WW1 Nurse Recalls Doughboys, Biplanes and the Wounded While Awaiting the Next Century; Female Centenarian Lives the Good Life At Barstow Vets Home.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 29, 1999

World War I veteran Dorothy Kohlars has seen many changes in the world during her 104 years.

"There are so many things I don't know about that are taking place now and inventions that I'm not used to. If I had to go out now and make a living, I don't know what I would do. In the early days, things were much clearer, but today, everything is done with rules and regulations. It's not easy. I'm glad I don't have to start over again now," said Kohlars, a former resident of Oceanside, Calif.

Born in 1895 in Hanover, Mass., Kohlars served in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps near the Argonne front, during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, in 1918. Kohlars was among 200 nurses who worked at an allied forces hospital near the front lines, applying and changing the dressings of wounded soldiers. She remembers the rumbling artillery and field hospitals, dotting the muddy French landscape, that changed her life forever. Kohlars recalled that nursing her patients during the war was a challenge because a doctor visited the hospital only once a week and there was often a shortage of supplies. And she said spending long hours working with injured servicemen sometimes got depressing. She described warplanes, battling high above her hospital, and gagging doughboys, staggering in after being hit with mustard gas.

"We got used to the terrible things so we wouldn't have to think how awful it all was," she commented.

Kohlars graduated from nursing school toward the end of the Great War and served on active duty until she was discharged in July 1920. She continued in nursing until 1943. At the time Kohlars served in the armed forces, nurses were not commissioned. A Barstow newspaper featured Kohlars in a Veterans Day story in 1997, sparking the interest of The Retired Officers Association (TROA). In January 1998, TROA granted her an honorary commission. Others have also bestowed accolades upon Kohlars.

A year ago, French Consul General Guy Yelda of Los Angeles presented the highest award France bestows on its citizens and foreign nationals to Kohlars on behalf of French President Jacques Chirac and the people of France. France awarded the French National Order of the Legion of Honor to Kohlars in gratitude for her valor on French soil during The War to End All Wars and in recognition of the 80th anniversary of the signing of the armistice on Nov. 11, 1918. Kohlars was among the first 100 veterans in the United States to receive the very prestigious award.

Addressing the news media during the presentation, Kohlars said, "Please tell the French people, especially President Chirac, how honored I am to receive their National Order of the Legion of Honor. World War I was such a long, long time ago. For France to remember us after all these years is truly indicative of a great people. I hope that we Americans will take note of this and let it serve to bind, further, our two nations in common goals."

Since July 1996, Kohlars has resided at the Veterans Home of California-Barstow where, she said, she is treated well. The staff, serving as her surrogate family, meets Kohlars' physical and emotional needs.

Volunteer Joyce Thurlo has worked at the home since June 1996 and met Kohlars when she first arrived.

"She reminds me of my great grandmother who died when she was 98. A conversation with Dorothy is a true adventure. She has a wonderful sense of humor and is very intelligent and very up to the minute in her ideas because she listens to the radio. I'm a retired teacher. She talks about education today and education the way it was when she was growing up. And when I took a trip back to Boston last summer, I came back and talked to Dorothy and it was a fascinating conversation for me because she did so many comparisons of what it was like when she was growing up near Boston. I felt like I had a conversation with my grandmother again."

Thurlo's colleague, Public Affairs Office Technician Amy Kenneally, has "adopted" Kohlars and visits her twice a day. Kenneally listens to Kohlars' concerns and accommodates her special requests for "pretty, embossed Christmas cards and ribbon candy."

On the religious side of the house, Veterans Home Chaplain Richard Troutman visits with Kohlars daily and ministers to her spiritual needs.

Troutman said the quality of care, provided to all residents at the home, has kept Kohlars alive because "... everybody -- from the nursing staff to the administration, to all the other support personnel staff and employees -- has had her at the forefront of their thinking ..."

Echoing Thurlo, Troutman said, "Because of her sharp thinking and keen mind, she has been able to contribute to the positive interaction that has been going on with the staff and the visiting population, from government and the community. Whoever comes to visit her, they have found (Kohlars is) a person who is on top of what's happening in today's world."

Amongst the wide variety of activities and special events to choose from, Kohlars' favorite past time is a visit from a local Marine Corps color guard. In addition to military personnel, Kohlars receives visits from high-ranking members of the veterans community who travel to the home from nearby Los Angeles County.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Johnson, a retired Air Force officer and an adjutant with the Veterans of World War I organization, has visited Kohlars several times this past year.

