HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 79

(By Delegates  Hartman, Sponaugle, Staggers, N. Brown, C. Thompson and Boggs)

(Introduced February 11, 2020)

Requesting the Division of Highways name bridge number 42-021/00-001.50 (42A035), (38.79220, -79.89154) locally known as East Dailey Bridge, carrying CR 21 over Tygart Valley RV. in Randolph County, the “U. S. Army Nurses Corp CPT Nancy Margret Kiess Memorial Bridge”.

Whereas, United States Army Captain Nancy Margret Kiess was born in Adolph, West Virginia, on January 14, 1916, and passed away on February 9, 2007; and

Whereas, Captain Kiess was accepted into the Army Nurses Corp while still a student nurse. Camp Pickett, Virginia was her first field of work. There she met Frances Fuller, who became her Army buddy and together they went through the war in charge of the operating tents in their hospital. After five months at Camp Pickett she joined the 34^th Evac Hospital with 20 other nurses in Jasper, Texas, on June 11, 1943, before heading onto maneuvers in Louisiana; and

Whereas, After 17 weeks of learning how best to take down and set up tents at eight different areas caring for patients from a tank division, Captain Kiess was then sent to Camp Barkley, Texas, before moving overseas. She left Camp Barkley by rail and after a trip of three days and nights, that went through Canada, she arrived at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey; and

Whereas, After 31 days they boarded the HMHS El Nel, a British ship which was captured from Germany in World War I. It was given to the Egyptian government as a private vessel to travel the Nile River. The ship was returned to the British with the condition that it be used as a hospital ship only. Carrying the 34th Evacuation Hospital was to be its first mission prior to delivery to the British. On February 12, 1944, the ship left New York, but due to mechanical difficulties docked at Halifax, Nova Scotia, where it was repaired; and

Whereas, After leaving Halifax the rough sea obliterated all distinguishing marks required by the Geneva Convention. The waves poured over the decks tearing loose a couple of lifeboats and cracking the super structure. A leak developed in the boiler room, the pumps failed, and men were used to bail out the water. The ship was alone on the ocean, not in a convoy with other ships. Later after coming around Northern Ireland through the Irish Sea to Liverpool, England, its Captain told Captain Kiess and all those onboard how near they came to abandoning ship; and

Whereas, From Liverpool Captain Kiess  was taken to Altrincham, England, where she was billeted in private homes until boarding the SS Empire Broadsword to cross the channel. She and the other nurses climbed down rope ladders into landing craft and waded ashore at Utah Beach near Cherbourg where they saw their first dead American soldier laying on the beach. That first night was spent in foxholes because their equipment was delayed in the channel. She worked with the 96th and 97th Evac hospitals at Sainte-Mere-Eglise and St Sauveur le Vincente, until the equipment arrived. The personnel of the hospital were divided in half and each section worked a 12-hour shift. The hospital was never closed except when on convoy from one area to another until the war was ended; and

Whereas, On the first day of operation, when they were reunited with the equipment, near Carenton, France, Captain Kiess and her colleagues received 525 patients, 125 above capacity. German planes strafed the highway near the hospital, and they watched planes dog fight over their tents. Being just 3½ miles behind the front line, and in constant danger of counter battery fire, they watched and heard the drone of a thousand airplanes as the Air Corp blasted a hole through the enemy lines near St. Lo, through which General Patton’s 3rd Army poured and started the drive across France. Captain Kiess and the hospital followed General Patton's tanks during his drive into Germany; and

Whereas, Their next move during the night was to Fougeres, France, near where the Germans had launched an unsuccessful counter-attack. After which, they continued to follow the rapidly advancing 3rd Army toward Paris. Their next three areas were of short duration since the army was moving so quickly: Tigery where they received a large number of German prisoners of war; Etempes, was an area in Alfalfa fields where the army engineers worked for three days to put a road through to the hospital and two days after it was completed they received orders to move; and Tauxieres, near Reims and during time off some of the personnel were fortunate enough to visit the Reims Cathedral. They also became acquainted with French Champagne in the area; and

