The Nurse Who Took Flight and Changed Wartime Medicine

The Nurse Who Took Flight and Changed Wartime Medicine

I have been learning about individuals who served during the world wars and today I want to talk about Elsie Ott.

 She was born in 1913 in Smithtown, New York, and trained as a nurse in New York City. Before the war she worked in several hospitals. In September 1941, she joined the Army Nurse Corps and was quickly given the rank of second lieutenant. She was first posted to Louisiana and Virginia, then she was sent to India.

In January 1943, with only 24 hours’ notice, no formal air evacuation training, and having never having flown before, she was assigned to care for wounded soldiers on a flight from Karachi. Over the course of a week, she helped transport injured men across continents to Washington, D.C., a journey that would normally have taken months by sea.

After the flight, she carefully recorded what had worked and what had not. Just two months later, she became the first woman to receive the Air Medal.

She later rose to captain and left service in 1946. She went on to serve in the Vietnam War. Elsee died in 2006 at the age of 82 or 83.

Image info:

 Lt. Elsie Ott being awarded the Air Medal by Brig. Gen. Fred Borum