In the history of war, nurses are described as “angels of the battlefield.” In some aspects, their images are connected with the war more than the peace. For example, the nursing roles and education were first defined by Florence Nightingale, following her experiences caring for the wounded in the Crimean War. Approximately two thousand women, North and South, served as volunteer nurses in military hospitals during the American Civil War.
The U.S. officially entered WWII as a combatant following the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. 56,793 nurses would serve with 32,500 of them overseas. A total of more than 59,000 American nurses served in the Army Nurse Corps, the oldest US women’s military organization, during World War II. Nurses worked closer to the front lines than they ever had before. Today, many travel nurse jobs exist that allow nursing personnel to work on the front lines as well.
Nurses not only contribute but also sacrifice during the war. More than 100 military nurses were captured when Bataan and Corregidor fell to the Japanese in 1942. During the battle on Anzio, six Army Nurses were killed by German bombing, strafing and shelling of the tented hospital area. In all, more than 200 Army Nurses lost their lives during World War II. While this is quite an unfortunate occurrence to happen to medical staff, but thankfully, nurse practitioner jobs today are much safer.
