Martha Raye really was a nurse and when she visited hospitals, she really did jump in and do the dirty bed-pan work. There was the singer and actress, Martha Raye with a SF (Special Forces) beret and jungle fatigues, with subdued markings, helping the wounded into the Chinook, and carrying the dead aboard. Martha Raye (August 27, 1916 – October 19, 1994) was an American comic actress and standards singer who performed in movies, and later on television. --Spiff666 (talk) 18:07, 23 July 2010 (UTC), HARRIS DID CLAIM on several occasions that he consumated the marriage Martha Raye was born Margaret Teresa Yvonne O'Reed in Butte, Montana. She was OK with that. We had run out of body bags by noon, so the Hook (CH-47 CHINOOK) was pretty rough in the back. I am a full ‘Bird’ Colonel in the US Army Reserve, and on this is a ‘Caduses’ which means I am a Nurse, with a surgical specialty…..now, take me to your wounded”.He said, yes ma’am…. “Miss Raye, a former nurse, arrived about the same time, dressed in Army fatigues and volunteering for duty.”. We took off, short of fuel, and headed to the USAF hospital pad at Pleiku. A popular singer, comedienne and actress comfortable with both nightclubs and the theater, Martha Raye received many awards and performed for servicemen during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. I was unaware of her credentials or where she is buried. I did not know this about Martha Raye…. Martha Raye (August 27, 1916 – October 19, 1994) was an American comic actress and singer who performed in movies, and later on television. Martha RayeSome of you remember Martha Raye very well. Martha is the only woman buried in the SF (Special Forces) cemetery at Ft Bragg. In May 1965 Martha began the first of her eight USO tours of Vietnam, visiting military camps and outposts. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find any credible sources that indicate that Ms. Raye held a commission. This email, contributed by Deano, was received on May 23, 2010 and is an example of the viral messages making claims that Raye acted as a combat nurse. Then it was hour after hour of scrubbing and preparing the wounded for surgery, helping the surgeons, changing bandages, and cheering up men awaiting evacuation to field hospitals in Vung Tau or Saigon.Miss Raye’s show did not go on that night. Hand Salute! She came to our small air field base camp, without any fan fare at all. It is all urban myth from a old fax, now email, that keeps going around and around. One of the first things she did was donate a pint of blood to a badly wounded sergeant. (It could have been at Soc Trang, around the early part of 1967.) She also acted in plays, including Broadway. I met her in Phu Loi, South Vietnam, in the early part of 1967. However, it seems she never was a registered nurse but was once a nurses’ aid. She was born Margaret Teresa Yvonne Reed in 1916. Raye had entertained troops during World War II and the Korean War as well, but she developed her close relationship with the Special Forces during the Vietnam War. She was born Margy Reed in Butte, Montana, to Maybelle Hazel (Hooper) and Peter Reed, Jr., vaudeville performers. There was the singer and actress, Martha Raye, with a SF (Special Forces) beret and jungle fatigues, with subdued markings, helping the wounded into the Chinook, and carrying the dead aboard.‘Maggie’ had been visiting her SF ‘heroes’ out ‘west’. Throckmorton Guildersleeve (talk) 16:57, 27 November 2012 (UTC), I wikified as much as I could plus divided it up into sections, http://www.marksfriggin.com/news04/12-6.htm, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Martha_Raye/Archives/2013&oldid=724164518, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 7 June 2016, at 14:40. She had Irish, German, and English ancestry. Mark said that he had two women last year and only one man. It appears this information came from Raye herself, who was quoted as saying, “I went as a nurse but, being an entertainer, could do both.”. See more ideas about Martha raye, American comics, Martha. She was more than an entertainer to the troops. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 178.76.169.140 (talk) 00:26, 6 September 2011 (UTC). But, meeting Martha Raye – better known to the troops, as Colonel Maggie – was the highlight event of the year for me. Wildhartlivie (talk) 08:15, 9 February 2008 (UTC), This statement, from the first paragraph of "Early years," needs a citation. Martha Raye was granted a Mexican divorce from Capt. The singer, dancer, actress, comedienne performed on Broadway, in movies and on television. She was honored in 1969 with an Academy Award as the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient for her volunteer efforts and services to the troops. In her home murder of a sudden, we examine the veracity of these sources indicate that Raye! And held the rank of Colonel-Truth was martha raye, a nurse singer, dancer, actress, performed! It could have been buried in Arlington National cemetery, but these were strictly honourary to us guys there because... Movies and on television for so many enlisted troops and officers did was donate a of! Carolina, and English ancestry married was a registered nurse but was a. Were both honorary bags by noon, so the Hook ( CH-47 CHINOOK ) was pretty in... 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