Whereas, A military hospital was Captain Kiess’ base in Verdun. She was impressed with the quality and quantity of the German medical equipment left behind in the buildings. The number of patients received in the area doubled their capacity, which required some patients and all personnel to be quartered in the basement, but they also had to be evacuated when the river overflowed and flooded the basement. One bright time was on Thanksgiving Day at Verdun when they remembered the role the city had played in World War I; and

Whereas, The end of November found them moving into Metz and hearing the sporadic gunfire from the forts outside the city still in German hands. They set up in another evacuated military hospital and spent a very cold winter where Captain Kiess spent Christmas and New Year. She, the other nurses and the men trimmed Christmas trees with IV connectors wrapped in chewing gum foil and any other bright object they could find to brighten the patients and the day. The area held a very sad memory for Captain Kiess, because it was there she received word her mother, Mary Ann Pennington Kiess, had died on January 20, 1945. The kindness and sympathy of her friends helped her through that dark time in her life; and

Whereas, On February 2, 1945 they moved into Luxembourg and experienced the longest period of continuous surgery and operation for all sections as the 3rd Army was constantly engaged in attacks for the drive to the Rhine River. Their next hospital setup was in an old convent, which had been used as a German hospital. The city was quite beautiful, both old world and new, it seemed more like cities in the United States. Most of the people spoke English and the city had ice cream parlors. German long-range shells landed near the hospital as they tried to destroy the beautiful stone bridge spanning the valley which was the main supply route to the front lines; and

Whereas, On March 24, 1945, Frankfurt on the Main fell, and on March 30 Captain Kiess’ hospital started its move. This was her first sight of German soil. Many windows and doors had white flags flying from them and there were orders not to fraternize. They crossed the Rhine River on a pontoon bridge under a heavy smoke screen, which wasn’t soon forgotten. The hospital was installed in the buildings of the famous Frankfurt Medical School. There were many German patients, who were moved to buildings staffed by German medical personnel. A large number of allied patients were prisoners of war, including many American soldiers. General Patton visited the hospital and inspected its operating rooms; and

Whereas, Thereafter, they moved to Suhl where they could see the destruction caused by the allied air force and the smoking cities as they passed through. The building they used had been a training center for German Luftwaffe and was on top of a hill. Admittances began to decrease, and they knew this meant the war would soon be over. The first convoy trucks carrying operating room equipment and personnel arrived at Sandersdorf, Germany, on April 28, 1945, a Saturday afternoon. Even though a half dozen field artillery observations planes occupied some of the area, they set up and were ready for patients six hours ahead of schedule. They were in tents for the first time since September,1944; and

Whereas, It was at this time Captain Kiess saw how disorganized retreating Germans were, and of the low number of patients received many were German soldiers. In the next few days they heard Hitler was dead, hostilities soon ceased, and May 9 was proclaimed VE day. Blackout regulations were lifted, they could have lights, and bonfires were built. With fewer patients, Captain Kiess fished and played ball and horseshoes while waiting to go home; and

Whereas, Captain Kiess’ unit then moved to lngolstadt, Germany, a city surrounded by a wall, that contained apartments for displaced persons. At this time the hospital was disassembled, and the nurses were sent to Marseille, France, where they boarded the battleship USS Hermitage for the long voyage home; and

Whereas, For her service, Captain Kiess received 4  Battle Stars, The World War II Victory Medal, the American Theater Medal, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal; and

Whereas, It is appropriate to name this bridge to honor Captain Kiess for her service to her country and her state; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Commissioner of the Division of Highways is hereby requested to name bridge number 42-021/00-001.50 (42A035), (38.79220, -79.89154) locally known as East Dailey Bridge, carrying CR 21 over Tygart Valley RV. in Randolph County, the “U. S. Army Nurses Corp CPT Nancy Margret Kiess Memorial Bridge”; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Division of Highways is requested to have made and be placed signs identifying the bridge as the “U. S. Army Nurses Corp CPT Nancy Margret Kiess Memorial Bridge”; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a copy of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Division of Highways.