Anna Mae Hays: The Nurse Who Became America’s First Female General

Anna Mae Hays: The Nurse Who Became America’s First Female General

I have been learning about some of the remarkable people who served during the world wars, and this time I wanted to share the story of Anna Mae Hays.

She was born Anna Mae Violet McCabe on the 16th of February 1920 in Buffalo, New York, in the United States. Her parents were officers in the Salvation Army, and her when she was young, she had frequent moves before the family settled in Pennsylvania. She loved music and dreamed of studying at Juilliard, but finances forced her in to another direction. In 1939, she began training as a nurse and qualified in 1941.

In May 1942, she joined the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, becoming part of the American effort in the Second World War. By early 1943, she was sent to India, where she worked in a field hospital near the Ledo Road. The conditions were harsh, there were bamboo buildings, disease, and the constant danger, but she carried on.

After the war, she remained in the Army and continued her nursing career. When the Korean War began, she was deployed again, this time to Inchon in 1950. The cold, the lack of supplies, and the sheer number of wounded made the conditions even more difficult than before. Alongside a small team of nurses, she helped treat tens of thousands of patients.

Her career continued to grow through the 1950s and 1960s. She served in senior hospital roles, cared for President Dwight D. Eisenhower during illness, and became Chief of the Army Nurse Corps. During the Vietnam War, she visited nurses in the field, working to improve training and support for those serving overseas.

In 1970, under President Richard Nixon, she became the first woman in U.S. Armed Forces history to be promoted to brigadier general.

She received numerous honours, including the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and Army Commendation Medal. After nearly three decades of service, she retired in 1971.

Anna Mae Hays died on the 7th of January 2018 at the age of 97.

 

Do you think moments like her promotion changed perceptions more than policies ever could?