He made the same observation as Troutman and Thurlo.

"I find her to be a most fascinating woman, and very up to date on current events. She appears to be well cared for and happy at the Barstow veterans home. Dorothy is the only living World War I nurse to have received the French Legion of Honor," said Johnson.

Retired Marine Col. Joseph Smith, director of military and veterans affairs for Los Angeles County, seconded Johnson's vote of confidence.

"Dorothy Kohlars is enjoying a remarkable life. During this century alone, she has witnessed a tremendous transition in life culture and technology, from the horse and buggy to rockets to the moon. I think, particularly in the last three years, she has extended her life span through the excellent care provided by the Barstow facility."

Although the facility offers a variety of activities and outings, Kohlars doesn't like to leave the familiar surroundings of her private room. She said she feels safer staying home, but does enjoy sailing around the main building in her motorized wheelchair. Kohlars, who collects stamps, thinks computers and credit cards are among this century's worst ideas. She was happily married until her husband passed away in 1970. The couple never had children and she has no living family members.

Nonetheless, Kohlars has lived a full and exciting life and said she doesn't know why she's lived so long, though she pointed out, "I don't drink, smoke or use drugs."

Still, death haunts her.

"The last few years I've lived nearer to death," she said. "I want to live until the year 2000. I want to see how the world changes with that date."

A New Year's Eve party is planned at the home so that Kohlars and her special guests may ring in the new century together.

Eligible veterans interested in ringing in the New Year at the home in 2001 may apply for admission to the high desert facility, according to Tomas Alvarado, secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CDVA).

"Governor Davis and I are very proud of the Veterans Home of California (VHC)-Barstow and veterans are most welcome to visit our beautiful facility. Many caring and dedicated staff work hard to create a supportive environment for aged and disabled veterans. I invite the public to visit the home and to talk with the residents and staff who live and work there. The care and treatment of the members of the Barstow veterans home is first and foremost, in our hearts and in our minds," said Alvarado.

Located in San Bernardino County's Inland Empire, the state veterans home in Barstow is a 400-bed, continuing care facility, fully licensed by the California Department of Health Services and certified by Medicare and Medi-Cal.

The home's main building incorporates health care and administrative support services, the kitchen and dining room, a multipurpose room, the warehouse, a chapel, the canteen, a pharmacy, a barber shop and a beauty salon. Other services offered include physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy, social work services, an activities center and many on and off-campus activities.

Three nursing units provide accommodations for up to 220 intermediate and skilled nursing residents. Each is staffed with highly skilled and professional physicians, registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses and certified nursing assistants. Three domiciliaries can accommodate up to 165 residents and feature common living and activity areas as well as laundry and kitchen facilities.

In mid-January 2000, a new licensed residential care facility for the elderly will accommodate up to 55 veterans requiring minimal assistance with their daily living needs.

Membership in veterans service organizations is also an option for the residents. Local chapters of AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. conduct regularly scheduled meetings in the home's multipurpose room. Veterans' and other support groups meet regularly on campus to accommodate residents' needs. Opportunities for worship are available to all denominations in the veterans home chapel.

Even animals get into the act at Barstow. The Create-a-Smile Pet Therapy Program is a psychologically important part of the patient care plan. Buddy, a Bichon Frise, is the home's social therapy dog. Every Tuesday morning, he visits patients wearing a little blue jacket and photo identification badge. A German shepherd named Molly visits on Sundays. These specially trained animals administer unconditional love to everyone they encounter. Animal assisted therapy is proven to help reduce blood pressure, stress and anxiety. It aids in the treatment of depression, stimulates motivation, memory and attention span and enhances speech and social skills, self-esteem and confidence. Alzheimer patients respond exceptionally well to animal assisted therapy.

Commented Alvarado, "Barstow is proud to provide a program of care and services for California veterans that make the facility the premiere nursing, domiciliary and assisted living care facility in the state of California."

For information, write to the Admissions Office, VHC-Barstow, 100 E. Veterans Parkway, Barstow, CA 92311 or call 760/252-6200, 1-800-746-0606 (message phone) or TDD 760/252-6243.

Note to editors: This release and previous CDVA news releases are available via e-mail ([e-mail]) or via fax by News on Demand at 1-800-356-8440.