Posted: | July 26, 2018 03:54 PM |
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From: | Representative Pamela A. DeLissio |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Memorial Bridge Dedication to Brigadier General Anna Mae V. McCabe Hays |
In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation designating a bridge on State Route 4001 as the Brigadier General Anna Mae V. McCabe Hays Memorial Bridge. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, a sense of duty inspired Anna Mae to join the Army Nurse Corps, which resulted in her deployment to Ledo, Assam, India where she cared for over 49,000 patients. Following World War II, she went on to serve in the Korean War, graduate from Columbia University Teacher’s College and Catholic University of America, and guide army nurses through the Vietnam War in her role as the 13th Chief of the Army Nurse Corps. The aforementioned service resulted in her promotion to the rank of brigadier general in 1970, making her the first woman in the United States Armed Forces to achieve the rank of general. Anne Mae led groundbreaking reforms in personnel policies, including the elimination of automatic discharges for married officers who become pregnant and the elimination of restrictions on the age of dependents of female nurses seeking appointment in the Army Nurse Corps Reserve. It is fitting that we now recognize the contributions of this remarkable woman and Pennsylvanian. As such, I ask that you consider co-sponsoring this legislation and join me in honoring the life of Brigadier General Anna Mae V. McCabe Hays. |
Introduced as HB2688