African American Army Nurses in World War II

268th Station Hospital Surgical Ward in 1944.

National Archives

The Army Nurse Corps was established in 1901, but African American nurses were not allowed to serve until 1918. During World War II, over 59,000 nurses served in the Army Nurse Corps. Women served closer to the frontlines than ever before. The need for manpower during WWII created new social and economic opportunities for American women. For the first time, women in the US military were allowed officer rank and status, equal pay, and full retirement benefits. Out of 59,000 nurses who served only 479 African American nurses were accepted into the Army Nurse Corps. In 1941, the total number of Black nurses allowed was 56. In 1943, the Army increased the quota to 160. In 1944, the Army was forced to drop the quota because of political pressure and unfavorable public reactions. The overseas units that were supported by Black nurses were: the 25th, 168th, 268th, 335th, and 383rd Station Hospitals.

The 25th Station Hospital had thirty Black nurses and served in Monrovia, Liberia. According to the US Army Center of Military History, “The unit went to Liberia in 1943 to care for U.S. troops protecting strategic airfields and rubber plantations. Malaria was the most serious health problem the troops encountered.” After eight months in Liberia, the unit returned to the US because all medical personnel were sick with malaria and its aftereffects. Nurses who recovered were sent to the 383rd and 335th Station Hospitals near Tagap, Burma. They treated the Black soldiers who were working on the Ledo Road. The road was a major supply route between India and China, later renamed the Stilwell Road. The 168th Station Hospital was sent to England with 63 Black nurses. There the nurses cared for German Prisoners of War (POW). Another group of 15 nurses deployed to the South Pacific with the 268th Station Hospital.

The African American nurses of the Army Nurse Corps that were stationed around the US faced more discrimination than the overseas units. Black nurses were only allowed to treat Black soldiers and German POWs. Many nurses were not needed at the POW hospital, for the German troops were in good health after their trans-Atlantic journey. As WWII started its final year, the number of wounded servicemen rose exponentially. By the end of WWII, Black nurses made up only 0.8% of the Army Nurse Corps. The nurses of the all-Black units persevered through discrimination and made positive impacts. The women of the Army Nurse Corps helped save countless lives during WWII.

Below we highlight some of the African American nurses who served in the Army Nurse Corps, throughout World War II.

Additional Resources

Darlene Clark Hine. 1989. Black Women in White: Racial Conflict and Cooperation in the Nursing Profession, 1890-1950. Indiana University Press.

Honey, Maureen, and Inc Netlibrary. 1999. Bitter Fruit: African American Women in World War II. Columbia Mo.: University Of Missouri Press.

Threat, Charissa J. 2015. Nursing Civil Rights: Gender and Race in the Army Nurse Corps. Univ. of Illinois Press.

Tomblin, Barbara Brooks. 2004. G.I. Nightingales: The Army Nurse Corps in World War II. Univ. Press of Kentucky.