Jane Kendeigh (March 30, 1922 – July 19, 1987) was a US Navy flight nurse. In 1945 she became the first Navy flight nurse in an active combat zone,[1] serving at Iwo Jima in the Pacific.[2][3]
Jane Kendeigh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 30, 1922 |
| Died | July 19, 1987 (aged 65) |
Kendeigh was born and raised in Ohio. She attended a nursing school in Cleveland.[4]
World War II
editAfter graduating, Kendeigh joined the first class of US Navy's School of Air Evacuation. It was composed of 24 pharmacist's mates and 24 nurses. They were trained for crash procedures and field survival, particularly in the face of simulated attacks. They were also trained in treating patients in high altitudes. The program included aeromedical physiology, physical conditioning and calisthenics. The program made it possible to rescue wounded soldiers sent to distant lands during the war.[5][6]
Kendeigh joined the evacuation mission to an active combat zone in the Pacific. She was on board in Naval Air Transport Service R4D with other flight nurses. On March 6, 1945, at 22 years old, Kendeigh was the first flight nurse to land at Iwo Jima.[5][4][7] She recalled that some men whistled after witnessing a woman in the combat area.[7] The evacuation mission lasted until March 21, 1945.[5] 2,393 Marines and sailors were rescued and attended to.[2]
When Kendeigh returned to the US, she participated in a war bond drive. Shortly after, she was requested to return to the Pacific. On April 7, 1945, she landed and served at the Battle of Okinawa.[5] She was the first flight nurse to arrive in Okinawa.[8] Kendeigh also served at battlefronts in Marianas and Hawaii.[8]
Flight nurses tended and evacuated 1,176,048 military patients during the war; only 46 died on the journey.[9][10][2]
Death
editKendeigh died on July 19, 1987, in San Diego, California. She was 65 years old.
References
edit- ^ "USS Midway Museum®". www.midway.org.
- ^ a b c "These 5 Heroic Women of World War II Should Be Household Names". United Service Organizations. USO, Inc. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ Sobocinski, Andre. "Angels of the Airfields: Navy Air Evacuation Nurses of World War II | Naval Historical Foundation". www.navyhistory.org. Naval Historical Foundation. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ a b Lotring, Katherine (3 April 2020). "World War II at 75: The Women at Iwo Jima". Submarine Force Library & Association. Submarine Force Library and Museum Association. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "Winged Angels: USAAF Flight Nurses in WWII". National Museum of the United States Air Force™. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Battlefield Lifeline". National Aviation Museum. Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ a b Bedell-Burke, Margie (14 January 2018). "Ensign Jane Kendeigh, Navy Flight Nurse". Women of World War II. Burke Enterprises. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "Winged Angels: USAAF Flight Nurses in WWII".
- ^ "Legends of the Flight Nurses of WWII". www.legendsofflightnurses.org. Retrieved 27 October 2020.