Leesburg in Lake County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Nurse Corp[s] in WW II

— Leesburg Veterans Memorial Park —

The Nurse Corp in WW II Memorial image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Brandon D Cross

1. The Nurse Corp in WW II Memorial

Inscription.

The Nurse Corp[s] in world war two. . Army Nurses. On December 7, 1941 there were fewer than 1000 Army nurses and of those 82 were in Hawaii. They were serving at the three hospitals and they were overwhelmed with hundreds of causalities suffering from severe burns and shock. Wounded men lay bleeding on the floors waiting for their turn in surgery. Doctors performing major surgery passed scissors back and forth from one operating table to another. Doctors and nurses used cleaning rags as face masks and operated without gloves. There were a number of Purple Hearts awarded the nurses and doctors., In the Pacific, they were called the Angels of Bataan and Corregidor. They were a group of 88 Army nurses and 12 Navy nurses. The bombs began to fall at 8:19 am on December 8, 1941 leaving thousands dead or wounded. A bomb struck the hospital and 2 nurses were wounded. The doctors and nurses could hardly keep up with the casualties from the unrelenting air raids in one 24-hour period on January 16, 1942, they performed 187 major surgeries., The Japanese infantry assaulted Corregidor beaches with wave after wave. On May 6, 1942, General Wainwright surrendered. There were 55 nurses captured by the Japanese and sent to a POW (Prisoner of War) camp. On February 3, 1945 the 44th Tank Battalion of the 1st Cavalry Division rescued them from Camp Los Banos., The invasion of Europe began on “D Day,” June 6, 1944, in “Operation Overlord.” There were Army nurses on some of these ships that day and they were setting up a field hospital on June 7. By June of 1945, the number of Army nurses in the E.T.O. (European Theater of Operations) reached a peak of 17,345 Army nurses received 1,619 medals, citations and commendations reflecting their courage and dedication in total, 201 nurses died while serving., The nurses served under fire in field hospitals and evacuation hospitals. They served on hospital trains and ships. Flight nurses were on medical transport planes. It should be noted that the Army Nurse Corp was not made a full branch of the regular U.S. Army until April 16, 1947., Navy Nurses. There were only about 800 nurses serving on active duty in 1941. Over 900 reserves were on inactive duty by war’s end. There were 1,799 active nurses and 9,222 reserves (with the overwhelming number of reserves on active duty scattered across six continents). There were also 24 flight nurses that transported the wounded in the contiguous United States, Navy nurses were stationed at 263 locations aboard hospital ships. Navy nurses followed the fleet in their assaults. Donated by: Fraternal Order of Eagles, Lake County Aerie 4273, Aerie and Auxiliary

Army Nurses
On December 7, 1941 there were fewer than 1000 Army nurses and of those 82 were in Hawaii. They were serving at the three hospitals and they were overwhelmed with hundreds of causalities suffering from severe burns and shock. Wounded men lay bleeding on the floors waiting for their turn in surgery. Doctors performing major surgery passed scissors back and forth from one operating table to another. Doctors and nurses used cleaning rags as face masks and operated without gloves. There were a number of Purple Hearts awarded the nurses and doctors.

In the Pacific, they were called the Angels of Bataan and Corregidor. They were a group of 88 Army nurses and 12 Navy nurses. The bombs began to fall at 8:19 am on December 8, 1941 leaving thousands dead or wounded. A bomb struck the hospital and 2 nurses were wounded. The doctors and nurses could hardly keep up with the casualties from the unrelenting air raids in one 24-hour period on January 16, 1942, they performed 187 major surgeries.

The Japanese infantry assaulted Corregidor beaches with wave after wave. On May 6, 1942, General Wainwright surrendered. There were 55 nurses captured by the Japanese and sent to a POW (Prisoner of War) camp. On February 3, 1945 the 44th Tank Battalion of the 1st Cavalry Division rescued them from

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Camp Los Banos.

The invasion of Europe began on “D Day,” June 6, 1944, in “Operation Overlord.” There were Army nurses on some of these ships that day and they were setting up a field hospital on June 7. By June of 1945, the number of Army nurses in the E.T.O. (European Theater of Operations) reached a peak of 17,345 Army nurses received 1,619 medals, citations and commendations reflecting their courage and dedication in total, 201 nurses died while serving.

The nurses served under fire in field hospitals and evacuation hospitals. They served on hospital trains and ships. Flight nurses were on medical transport planes. It should be noted that the Army Nurse Corp was not made a full branch of the regular U.S. Army until April 16, 1947.

Navy Nurses
There were only about 800 nurses serving on active duty in 1941. Over 900 reserves were on inactive duty by war’s end. There were 1,799 active nurses and 9,222 reserves (with the overwhelming number of reserves on active duty scattered across six continents). There were also 24 flight nurses that transported the wounded in the contiguous United States, Navy nurses were stationed at 263 locations aboard hospital ships. Navy nurses followed the fleet in their assaults.
Donated by: Fraternal Order of Eagles, Lake County Aerie 4273, Aerie & Auxiliary

Erected by

The Nurse Corp in WW II Memorial (on right) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Brandon D Cross

2. The Nurse Corp in WW II Memorial (on right)

Fraternal Order of Eagles, Lake County Aerie 4273, Aerie & Auxiliary.

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Science & Medicine • War, World II • Women.

Location. 28° 48.825′ N, 81° 52.716′ W. Marker is in Leesburg, Florida, in Lake County. Memorial is at the intersection of Orange Avenue and West Line Street, on the right when traveling north on Orange Avenue. The marker is located in Veterans Memorial Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 600 W Meadow St, Leesburg FL 34748, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Women Marines / Rosie the Riveter (here, next to this marker); WAVES / WAC (here, next to this marker); Medal of Honor Recipients (within shouting distance of this marker); F. Brown Gregg (within shouting distance of this marker); Battlefield Cross (within shouting distance of this marker); Lake County Fallen Heroes (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Veterans of All Wars (approx. 3.7 miles away); The Casino (approx. 3.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Leesburg.

Also see . . .
1. The Army Nurse Corps/U.S. Army Center of Military History. (Submitted on May 14, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. Navy Nurse Corps. (Submitted on May 14, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
3. Veterans Memorial at Fountain Park - Leesburg

Veterans Memorial Park Sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Brandon D Cross

3. Veterans Memorial Park Sign

. (Submitted on May 14, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 17, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 14, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 119 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 14, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.