howland, Texas to Horace (H.D.) and Bessie Redus. She grew up in and around Paris, Texas, with three brothers and four sisters.⁹ Redus Byers won a speech contest in her senior year of high school, then went to the Sanitorium of Paris Nurse Training School with her sister.^10,11,12,13 After graduation, she worked for a time in the Sanitorium of Paris, then moved on to Idabell, Oklahoma; Fort Worth, Texas; and Grand Rapids, Michigan.^14,15,16

After serving in Hawaii, Redus Byers spent time in Denver, and after her honorable discharge, she went to Mexico, leaving Mexico City in time to spend the Holidays in Texas with family.¹⁷ Next, she appears to have taken a nursing job in northern New Mexico, where she met Frank Byers, a local coach of great renown, who had served as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the National Guard during World War II.^18,19 The couple were married in 1950.²⁰ Together they had one daughter, and Redus Byers also had two step-sons from Byers’ previous marriage.²¹

Marriage and motherhood did not slow down Redus Byers in her quest for the health of those around her. She gave to the school district in which she and her family lived every time the vouchers for health and transportation were accepted.^22,23 She actively worked in the Espanola, New Mexico schools as a nurse, and spoke out about parents’ failure to immunize their children and fighting in the local schools.^24,25,26,27

After retiring from Espanola schools, Redus Byers enjoyed fly fishing with her husband in Montana and New Mexico.²⁸ Thelma Alice Redus Byers passed away on July 16, 2001, in Espanola, New Mexico.

Images & Documents

Notes:

1. “They Fight That All May Enjoy the Freedom That is Their Heritage.” Paris News. Paris, Texas. 25 January 1944. p.3.
2. “Nurses Win High Praise for Valiant War Work Here.” Hawaii Tribune-Herald (Hawaiian Defender.) Hilo, Hawaii. 13 June 1942. p. 1. The article for note 1 states she volunteered for foreign duty in December of ’42, but since she was in Hawaii before June of ‘42, as evidenced by this article, the first article got the date wrong.

3 & 4. “Nurses Win High Praise for Valiant War Work Here.” Hawaii Tribune-Herald (Hawaiian Defender.) Hilo, Hawaii. 13 June 1942. p. 1.

5. Kirkhoff, Kathryn. “Hospital Rounds.” Hawaii Tribune-Herald (Hawaiian Defender.) Hilo, Hawaii. 13 June 1942. p. 1. Several of the nurses suffered from appendicitis on arrival. There are three listed in these two articles.
6. “Thelma A. Byers.” Rio Grande Sun. Espanola, New Mexico. 19 July 2001. sec. C p. 20. For Father Damien’s Leper Colony, please see: “A Brief History of Kalaupapa.”
7. “Nurses Win High Praise for Valiant War Work Here.” Hawaii Tribune-Herald (Hawaiian Defender.) Hilo, Hawaii. 13 June 1942. p. 1.
8. “They Fight That All May Enjoy the Freedom That is Their Heritage.” Paris News. Paris, Texas. 25 January 1944. p.3.
9. “Redus as Reder.” Year: 1930; Census Place: Groom, Carson, Texas; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0008; FHL microfilm: 2342038.
10. “Meet.” Paris News. Paris, Texas. 31 March 1935. p. 9. Over 700 Lamar County students competed in a literary tournament for the Interscholastic League.
11. “Howland Seniors Plan Class Play.” Paris News. Paris, Texas. 18 April 1935. p. 9.
12. “Redus, Thelma.” Paris, Texas, City Directory, 1940.
13. “Redus.” Year: 1940; Census Place: Paris, Lamar, Texas; Roll: m-t0627-04089; Page: 22A; Enumeration District: 139-4.
14. “Nurses to be Graduated Tuesday.” Paris News. Paris, Texas. 4 June 1940. p.5.
15. “They Fight That All May Enjoy the Freedom That is Their Heritage.” Paris News. Paris, Texas. 25 January 1944. p.3.
16. “Subject of Health Will Be Discussed at P.T.A Thursday.” McCurtain Gazette. Idabel, Oklahoma. 19 March 1941. p. 4.
17. “Redus, Thelma A.” The National Archives At Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Passenger and Crew Manifests of Airplanes Arriving At Fort Worth, Texas; ARC Number: A3749; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group Number: 85.
18. “Byers, Ex-Lobo and Belen High Coach, Appointed as New Mentor at El Rito.” Albuquerque Tribune. Albuquerque, New Mexico. 19 July 1947. p. 8.
19. “Byers, Frank A.” National Cemetery Administration; U.S. Veterans’ Gravesites. His obituary mentions only the National Guard service.
20. “Marriage Licenses: Byers/Redus.” Albuquerque Tribune. Albuquerque, New Mexico. 1 April 1950. p.7. Byers was an active coach in Northern New Mexico in the late ‘40s, but Redus Byers’ location is uncertain. They had to meet somewhere and the most likely place is in New Mexico, where she apparently either moved to or remained in after her military service.
21. “Frank A. Byers.” Santa Fe New Mexican: Funeral Services and Memorials. Santa Fe, New Mexico. 21 January 2010. sec A. p. 10.
22. “$25,499 in Vouchers Ok’d by School Board.” Rio Grande Sun. Espanola, New Mexico. 7 February 1974. p. 10.
23. “Board Ok’s General Fund Vouchers of $24,371.” Rio Grande Sun. Espanola, New Mexico. 22 June 1972. p.13. These two examples are the least she gave, and the most she gave over several years.
24. “Certified Personnel Appointed by School Board: J.F. Kennedy Junior High.” Rio Grande Sun. Espanola, New Mexico. 29 April 1971. p. 13.
25. “School Nursing Services Now Up to Standard.” Rio Grande Sun. Espanola, New Mexico. 26 September 1974. p. 2.
26. “Are Parents Failing in Duty to Immunize Children.” Rio Grande Sun. Espanola, New Mexico. 7 February 1974. p. 4.
27. Venn, Tammy. “Fights Not a Major Problem, School Administrators Feel.” Rio Grande Sun. Espanola, New Mexico. 14 April 1977. p. 1 & 21.
28. “Thelma A. Byers.” Rio Grande Sun. Espanola, New Mexico. 19 July 2001. sec. C p. 20.

Compiled by: A. D. McLean, MA, MLIS. Central New Mexico Community College, retired 2022.

Featured Image:

“Thelma A. Byers.” Rio Grande Sun. Espanola, New Mexico. 19 July 2001. Retrieved: 1 August 2023. https://www.newspapers.com/image/580937459