Indiana Spirit Quest #107: Angels in Uniform Traditional Cache

Pioneer Cemetery (All photos by LEAD DOG)

The Indiana Spirit Quest series of geocaches will take you to a number of historic cemeteries built by Hoosier Pioneers. In less than a year, the quest has grown to over a hundred caches hidden in ten north Indiana counties, and the hiders have grown to four cacher teams, each comprised of A Man and His Dog...The quest's cache page Galleries also provide a virtual tour of interesting tombstones both historic and modern. PRAIRIEPARTNERS has set a record for one-day ISQ finds on 10-16-2004 at 55! 116 cacher teams have logged over 1,600 finds.

TOP TEN FINDS

FTF's

2. 16 --Bluegillfisherman
3. 14 --Buddaman
4. 8 --Pinestrail

Patrick and I take you today to St. Peter's First United Church of Christ Cemetery in Huntington, Indiana .(Hours 7 am to 8 pm). The Church is a combined congregation and is located in town. Earlier, it was a German Reformed Church congregation.

We found several War of the Southern Rebellion veterans here, including: Philip Eberding, Co. F, 47th Ind. Inf. (Col. Slack's Unit); William Corell, Co. C, 153rd Ind. Inf.; Henry Kirchoff, Co. C 153rd Ind. Inf.; and Conrad Moser, Co. C, 124th Ind. Inf.

But we would like to dedicate this cache to:

The Army Nurse Corps reached a peak strength of more than fifty-seven thousand in World War II and 201 Army nurses died, 16 as a result of enemy action. More than sixteen hundred nurses were decorated for meritorious service and bravery under fire. Decorations included the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Soldier's Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, Legion of Merit, Army Commendation Medal, and the Purple Heart.

Five hospital ships and one general hospital used during the war were named after Army nurses who lost their lives in service during World War II. Army nurses served at station and general hospitals throughout the continental United States. Overseas, they were assigned to hospital ships, flying ambulances, and hospital trains; to clearing stations; and to field, evacuation, and general hospitals. They served on beachheads from North Africa to Normandy and Anzio, in the Aleutians, Wales, Australia, Trinidad, India, Ireland, England, the Solomons, Newfoundland, Guam, Hawaii, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Puerto Rico, Panama, Iceland, Bataan, and Corregidor-wherever the American soldier could be found. They traveled in close support of the fighting men, endured relentless bombing and strafing on land, torpedoing at sea, and antiaircraft fire while evacuating the wounded by air. In Europe, during the major battle offensives, Army nurses assisted in developing the concept of recovery wards for immediate postoperative nursing care of patients. The flight nurses helped to establish the incredible record of only five deaths in flight per 100,000 patients transported.

Lt. Frances Y. Slanger, in her tent in Belgium, far from home in Roxbury, Massachusetts, was one of the Army nurses who signed a letter written to Stars and Stripes:

"Sure we rough it. But compared to the way you men are taking it we can't complain, nor do we feel that bouquets are due us . . . it is to you we doff our helmets. To every G.I. wearing the American uniform-for you we have the greatest admiration and respect."

Seventeen days later, on 21 October 1944, Lieutenant Slanger died of wounds caused by the shelling of her tented hospital area. Through the same newspaper, hundreds of soldiers replied:

"To all Army nurses overseas: We men were not given the choice of working in the battlefield or the home front. We cannot take any credit for being here. We are here because we have to be. You are here because you felt you were needed. So, when an injured man opens his eyes to see one of you . . . concerned with his welfare, he can't but be overcome by the very thought that you are doing it because you want to . . . you endure whatever hardships you must to be where you can do us the most good."

To find this cache, go to the coordinates listed above and find Mary Stump. The cache is located about 12 feet behind her.

The cache container is a black 35mm film can. Changed Feb. '06 to a peanut butter jar. BYOP.The cache is hidden in the new part of the cemetery due to its proximity to another cache, but the older, more interesting section is across the road. Please rehide as you found it. Park with care. If you find a fallen US flag, please stick it back in the ground. Idiot Patrick is going to court Monday to try to convince a judge to allow him to legally change his name to "Brad Pitt". As always, Have Fun, but please be respectful, and cache in, trash out.

Cache In - Trash Out!

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DON'T BE FOOLED BY IMITATIONS!!None genuine without SixDogTeam seal. 35mm photographs taken by Lead Dog, copyright 2004 RikSu Outfitters unless otherwise noted. (Photos taken with 1970 Mamiya-Sekor 500DTL SLR) We are the SixDogTeam and we approve of this cache.

NIGHT CACHING IS NOT ALLOWED ON ANY ISQ'S