World War I Army Nurse Corps

Military Service Report

Military Service Reports are being prepared for each member of the Army Nurse Corps who served in World War I. To search for a member of the Army Nurse Corps type a name in the search box.

Supreme Sacrifice Report

There were at least 290 members of the Army Nurse Corps who died in service during World War I.  The Supreme Sacrifice Report is being prepared for each member who died in service. To search for a member of the Army Nurse Corps type a name in the search box.

The Army Nurse Corps (1917-1923)

When the United States entered World War I on April 6, 1917, there were 403 nurses on active duty in the Army Nurse Corps. Superintendent Dora E. Thompson, the fourth Superintendent of the Army Nurse Corps, increased the number of nurses to 21,480 by November 11, 1918, with more than 10,000 overseas in France, Belgium, England, Italy, Serbia, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.  Members of the Army Nurse Corps were stationed with the Army occupation forces in Germany until 1923 when the US Army returned to the United States.

Secretary of War Newton D. Baker awarded Superintendent Dora E. Thompson the Distinguished Service Medal in November 1919.  She resigned as superintendent on December 29, 1919. Julia Catherine Stimson was appointed the fifth Superintendent of the Army Nurse Corps on December 30, 1919.

General John J. Pershing, Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), awarded the Distinguished Service Medal to Miss Julia C. Stimson, for her service in France, on June 5, 1919, in Tours, France.