Leftenant-Colon, Nancy
1920-2025 · Contribution: 1948
First African-American admitted to the Regular Army Nurse Corps
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Impact on the world
Became the first African-American admitted to the Regular U.S. Army Nurse Corps, breaking a significant barrier in military nursing the same year President Truman ordered the desegregation of the armed forces.
Life & background
A nurse, Leftenant-Colon became the first African-American admitted to the Regular Army Nurse Corps in March 1948, a milestone reached just months before the U.S. military's broader desegregation order, opening the corps to full participation by Black nurses.
Sources
- Tuskegee Airmen Inc.; NPR
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