First Lieutenant Margie A. Camper was a long way from her roots in Sioux Falls, South Dakota when she lost her life in India during World War II.

Margie A. Camper was born to Lester Charles Camper, who went by Charles, and his wife, Augusta “Gussie” Marie Wadsworth Camper. The couple married in 1914. Waiting at their Sioux Falls’ home for Margie was her big sister Catherine Wadsworth Camper Hoyt. In 1920, the young couple and Catherine lived with Charles’ parents. It’s not known if they had their own place before Margie was born on September 26, 1921. The family were members of the Episcopal Church.[i]

By 1930, the family was no longer together. Lester was working as a real estate agent in Los Angeles, California. He was living as a lodger in a boarding house.[ii]

In 1930, Gussie was living on South Spring Avenue with her widowed mother, Harriett Hyatt Wadsworth, and the two girls. She lists herself as widowed on the U.S. Census but Lester is clearly alive. Catherine and Margie were in school while Gussie supported them as a saleslady in a dry goods store.[iii]

In the spring of 1934, as a first-semester freshman, Margie made the Washington High School honor roll.[iv] In October 1937, she ended her high school career the same way. Margie was listed in Washington’s high school list of honor students. She was a second-semester senior at this point.[v] She graduated on June 2, 1938, in the top 10-percent of her class.[vi]

HER LIFE BEFORE MILITARY

After high school graduation, Margie followed her big sister’s footprints and looked to study nursing. She crossed the country to study nursing at San Diego County General Hospital. [vii] This left Gussie Camper living alone in the Sioux Falls home, according to the 1940 census. By this time, both girls were out of the house.

HER MILITARY STORY

When Margie graduated from nursing college, she enlisted in the army becoming 2nd Lt. Margie A. Camper. She served two years at Camp Cooke in Santa Barbara County, California.[viii]

Margie made her way home in the summer of 1943.[ix] Her sister, Catherine, was overseas working as an army nurse at an evacuation hospital in the European theater.

She was then stationed overseas, where Margie Camper served nine months in New Caledonia, which was an important Allied base in World War II for American and Allied troops.[x]

After New Caledonia, Margie moved to a general hospital in Assam, India.[xi]

The Ledo area of India, where Margie eventually died, was known to be one of the worst areas of malaria in the world. In addition, there was ward after ward of typhus patients. Lice, tape worms, maggots and other parasites were common. Horribly wounded men would arrive from all over and many amputations were done due to gangrene developing over their days-long journey to get care.[xii]

In an oral history record, “Voices of the Past,” Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays recalled “… our nurses were well prepared. We had a fair amount of equipment and supplies… And has history has proven, the whole theater was sadly neglected. But, as I said, we did the very best we could.”[xiii]

At the time of the war, Hays was a nurse in the operating room in India. In 1970, she was the first woman in the United States Armed Forces to wear the stars of a general officer when promoted to Brigadier General.[xiv]

“Of course, the heavy rains would pour in seven to eight inches of water in 24 hours in the monsoon season. You can imagine the mud problems. Each building was made of bamboo and our roofs were palm fronds so when it rained, water came through the roofs,” she said in her oral history. Without secure doors, snakes, sacred cows or wild jackals would run or slither through the wards or nurses’ quarters. They also cared for ill and wounded Chinese soldiers, American allies, which brought language and cultural differences for the nurses in trying to provide the best care.[xv]

Margie spent three months serving at the hospital. At that point, she took a much-deserved vacation in Calcutta.[xvi]

HER LAST DAY- March 4, 1945

On her last flight, Margie was returning to her base hospital after her vacation leave in Calcutta.[xvii] Her Douglas C-47 Skytrain (#41-18554), assigned to Air transport Command, 11th Combat Cargo Squadron,[xviii] took off from Dinjan Army Airfield in Assam, India on a mission to ferry passengers. The plane came in too low during the last turn in the process of landing and crashed. Twenty-five passengers, including Margie, plus the crew of two were killed. Most of the passengers were Army nurses and medical personnel.[xix]

A brief appeared in the Rapid City Journal on March 13, 1945, announcing her death. The notice said that the War Department notified her mother.[xx]

She was 24.

COMMENDATIONS

World War II Victory Medal

Nurse Corps Badge

American Campaign Medal

Army Presidential Unit Citation

Army Good Conduct Medal

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal[xxi]

MEMORIALS

In October of 1945, with the war over, the city of Sioux Falls turned its eyes to the 174 known casualties from the area. A memorial display was created in city hall and it included the name of Lt. Margie A. Camper.[xxii]

HER FUNERAL AND GRAVE

Margie A. Camper is buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii. She is in Plot B789. Memorial ID is 113108536.[xxiii]

LIST OF THOSE KILLED IN THE MARCH 4, 1945, LEDO, INDIA AIR CRASH

Capt. John J. Lukaszczyk, Co-Pilot
Capt. Nicholas J. Mandoukos, Pilot
1st Lt. Walter S. Amsler, Jr.
2nd Lt. Francis W. Blalock
2nd Lt. Julia S. Barnes
2nd Lt. Jane M. Blevins
2nd Lt. Evelyn M. Bruton
2nd Lt. Thomas E. Dellinger
2nd Lt. Rita F. Erard
2nd Lt. Evelyn M. Gerdrum
2nd Lt. Lyndell A. Glisson
1st Lt. Henry D. Hammack, Jr.
2nd Lt. Eathel L. Harris
2nd Lt. Helen J. Henley
1st Lt. Catherine M. Larkin
2nd Lt. Joseph R. Launier
1st Lt. Kathryn L.Lloyd
Capt. Charles W. Loucks
1st Lt. Grady A. Masters
2nd Lt. Kathryn L. McCarthy
2nd Lt. Ann L. Merrill
2nd Lt. Genevieve R. Monahan
Capt. Edward R. Moore
2nd Lt. Mayo C. Onken
Lt. Col. Jack P. Scott
Leona A. Thomey, Civilian, Red Cross
1st Lt. Robert W. Tibbetts

AFTER THE WAR

Margie Camper’s sister, Captain Catherine Wadsworth Hoyt, survived the war and lived into her 60s. She was living in California at the time of her death but she was buried in Hawaii quite close to her sister.[xxiv]

ABOUT THIS STORY

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

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