DANVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Alice Darrow, now 106, vividly recalls her experiences as a nurse during World War II, risking her life on the front lines to care for injured soldiers. Darrow, who served on California’s Mare Island, treated countless brave men, including one who arrived with a bullet lodged in his heart.
“To them, you’re everything because you’re taking care of them,” she said from her home in Danville, California.
Over 80 years after the end of WWII, a coalition of veterans, including Darrow, is pushing for recognition through the Congressional Gold Medal for all nurses who served during the war. This honor has already been bestowed upon groups like the Women Airforce Service Pilots and the real-life Rosie the Riveters.
Patricia Upah, a retired colonel and former Army nurse, emphasized that the contributions of nurses are often overlooked: “The general public doesn’t often recognize the contribution that the nurses have made in pretty much every war.”
Despite the urgency of this recognition, as only a handful of WWII nurses remain—five of whom are known to the coalition—legislation in Congress still lacks sufficient support. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Elise Stefanik have sponsored the measure, but it currently has only a fraction of the required sponsors to pass in both chambers.
The bill highlights the bravery of nurses who treated soldiers under fire, illustrating their vital role in the war effort. Alderson, who served as a nurse during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, shared a touching anecdote of a soldier whose life she saved and later dated.
“It’s high time we honor the nurses who stepped up and did their part to defend our freedom,” Baldwin asserted. With stories of bravery and sacrifice, the call for recognition continues as advocates like Darrow hope for a future where their contributions are properly celebrated.
