The unsung frontline history of American combat nurses

George Washington hired nurses for $2 a month.

During the Revolutionary War, General George Washington officially recognized military nursing by hiring contract nurses on a modest monthly wage with room and board.

George Washington's Two-Dollar Nurses

57,000 nurses mobilized for World War II.

During World War II, the Army Nurse Corps expanded to 57,000 members as volunteers mobilized and deployed alongside assault forces into North Africa.

57,000 Nurses Answer the Call in WWII

They even nursed the pilot who bombed them.

A veteran describes the fearless nurses stationed at the Anzio beachhead who operated under constant bombardment and provided medical aid to wounded soldiers and captured enemies alike.

The Angels of Anzio Treated Even Their Attackers

The Korean War brought brutal weather and grim battlefields, where thousands of military nurses braved mud, heat, and cold to treat an endless stream of casualties.

When Combat Nurses Walked in Beauty

Tomorrow, these tents could be the front lines.

Operating in tropical heat and remote jungle outposts, nurses in Vietnam comforted wounded soldiers while stationed in vulnerable field tents.

Field Hospitals Where Tents Became the Front Line

A full hospital set up in under 60 minutes

Helicopters deliver a modular hospital unit capable of setting up x-ray, lab, and surgical facilities in remote disaster areas in less than sixty minutes.

Airlifting a Full Field Hospital in Under an Hour

1960s hospital tech looked like science fiction

Vintage archival footage demonstrates revolutionary medical technologies developed with military nurses, including the rotating CircOlectric bed and early dialysis units.

Futuristic 1960s Medical Tech You Probably Never Knew Existed

The truth about what army nurses actually did

The presenter breaks down the common misconception of nurses working strictly in local clinics, detailing how the Army Nurse Corps expanded into diverse global roles.

Challenging the Stereotype of Military Nurses

Fighting the war against hunger and disease

Footage highlights mobile field hospitals where army nurses aided civilian populations, taking on poverty, malnutrition, and illness during humanitarian missions.

Fighting a Different War Against Disease

The host delivers a tribute summarizing the overarching mission of the Army Nurse Corps to offer comfort and hope across international frontiers.

The Meaning Behind Soldiers of Mercy

[02:30] George Washington's Two-Dollar Nurses
[05:40] 57,000 Nurses Answer the Call in WWII
[07:26] The Angels of Anzio Treated Even Their Attackers
[08:52] When Combat Nurses Walked in Beauty
[10:54] Field Hospitals Where Tents Became the Front Line
[18:08] Airlifting a Full Field Hospital in Under an Hour
[18:59] Futuristic 1960s Medical Tech You Probably Never Knew Existed
[22:34] Challenging the Stereotype of Military Nurses
[24:20] Fighting a Different War Against Disease
[27:13] The Meaning Behind Soldiers of Mercy

The unsung frontline history of American combat nurses

Explorer des sujets liés