Veteran Army nurse Rhona Knox Prescott honored for service

At a Nov. 13 fundraiser for the Delaware Veterans Trust Fund, two organizations recognized Rhona Prescott of Lewes for her military performance and civilian accomplishments in Delaware.

Prescott served as a U.S. Army nurse in Vietnam from January 1967 to 1968. A Delaware House of Representatives tribute noted she volunteered multiple times for service in Vietnam before being assigned there in 1967.

As an operating room nurse and later an acting chief nurse, her assignments included a Saigon hospital for brain injuries and chest wounds; the 616 Medical Clearing Company in An Khe, where she received the wounded directly from Dustoff helicopters; and later with the 85th Evac in Qui Nhon, which was also a POW hospital.

Her experience treating battle-wounded soldiers led to her writing short stories in "Another Kind of War Story," a self-published book, and an off-Broadway play that toured for a year.

Prescott earned an advanced degree in clinical social work, later working at a VA Readjustment Counseling Service. She helped found a homeless shelter in New York and was instrumental in opening one in Lewes. She is a member of Sussex County Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 1105.

Prescott was also presented a shadow box by Joe Startt, president of VVA Kent County Chapter 850, that included the signatures of 23 Dustoff crew members who were hosted by the chapter in September. The box also included signatures of Chapter 850 members, a copy of her book and a chapter coin.