Army Nurse Corps z. s.

Let's continue honoring the African American WWII army nurses. In February 1943, 30 African American nurses from the 25th Station Hospital became the first to be deployed overseas. Under the leadership of Chief Nurse 1st Lt. Susan E. Freeman, they were stationed at Roberts Field in Liberia, caring for troops protecting strategic airfields and rubber plantations. Most of the soldiers they treated suffered from tropical illnesses. All the nurses of the 25th Station Hospital contracted Malaria and had to be repatriated after nine months of working through heat and fever, still performing their duties. Those who recovered were later dispatched between various hospitals stateside and overseas, mostly to care for Black soldiers working on the Ledo Road in Burma. Fifteen nurses were assigned to the 268th Station Hospital, led by 1st Lt. Birdie E. Brown, which was the first facility created specifically for the medical care of Black soldiers in the Pacific Theatre. They arrived in Sydney in November 1943. They worked closely with Australian Sister Elizabeth Kenney, who had developed a nursing procedure for polio. Over the next two years, the 268th operated in various locations, including Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines, depending on where it was needed. By July 1944, when the quota was finally lifted and the U.S. Army was in urgent need of more nurses, Captain Mary Petty led 63 Black nurses to be sent to England to care for POWs at the 168th Station Hospital, several months before the arrival of the now famous 6888th WAC battalion. The 168th Station Military Hospital, originally an all-white unit based in Iceland, was relocated to England. It was randomly chosen from other similarly sized hospital units in Britain to become the first Prisoner of War hospital in Europe staffed by African American nurses. This marked a stark contrast to the POW care Black nurses had provided in the United States. In England, they mainly dealt with prisoners suffering from critical battle wounds, allowing them to finally use their full range of skills and expertise. The nurses were also surprised to find that the Warrington area was not segregated, and places like Red Cross nursing clubs, restaurants, and even schools—establishments that would have been off-limits to them in the U.S.—were open to people of color in Britain. This offered them a level of freedom not available to their counterparts back home. The 168th Station Hospital served as a POW facility for about four months until December 1944. By then, the Nursing Director reluctantly noted, "These Negro nurses, with constant guidance, did excellent work and continued to provide exceptional care after Captain Crouch left the unit." During this time, the nurses were also called upon to support the 335th and 383rd Station Hospitals in Burma, along the Ledo Road. The Ledo Road was a crucial route that connected India to China to deliver vital supplies in the fight against Japan. The 16 nurses of the 335th Station Hospital, led by 1st Lt. Agnes B. Glass, landed in Karachi after a couple of weeks' trip by plane. They were first assigned to assist with the opening of the 48th Evacuation Hospital. Six weeks later, they transferred to Tagap, in Burma, by a perilous truck trip. They arrived at a desolated former headquarters that needed much repair. The 335th Station Hospital opened in December 1944, two days before Christmas. Their patients, both Black and White Americans, as well as Indian and Burmese laborers, were either suffering from tropical diseases or injured while building the Ledo Road. "The proudest moment for all of us on the medical staff was Dr. Strickland’s refusal to segregate the hospital and reserve beds for white soldiers. Dr. Strickland cited his belief that all soldiers equally shared pain, suffering, and hope throughout their time engineering a difficult military route, and thus, all deserve equal care and medical attention regardless of skin color or ethnicity" recalled Olive Lucas. They also ended up treating Chinese troops fighting in Burma. Short-staffed, the 16 nurses quickly had to adjust and step up in responsibility, acquiring even better competencies. Despite the poor supplies they received, they all managed to make the best living conditions and quarters. They had a cinema that was highly appreciated by Indian elephant workers who were helping with the construction of the Ledo Road, coming to the movies riding on elephant back. In April 1945, the surgeon theater visited the 335th Station Hospital, and, pleased with the nurses' work, promoted them all to the rank of 1st Lt. According to plan, the hospital was reorganized in December 1944, and its capacity was reduced from 150 to 100 beds. The personnel, thus made surplus, along with those carried as overstrength, was used to form another 100-bed all-Negro hospital unit—the 383rd Station Hospital. Both units continued to serve together as one hospital until the 383rd was sent to the Philippines in August 1945. WWII African American nurses have for too long been forgotten by history books, and it is hard to find detailed information about them. Through hours of research, we have managed to gather these details and uncover many beautiful photographs. However, the current administration in the U.S. is aiming to have their memories completely erased. Let us all make sure to never forget them. If you know more of their stories, please feel free to share them with us. Research and writing by the Army Nurse Corps S.Z. (fb)

