In honor of the beginning of Womens History Month, we would like to recognize Col. Ruby Bradley. Born on December 19, 1907, in Spencer, West Virginia, Ruby Bradley was an Army surgical nurse and veteran of World War II and Korean War.  She was one of the most decorated women in the United States military, earning 34 medals and citations of bravery including two Legion of Merit medals, two Bronze Stars, a UN Korean Service Medal and the Florence Nightingale Medal from the International Red Cross. 

 

As a career Army nurse prior to World War II, Colonel Bradley served as the hospital administrator in Luzon in the Philippines in 1941, when the Japanese invaded, she and a doctor and fellow nurse hid in the hills, but three weeks later, she was captured by the Japanese army and held as a Prisoner of War for over three years. During that time, Bradley help treating fellow POWs, assisted in more than 230 major surgeries and delivered 13 babies. She would regularly smuggle food to hungry children in the camp, despite dropping to under 90 pounds herself when the Americans liberated the camp in 1945. She was returned to the United States where she continued her career in the army. Bradley served as the 8th Army’s chief nurse on the front lines of the Korean war in 1950. She managed to evacuate all of the wounded soldiers onto a plane while under heavy fire and was the last to jump aboard the plane just as her ambulance was shelled. In 1958, Bradley was promoted to the rank of Colonel and retired in the Army in 1963. After her retirement, Ruby worked as a supervising nurse in West Virginia for 17 years. This true American hero passed away on May 28, 2002 at age of 94 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. 

 

We salute and honor Colonel Ruth Bradley's exemplary service for our country.