Ann A. Bernatitus
1912–2003 (age 91)
Biography
Ann A. Bernatitus (1912-2003) bravely served as a U.S. Army nurse in the Philippines during World War II, becoming the first American Army nurse to receive the Purple Heart after enduring the Bataan Death March and continuing to care for fellow service members under harrowing circumstances.
After returning stateside, she carried the same resilience into civilian life, advocating for nursing education and sharing her story so future generations would remember the cost of freedom; her memory rests in Saint Casimir's Cemetery where family and admirers still pay tribute.