Searching for Augusta: The Forgotten Angel of Bastogne

Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Mike Edwards's PBS-aired documentary offers a long-overdue celebration of the heroism of Augusta Chiwy (1921-2015), a black nurse who helped American troops during World War II's Battle of the Bulge. Chiwy, who is of Belgian and Congolese heritage, was in her father's hometown of Bastogne on December 16, 1944, when American soldiers injured in the battle were brought into town. She worked with Dr. John Prior and a team of local nurses to provide medical treatment for the wounded—no mean feat due to a lack of supplies created by the surrounding military conflict. Chiwy even donned a U.S. military uniform to help collect wounded soldiers from the battlefield. A number of American soldiers objected to Chiwy's presence based solely on her race—segregation within the U.S. Army extended to military hospitals—and Chiwy's contributions to the care of the wounded was overshadowed by the posthumous honors bestowed on Renee LeMaire, a white nurse killed with 30 servicemen by a German bomb on Christmas Eve. Had it not been for British war historian Martin King's tireless research and his success in locating Chiwy to hear her first-hand account of the battle, her story would have been lost forever. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)