New Ensigns Sworn into Navy Nurse Corps

These new Ensigns, the first commissioned in New York under the Navy’s new speed-up nurse recruiting system, were sworn in on March 8, 1945, at the Office of Naval Officer Procurement. Included was the first African-American nurse commissioned by the U.S. Navy. The five, left to right: Marion Helen Bendix; Barbara Joan Zeigler; Phyllis Mae Daley; Adele Lee Bruce; and Jane Agnes Delanger. In order to speed commissioning, the system was instituted a month ago to have registered nurses make applications through the New York office rather than direct inquiries to the Surgeon General’s office in Washington.

Photo size: 2872 × 2166
Photo source: National Museum of the U.S. Navy
Usage: Public Domain