When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the nurses of the U.S. Navy jumped into action, treating the first casualties and preventing further loss of life and limb. Although only 1700 nurses, both active duty and reserve combined, were serving at the start of the U.S. involvement in the war, there were over 11,000 by the Navy Nurse Corps’ peak strength in 1945. They were scattered across six continents, serving at naval hospitals, aboard hospital ships, and in the field. Some even entered into combat areas as flight nurses to retrieve the wounded, and two groups were captured as prisoners of war by the Japanese.
Photos of Navy Nurses during World War II:
Navy Flight Nurse Checks Over Medical Kit
Navy Flight Nurses in High Pressure Chamber
Admin Officer with US Navy Flight Nurses
Bremerton Naval Hospital Nurses Group Photo
San Diego Naval Hospital Nurses Having Dinner
Navy Nurses Relaxing on Patio
Navy Nurses Dispersing Mail in Pearl Harbor
Navy Nurses Having Lunch on Outdoor Patio
Navy Nurses at Fountain of San Diego Naval Hospital
Flight Nurse Ensign Jane Kendeigh in Okinawa
Navy Nurses Relaxing at Officer's Club
Navy Nurse Practices Archery to Keep Fit
Pearl Harbor Navy Nurses Group Portrait
Flight Nurse Examining Map of Pacific
Navy Nurses Attend to Exhausted Serviceman
WWII Navy Nurse LT(JG) Goldia Aimee O’Haver
WWII Navy Nurse LT(JG) Susie Josephine Pitcher
Flight Nurse Boarding Medical Evacuation Flight
Navy Nurses of Naval Hospital in Bremerton, Washington
Pearl Harbor Navy Nurses Celebrate Christmas
