American Nurse

America’s war in Vietnam is over, but the scars of that war remain with many Asian-Americans who served there. More than 60,000 Asian-Americans served in the United States armed forces during the Vietnam War. Many who lived through this lost war in Southeast Asia still silently suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. But there are others willing to speak out about the conditions that they as Americans of Asian ancestry experienced in Vietnam. Lt. Lily Lee (Adams) now of Mill Valley, California, nursed wounded soldiers and worked in triage for a year in Cu Chi. Her story in “American Nurse” chronicles a Chinese-Italian-American’s experiences and presents the reasons behind her decision to serve in a war fought against Asian people. She tells of her time in Vietnam, what she saw, what she felt, her attitudes towards war, the racism Asian-Americans suffered in Vietnam and the United States and the post-traumatic stress disorder that she suffered after leaving Vietnam. “American Nurse” is an innovative departure from the traditional news and public affairs-oriented way of telling a television documentary story. “American Nurse” is the first of a four-part series entitled “Mistaken War, Mistaken Identity” on Chinese-Americans who served in Vietnam. The other three parts are: “California Home,” “Men At War,” and “Back to America.”