Remembering Colonel Ruby Bradley

At the Memorial Day remembrances I found myself thinking about Colonel Ruby Bradley. She was quite a lady and one of the great pioneers. As surgical and field nurse, Colonel Ruby Bradley ended her career in 1963 as the most decorated female veteran in American military history. During her service she received 34 medals and citations including two Legions of Merit, and the Florence Nightingale Medal.

Entering the Army in 1934 as a surgical nurse, she was in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked. Taken prisoner on Bataan she was held as a POW by the Japanese. During her incarceration she served as a medical person, assisting in more than 200 operations and delivering 13 babies. She weighed 80 pounds when released in February 1945.

Five years later she went back into service as a field nurse during the evacuations in Korea. She would later go on to serve during the Korean War.

Dave Tabler has an interesting and insightful story about Colonel Bradley on his Appalachian History blog, and Colonel Bradley wrote an essay about her experiences available at the Army Nurse Corps Historical Documentation website.

Senior Fellow Paul Edwards