Episode 36

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Published on:

4th Nov 2024

Marj Billker Graves

Marj Billker Graves joined the Army Nurse Corps during her final year of nursing school in 1967. She served as a head nurse on male orthopedic wards at Darnall Army Hospital, Fort Hood, Texas, and at Ireland Army Hospital, Fort Knox, Kentucky. As a Captain, Marj volunteered for Vietnam where she continued to serve as a head orthopedic nurse with the 24th Evacuation Hospital in Long Binh. During her tour of duty, she was selected as the nurse for a two-person medical team to accompany both the Bob Hope Christmas Tour in 1971 and the Sammy Davis, Jr. USO Show in 1972. After a return assignment in the United States at Madigan General Hospital, Tacoma, Washington, she resigned her commission to marry her husband, Bob, also a Vietnam Veteran. She was selected as Kentucky’s Vietnam Veteran for USA Today’s 2012 Veterans Day issue, has been featured in numerous articles in The Courier-Journal,  was inducted into the Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame, is a recipient of the Daughters of the American Revolution Distinguished Citizen Medal, and in 2023 was the first female veteran to serve as Grand Marshal of Louisville’s Veterans Day Parade. She is a retired Occupational Health Manager from UPS.

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About the Podcast

EXTRAordinary PEOPLE
Interviews with individuals whose stories inspire and motivate in all walks of life.
EXTRAordinary People lets you inside the world of the people you may see everyday, but those who have let their light shine onto the world because of their unique talents, contributions, and STORIES. In their own words, each discusses the hardships which they have encountered and what it took for them to rise above the obstacles and make a difference. Join Shirley Wachtel and be inspired by these EXTRAordinary people!

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Shirley Wachtel

Shirley Wachtel is an author, educator, a wife, mother, and grandmother, and like you, she is a curious individual. Her background as a reporter has fostered an interest in people, especially those who have excelled in their fields or overcome adversity, or created something never before seen. In other words, the people who inspire. Sit down, relax, and listen to the conversations with people who inspire, who go beyond the ordinary, the EXTRAordinary People!