Warren, Lawler, Lawmakers Renew Fight to Honor WWII Cadet Nurses
Bill would recognize the nearly 120,000 women who served as Nurse Cadets during WWII, never received honorary veteran status for their service
Bill Text (PDF) | One-Pager (PDF)
Washington, DC – United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), and Angus King (I-Maine), along with U.S. Representatives Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), reintroduced the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps Service Recognition Act, a bill honoring women who served in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during WWII with honorary veteran status. The bill would recognize former Cadet Nurses' service to the country and provide them with honorary veterans status, honorable discharges, a service medal, a burial plaque or grave marker, and other commendations.
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) also joined in co-sponsoring the bill in the Senate.
During WWII, a severe shortage of trained nurses threatened the United States’ ability to meet domestic and military medical needs. As a result, Congress established the Cadet Nurse Corps, an integrated, uniformed service of the Public Health Administration, in 1943 to provide women with expedited nursing education in exchange for "essential military or civilian nursing for the duration of the war." In 1944, the Federal Security Agency identified "national recognition for rendering a vital war service" as a privilege of service in the Corps.
In total, nearly 120,000 women completed the Corps' rigorous training and served in military hospitals, VA hospitals, Marine hospitals, private hospitals, public health agencies, and public hospitals until the program ended in 1948.
One of those women, Cadet Nurse Elizabeth "Betty" Beecher, trained to become a Cadet Nurse in Boston, Massachusetts, and then served as a nurse at a Staten Island, N.Y., marine hospital near the end of WWII.
"We prevented a total collapse of the health care system," she said. "Had we not stepped up and volunteered and enlisted in the Corps, I'm afraid the country would have been demoralized and our boys would have come home to a sick country."
“It’s about time we recognize these women for their service to our country during World War II,” said Senator Warren. “They stepped up to prevent our nation’s health care system from collapsing and were crucial to our wartime efforts — that is the definition of patriotism.”
“The brave women of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps, including Montanan Laura Koch-Natvig, served our nation selflessly during World War II,” said Senator Daines. “I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan bill to give the Cadet Nurse Corps the honor and recognition they deserve, so the legacy of these brave women will be forever remembered.”
“The cadet nurses of World War II are unsung heroes whose bravery and selfless service helped the United States and our Allies win the war,” said Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Committees. “As our nation struggled to meet medical staffing levels and take care of its soldiers, young women across the country stepped up to help make a difference and save lives. It is a privilege to join my colleagues in introducing the bipartisan U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps Service Recognition Act, which will give long overdue recognition to these remarkable women of the Greatest Generation and further cement their important role in defending freedom and democracy.”
“The women of the Cadet Nurse Corps kept our hospitals going at a moment when our country desperately needed them. Without their service, the outcome of the war, and the world we live in today, would be very different,” said Congressman Mike Lawler.
“Throughout World War II, Cadet Nurses helped sustain the strength and resolve of our nation. They supported a medical system under extraordinary strain and cared for our troops with deep patriotism and devotion. Their contributions have gone understated for generations. Recognizing them with veteran status finally honors their sacrifice and secures their rightful place as heroes in America’s story,” said Congressman Fitzpatrick.
“Cadet nurses help the United States and our Allies win World War II,” said Congressman Deluzio. “They made enormous sacrifices and bravely put themselves in harm’s way in their efforts to save lives. I am proud to join with my colleagues to reintroduce the United States Cadet Nurse Corps Service Recognition Act of 2023 to grant these nurses honorary veteran status and other benefits that these cadet nurses earned through their service.”
The U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps Service Recognition Act would:
- Provide Cadet Nurses with honorary veteran status, with an honorable discharge from service where merited and;
- Permit the Secretary of Defense to provide honorably discharged Cadet Nurses with a service medal, a burial plaque or grave marker, and other commendations to honor their service.
The bill was included in the House version of the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act. While the legislation would provide the appropriate military honors, it would not provide still-living Cadet Nurses with Veterans Affairs pensions, healthcare benefits, or other privileges afforded to former active-duty service members, such as burial benefits in Arlington Cemetery.
“The Military Women's Memorial strongly supports this vital legislation to finally honor the more than 124,000 members of the Cadet Nurse Corps, whose service was indispensable to the success of the World War II effort. Replacing nurses who had joined the military, they served on the home front in military and civilian hospitals across the nation, eventually providing 80% of the nursing care in the U.S. These women personify the commitment and sacrifice of women in service, stepping up to fill a critical nursing shortage. Like their military brothers and sisters, their pledge to serve 'for the duration of the war, plus six months' is a sacred commitment that deserves the highest recognition, and we urge Congress to pass this long-overdue tribute to their legacy," said Phyllis Wilson, President of the Military Women’s Memorial.
“AACN applauds the introduction of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps Service Recognition Act," said Dr. Deborah Trautman, President and CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. “We look forward to working with Congress to honor the members of the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps who embodied the bravery of the ‘greatest generation' and who nobly served our country during World War II.”
“The Cadet Nurses answered the call of duty during a time of great need,” said American Nurses Association President Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN. “By addressing a critical shortage of nurses during World War II, the Cadet Nurse Corp ensured that Americans maintained access to health care throughout the yearslong conflict. ANA is proud to support this bill, which honors and recognizes the extraordinary contributions that the women of the United States Cadet Corps made to their country.
The bill is endorsed by the Military Women’s Memorial, the American Nurses Association, and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
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