April 9, 2026

By Patrick Donnelly

Rotary 13 members and invited guests gathered on the bottom floor of the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 1301 Wyandotte Street with select individuals participating remotely via Zoom and Facebook Live. President-Elect Neil Barnett brought the assembly to order early at 12:07pm. The group stood for the Pledge of Allegiance, and Rick Beyer’s invocation wove Rotary’s goals of service with gratitude for guest speaker Lou Eisenbrandt’s time as a combat nurse and acknowledgement of the quiet battles many of us face. 

President-Elect Neil announced financial registration support for those on the fence about attending the district conference planned for April 24-25. Duane Benton can provide details about this—please contact him directly. The district gathering will take place at our own Rotary Youth Camp (RYC) in Lee’s Summit. Pete Sotta rose to speak about the 5th Thursday service project this month. Volunteers will assemble at Harvesters between 6pm and 8pm for a work session on April 30th. Brad Kleindl reminded the group that the 2026 Shoes for Orphan Souls campaign winds down soon—please provide donations. Lastly, President-Elect Neil asked the group to save the date for the youth camp regatta planned across August 29-31. The goals for this year are 50 participating boats and $50K in support for RYC.

No club anniversaries were announced this week. Meeting guests were limited to our guest speaker (Lou) and her spouse (Jim). Happy bucks this meeting gave attendees the chance to trumpet their good news. Members rose to express thanks for the good work done by colleagues and an exciting trip to New York City.

At 12:15pm, Jane Lee approached the lectern to introduce today’s guest speaker, Louise (Lou) Eisenbrandt. A resident of Leawood, Ms. Eisenbrandt served as a nurse stationed in Vietnam in 1969-70. Her presentation today, titled My Year in Vietnam and Return Visits, is both autobiographical and pictorial in content.

She began her comments by noting that her speaking style was shaped by living with Parkinson’s Disease for the last 24 years. Her exposure to Agent Orange while stationed overseas was the likely cause. Ms. Eisenbrandt added that she participates regularly in the Veterans’ Voices Writing Project and credits their support for helping her publish two books to date. (They are headquartered in Kansas City.)

Growing up near Scott Air Force Base on the far side of the river from St. Louis, she was around military culture for most of her youth. While in college, she learned that the need for military nurses could assist with her tuition payments and she chose to sign up. Basic training took her to Fort Sam Houston in Texas, and her first assignment landed her at Fort Dix in New Jersey for 9 months. The hospital at Ft. Dix gave her regular exposure to soldiers returning home from Vietnam, which proved invaluable preparation for overseas deployment.

Ms. Eisenbrandt spent a year with the 91st Evacuation Hospital in Chu Lai, along the Vietnamese coast. The weather in that location, as with much of the country, alternated between hot and wet and hot and dry, depending upon the month. Much of her medical work entailed treating malaria, hepatitis, and jungle rot, although there were combat injuries too. Work shifts followed a 12-hours-on, 12-hours-off pattern for 6 days of the week. In the surgery room, everything was stored at-the-ready: no doors on cabinets; just open shelves. Treating wounds required removal of clothing, which she and her fellow nurses cut off. This, she believes, is how she had repeated exposure to Agent Orange.

Helicopters brought many patients to the hospital for treatment—fast transport being a key factor in survival rates for injured soldiers. (Safety around helicopter rotor blades was a real concern, for they could cause deadly head wounds.) She and her fellow nurses would count the sound of approaching choppers, to gauge how many of them needed to report to triage stations.

Ms. Eisenbrandt spoke of down time and social moments while deployed. There was an amphitheater at the 91st Evac hospital, which hosted visits from Bob Hope, Connie Stevens, and others. She would sometimes sing in pick-up bands that flew into the field to provide entertainment for troops. Occasional water-skiing in the South China Sea, a trip to Hong Kong, and waiting for letters from home helped to pass the time. (Mail took about two weeks each way, from Vietnam to the United States.)

After mustering out, she continued to work at Army hospitals in a civil service capacity. Ms. Eisenbrandt has visited Vietnam 4 times since her days in uniform. She has spoken publicly about her experiences, particularly to student groups, for over 45 years. Her goal is that the conflict, and the women who served in it, not be forgotten. 

At 12:58, President-Elect Neil asked the group to applaud Ms. Eisenbrandt and approach her with questions after the meeting. He reminded the assembly of upcoming Club 13 activities, including:

• 16 April, Heartland Center for Behavioral Change CEO Kyle Mead

• 17 April, Native Plant Sale at RYC

• NO MEETING on 23 April (attend district conference instead)

• 30 April service project at Harvesters

In lieu of a quotation, P-E Neil shared an act of kindness that encourages people to offer to babysit for someone they know.

At 1:01pm, the 4-Way Test and the bell closed the session.