Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Wednesday, March 05, 2003 Page: 7A
Ann A. Bernatitus, 91, a resident of Wesley Village, Jenkins Township,
passed away Monday at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.
Born Jan. 21, 1912, in Exeter, she was the daughter of the late Alexander
and Margaret Adamaitis. She was a member of St. Casimir’s Church, Pittston.
Ms. Bernatitus received her nurses’ training at the Wyoming Valley Homeopathic
Hospital, in Wilkes-Barre. She joined the Navy in 1936. Ms. Bernatitus was
appointed Ensign, Nurse Corps, U.S. Navy, on Sept. 25, 1937. While on duty at
the U.S. Naval Hospital in Canacao, Philippine Islands, she was evacuated to
the Army Sternberg Hospital in Manila following the bombing of the Navy yard
at Cavidt on Dec. 10, 1941.
On Dec. 24, 1941, as a member of the Navy surgical team 5, she joined the
Army surgical unites and was ordered to Camp Limay on the Bataan Peninsula to
set Up hospital No. 1.
The hospital functioned until Jan. 23, 1942, when, because of the front
lines falling back, she was ordered to evacuate and move to Little Baguio. The
hospital was bombed twice, on March 30, 1942 and April 7, 1942. Two days
before the fall of Bataan, April 8, 1942, all nurses, including Ann were
ordered to Corregidor, when on April 10, 1942, Bataan fell to the Japanese. On
April 29, 1942, Army nurses and 30 others were evacuated by two Navy PBY’s.
One civilian woman and 12 Army-Navy officers were evacuated by the submarine
USS Spearfish on May 3, 1942. After 17 days, through enemy territory, the USS
Spearfish arrived in Freemantle, Australia, May 20, 1942.
Ann returned to the USA in July of 1942 where, following her return, she
was awarded the first Legion of Merit medal based on her service as a nurse
during the campaign in the Manila-Bataan Peninsula areas. On April 15, 1945,
V-J Day, she was aboard the hospital ship USS Relief, which participated in
the invasion of Okinawa, evacuating the wounded to Saipan, Tinian and Guam.
August 28, 1945, the USS Relief was ordered to proceed to Darien, Manchuria,
to evacuate prisoners of war held at Mukden. On Sept. 11, 1945, 753 came
aboard. On Sept. 12, the ship sailed for Okinawa, arriving Sept. 18th, where
the patients disembarked.
Sept. 16, the ship was underway to Taku, China, arriving Sept. 30, to
provide medical facilities for the 1st Marine Division. Ann was assigned to
occupation duty in China until Oct. 14, 1945, when she received orders to
evacuate patients to the USA. Ann arrived back in San Francisco, Nov. 30,
1945.
Ann retired April 1, 1959, as Captain NC USN. She was a life member of the
Bataw-Corredigor Association, the National Chapter of the DAV, St. Casimir’s
Altar and Rosary Society, the Auxiliary of the Little Flower Manor,
Wilkes-Barre, the Retired Officers Association, the Pocono Chapter of Retired
Officers Association. She was former secretary of St. Casimir’s Church and a
member of the Pennsylvania Quilters Club.
Preceded in death by her brothers and sisters, Charles Bernatitus, Joseph
Bernatitus, Constance (Joseph) Kanavich, Genevieve (David) Blond, Mary
Bernatitus, Thomas (Angela) Bernatitus, Alexander (Ruth) Bernatitus and
ALberta (Russ) Allenbach.
Surviving are sister, Martha (Robert) Wright; and many loving nieces and
nephew; special nieces, MaryAnn (David) Baxter and Judith (Hector) Bueno.
Funeral services will be held at 9 a.m. Thursday morning from the Frank A.
Gubbiotti Funeral Home, 1030 Wyoming Ave., Exeter, with a Mass of Christian
Burial at 9:30 a.m. at St. Casimir’s Church, Pittston. Interment will be in
the parish cemetery.
Friends may call Wednesday 7 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to the Disabled American Veterans
Association or to Wyoming Area Catholic schools.