At 106 years old, Alice Darrow vividly remembers her time as a nurse during World War II, a period marked by bravery and sacrifice. As part of a pioneering group of nurses, she risked her life to treat soldiers’ burns and gunshot wounds, often under enemy fire. Some nurses were killed, while others endured years as prisoners of war. Most returned home to lives of quiet obscurity, their contributions largely unrecognized. Now, eight decades after the war, a coalition of retired military nurses and advocates is campaigning to award the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the nation’s highest civilian honors, to all nurses who served in WWII. This effort aims to honor their courage and dedication, which saved countless lives.
WWII nurses who dodged bullets and saved lives deserve Congressional honor, lawmakers say
