Today, I salute World War II nurse Agnes Lowe. Agnes, like my Nana Kathleen, was a nurse during World War II. While my Nana served British troops, Agnes served in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II, according to nurse.org. Recently, Agnes celebrated her 100th birthday as she continues to fight and advocate for herself and all the nurses seeking long-overdue recognition and Veteran status. Agnes is using her platform as one of the last remaining members of the cadet program to change the law, giving those nurses “Veteran status.” In the midst of war, Lowe joined thousands of young American women to provide help in overwhelmed hospitals. Before the program ended in 1948, about 120,000 nurses were trained as part of the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps.. Agnes said, “We did 80% of the nursing that was done on the Homefront, and we were credited with saving the healthcare system. “The Surgeon General at that time had said that we were as important to the healthcare system as the Marines were to D-Day.” Thank you for saving lives, Agnes, and to you and all in the Cadet Nurse Corps, THANK YOU for your service.
