THELMA ASHLOCK FREESE was born May 6, 1919, in East Prairie to the late J.H. and Odie Barker Ashlock. Following her graduation from East Prairie High School, she enrolled in St. Mary's School of Nursing in Cairo, IL. She completed a post graduate course at St. Louis University School of Nursing, received a BS Degree at Denver University in Colorado, and then received a Masters Degree at the University of Minnesota.

On May 8, 1942 she was inducted into the United States Army Nurses Corp and entered into a military career that reflected exceptional dedication to her nursing profession for 33 years. Completing a course in administration at Ft. Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX she provided nursing expertise in her service throughout the United States, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Germany, France, Korea 1960 44th MASH, Korea Chief Nursing Consultant to Korean Army Nurse Corps 1964, Vietnam Da Nang TET Counter Offensive 1967, Vietnam Da Nang CO Phase IV, Vietnam Da Nang CO Phase V, and Europe 1972 – 1974.

Colonel Freese was awarded numerous decorations and certificates of achievement in her years of service including the Distinguished Unit Emblem, Philippine Liberation Ribbon W/1 Bronze Star, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal W/ 3 Campaign Stars, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, seven Overseas Service bars, Republic Liberation Campaign Medal W/60 Device, Vietnam Service Medal W/1st OLC, Bronze Star medal and Legion of Merit.

In review of her military history, service highlights would include her receiving citations for meritorious service as Director of the Medical Specialist Advanced School at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston TX; Certificate of Achievement for her outstanding performance of duty as Educational Coordinator, Nursing Service, Letterman General Hospital in San Francisco, CA.

From April 1960 until December 1961 she served as Chief Nurse of the 44th MASH Hospital in Korea. During that time she witnessed the large number of orphans wandering the country in need of medical help, food and shelter. As volunteer work, she spearheaded the effort to establish an orphanage. The orphanage was not only to provide medical assistance and a home for the children but required that the children be taught basic education and some sort of skill to enable them to become independent when they left. During her second tour of duty in Korea, 1965-1966, she taught in the Seoul National University and developed a three year program with the requirement that the government pay the cost of the education and upon graduation the nurses be required to serve in the Army. In addition to the nursing program, she established a program to train enlisted men to help the nurses provide patient care. The program was paid for by the government and required the graduates to remain in the service and function as medical and surgical corpsmen.

She served as Director of the 95th Evacuation Hospital in Da Nang, Vietnam. Following her service in Vietnam, she was appointed Chief Nursing Consultant for the US Army, Europe and Seventh Army to assure that outstanding nursing care was consistently rendered and that personnel continued their education to further enhance high quality patient care.

Colonel Freese ranked in the top 5% of the Army Nurse Corps efficiency reports. This consistent ranking reflected her sincere devotion and dedication to her profession and expedited her promotions throughout her military career until her retirement on March 28, 1975.

She returned to East Prairie in 1976 and was a member of St. Henry Catholic Church in Charleston.

Surviving are two sisters, Mrs. Leo "Toots" Allen of East Prairie and Joyce Staples of East Prairie; one sister in law, Patty Ashlock Mulkey of Decatur, AL; three nieces, Jennifer (Dennis) Bible of Imperial, MO, Nickie Taylor of Decatur, AL, and Roxiann Woody of Cape Girardeau, MO; one nephew Lee (Kandi) Staples of East Prairie, five great nephews, David Bible of Arnold, MO., Andrew Bible of Overland, MO, Lee (Wendy) Taylor of Decatur, AL., Landry and Lance Staples of East Prairie., also three great-great nieces and nephew.

In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by two brothers, J.B. Ashlock and Kelly Ashlock, and one sister Maxine Kitchen.

It was her sincere desire to be buried very simply and privately as she held in her memory the picture of many soldiers being buried just as they fell without even a cloth to cover their face. Following her death in East Prairie on January 19, 2011 her final wishes were honored in private graveside rites conducted at the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Charleston.

A Memorial Service is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 13, 2011, in the McMikle Funeral Home Chapel in Charleston with an Army Chaplain from Ft. Leonard Wood officiating and Colonel Dennis Hilton, USMC (Ret.) of Cabot, AR serving as eulogist. The flag of the United States will presented to her family in honor of her military service by the Ft. Leonard Wood Funeral Honor Guard.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be sent to the Mississippi County Veterans Memorial or the East Prairie Historical High School and addressed to P.O. Box 206, East Prairie, MO 63845.