WWII nurse endured crash, captivity to return home

On Aug. 1919, First Lt. Reba Whittle, the only American female prisoner of war captured in the European Theater, was born in Rocksprings, Texas.

In August 1943, Whittle was accepted into the Army Air Forces school of air evacuation to receive training as a flight nurse. In January 1944, she departed for England on the RMS Queen Mary. She left England on Sept. 27, 1944, on a mission to collect wounded soldiers from Belgium, but her aircraft was hit by German fire and crash-landed.

German soldiers captured the surviving plane passengers, Whittle being one of the survivors. She was treated for her injuries and then put to work in hospitals until her release was negotiated, and she left Germany on Jan. 25, 1945. She received the Purple Heart for her injuries and an Air Medal for her performance aboard the aircraft. She was promoted to first lieutenant in March 1945.

Roger Gregory served as a captain in the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam. He is a Priest River businessman.