Lawmakers, joined by retired military nurses, have revived efforts to award World War II nurses with congressional honors.
A coalition of retired nurses and others has urged that the Congressional Gold Medal be awarded to all nurses who served during wartime. The groups know of five World War II nurses who are still living, according to the Associated Press.
In August, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), joined by Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Senator Daines (R-MT), and Senator Baldwin (D-WI), reintroduced legislation to award the women who served in World War II as members of the United States Army Nurse Corps and the United States Navy Nurse Corps.
“Nurses served under fire in field hospitals and evacuation hospitals across 6 continents, on hospital trains and ships, and as flight nurses on medical transport planes. Several nurses were killed in action when their ships were torpedoed or field hospitals were bombed. Some even entered into combat areas as flight nurses to retrieve the wounded, and 2 groups were captured as prisoners of war by the Japanese,” the legislation says.
Detailing the numerous efforts of the nurses, the bill adds, “Thanks largely to the efforts of these nurses, fewer than 4 percent of the American soldiers who received medical care in the field or underwent evacuation died from wounds or disease.”
“The United States is eternally grateful to the nurses of the Army and Navy Nurse Corps for their bravery and dedication to their patients through World War II,” the legislation further states, “which saved lives and made significant contributions to the defeat of the Axis powers.”
