Introduction
For my history project, I am researching the effect of women in the military and focusing on the pivotal role female nurses played during World War II. The role women have played in the military has drastically changed in the last 100 years from women being strictly limited to work on the homefront without even being able to vote on whether they want to go into war, and in limited nursing capacity to women taking on new roles and advancing through the ranks of the military in ways similar to men. Whether through the acts of the WASPs or the nurses, women in World War II made huge strides in advancing the women’s rights movement. Through my research and the information on this website, I am aiming to prove that the crucial role of women and more specifically the role nurses played in the success of World War II led to the advancement of women’s positions in the military and in society in general.
Nurse March
Picture #1 on Source page
Summary of Role Nurses Played In World War II
Nurses had multifaceted roles in World War II and in all other wars in United States history. Nurses were tasked with triage of soldiers, general treatment of the wounded, as well as healing soldiers in less visible roles, ensuring their mental as well as physical wellbeing. As doctors and nurses were in high demand and there were never enough doctors to help the wounded, nurses were sometimes tasked with stepping into the role of doctors, helping patients in ways that often go unrecognized. Nurses are the true unsung heroes of both World War II and other conflicts that the United States has been involved in. Without nurses doing all they could to help the wounded, even sacrificing their safety to help, many more soldiers, many more fathers, sons, and brothers of those at home, would have died.
Nurse Group Photograph
Picture #2 on Source page