Roughly 1.2 million African Americans served in the U.S. military, breaking down barriers that had previously kept them out of certain branches, ranks, and specializations. They had to fight to gain access to these positions within a segregated society. Today, the new U.S. administration is planning to have their names removed from history books and their faces forgotten. We shall never forget them! At the dawn of WWII, thousands of fully qualified African American nurses were ready to serve their country. However, all were denied this right. They had suffered the same injustice during World War I. Only a few served in WWI, and that was only because the 1918 flu epidemic had wiped out thousands of people, and Black nurses were finally called to assist. In 1941, the Army established a quota of 56 Black nurses to be commissioned. The first African American nurses arrived at Fort Bragg in April 194. In 1943, the Army increased the quota for Black nurses to 160. In 1944, with the casualty rate of American servicemen rising rapidly, the demand for nurses also increased. President Roosevelt planned to establish a nursing draft, ignoring the 9,000 applications the Army Nurse Corps had received from African American nurses. Eventually, political pressure and unfavorable public reactions forced the Army to drop the quota. Nonetheless, by the end of the war, there were only 479 African American nurses among the 59,000 nurses commissioned in the Army Nurse Corps, making up just 0.8% of the total. Della H. Raney became the first African American nurse to be commissioned into the Army Nurse Corps. She was initially stationed at Fort Bragg, where she served as a nursing supervisor. She was also the first Black nurse to be appointed Chief Nurse and later became the first to be promoted to First Lieutenant. Eventually, she became the first African American nurse to achieve the rank of Captain in the United States Air Force. African American army nurses were initially only allowed to care for Black patients stateside in segregated bases, where the men mostly performed maintenance and menial jobs. When German POWs started arriving in the U.S., like in Camp Florence, Arizona, Black nurses were sent to care for them. Most of the prisoners were in good health, and the nurses, who had fought for years to gain entry into the Army Nurse Corps, felt betrayed when they were assigned to care for enemy soldiers rather than wounded American troops. They felt their abilities were not being put to proper use. Even worse, African American nurses came to realize they were being treated worse than the German prisoners of war. 2nd Lt Dorothy M. Jenkins, like many others, was denied access to officer clubs, while she witnessed POWs being invited on occasion. White civilian and military personnel were often friendlier toward the POWs than toward the American Black nurses. 2nd Lt Elinor Powell was stationed at Camp Florence. While off duty, she went into town for lunch, proud to wear her Army Nurse Corps uniform. However, the waiter showed her no respect for her service; all he saw was the color of her skin and refused to serve her. When the German POWs arrived in the U.S., many were shocked to witness the segregation and the deeply rooted racial hierarchy in American society. Most reports indicated that their interactions with Black nurses were generally respectful. However, there were several instances where the nurses were humiliated by the POWs, with no support from their superiors. In March 1942, 1st Lt Della Raney became the first nurse transferred to the Tuskegee Army Airfield in Tuskegee, Alabama. She was soon joined by other nurses who cared for the aviation cadets, as well as the officers, enlisted men, and families on base. There, the nurses proudly served the young pilots. In total, 28 nurses served at the Tuskegee Airfield, with 20 stationed there at one time. 1st Lt Mary L. Petty, who had joined the Army Nurse Corps in September 1941, was among the first to join Della Raney at Tuskegee after also serving at Fort Bragg. In early 1944, she was assigned to Camp Huachuca, Arizona, as Chief Nurse of the General Hospital. She became the first African American nurse to achieve the rank of Captain. Fort Huachuca was a large, segregated base that housed between 17,000 and 20,000 African American soldiers, nurses, and other personnel. Hospital No. 1 was staffed by and served all Black personnel and their families. The base was so well-equipped that personnel didn't have to leave it and face the segregation prevalent outside. USO shows were also organized, allowing them to enjoy entertainment without being forced to sit in the back rows. Additionally, Black nurses such as Olive Lucas received their training at Fort Huachuca. African American nurses were also sent overseas to the 25th (a Black unit with White officers), 168th (a white unit with Black members), 268th, 335th, and 383rd (all-Black Station Hospitals), allowing them to serve in Africa, in the CBI (China-Burma-India), the Pacific and European theaters. Want to learn more about their deployment? Stay tuned for our next post honoring the brave African American nurses of WWII. Research and writing by the Army Nurse Corps S.Z. (fb)