A Dangerous Profession
Nurses serving faced many dangers. During WWII, the Japanese invaded the Philippines, forcing the US military to be pulled back to Bataan and Corregidor Island. The nurses served in harsh conditions. Open-air hospitals, sleeping in foxholes during bombings, and even donating their own blood for those in
Nurses of Bataan need. In 1942, when the Japanese captured Bataan and Corregidor, 77 nurses were taken prisoner. Known as “The Angels of Bataan,” they took care of the prisoners while dealing with food and clothing shortages. They were finally repatriated in 1945.
Altogether, 59,000 nurses were serving during WWII. Of those 59,000, there were 479 African American nurses due to the quota system. The first Black unit of 30 nurses was the 25th Station Hospital Unit. They were deployed to Liberia in 1943 to treat the Black troops. Due to low morale and disease, the unit was recalled in late 1943. The nurses were then dispersed between the South Pacific and England.
WWII Recruitment Poster
On June 6, 1944, D-Day, the Allies invaded the coast of Normandy, leaving 2500 men dead and scores wounded within the first 24 hours. Soon after, nurses were deployed and set up field hospitals to help with the thousands of wounded men.
