From Frontline Nurse to Lasting Voice: The Story of June Wandrey

From Frontline Nurse to Lasting Voice: The Story of June Wandrey

I have been learning about the lives of those who served during the World Wars. Today I would like to share with a little about June Wandrey.

She was born on the 25th of June 1920 in Wautoma, Wisconsin, and grew up in a small American town before everything changed with the start of the Second World War. In 1942, she joined the United States Army Nurse Corps, a role that would put her close to the realities of war. Over the next four years, she served across North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and even Germany. Her service earned her eight battle stars, a reflection of just how much she experienced.

After the war, she chose to share the memories of her time as a war nurse. Her book, Bedpan Commando, brought attention to the work of military nurses, it was also published in television and radio. In 1995, she went to Nettuno, Italy, fifty years after the Anzio landings, she even met Bill Clinton during the commemorations.

She stayed closely connected to the veteran community. She passed away on the 27th of November 2005 at the age of 85.