women in wwii

The Navy Nurse Corps

Like the Army Nurse Corps, the Navy Nurse Corps can trace its roots back to WWI. At the time of Pearl Harbor, the Navy had just under active 1000 navy nurses, with another 1,000 on reserves. Nurses in the Navy were considered officers, however, full commission status wasn't granted until 1944. During the height of WWII the Navy Nurse Corps had over 11,000 total nurses serving both stateside and abroad. Some of the Navy Nurses on duty during Pearl Harbor were literally attacked during the bombing. Still others were under fire while aboard hospital ships in the Pacific.

The Navy Nurse Corps also it's own flight evacuation service (the precursor to the Korean M.A.S.H. units made popular on the TV series). The first air evacuations started in January of 1945 and continued until the end of the war. Flight Nurses and Navy Corpsmen flew in "air ambulances", which were converted troop carrier planes that could carry men stacked three high on litters.

Recommended Reading on the Navy Nurse Corps: