Johnson City women who served in WWII U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps honored

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Two women who served in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II were recognized by their Johnson City assisted living facility.

Margaret Washington and Agnes Lowe both served in the corps to help address the nursing shortage during the war. On Monday, Christian Assisted Living of Johnson City held a celebration and presented both women with plaques for their roles in the corps.

The celebration also coincided with National Nurses Week.

Washington and Lowe, 98 and 99 respectively, said choosing to join the effort in the Cadet Nurse Corps was an easy decision. Those who joined received a free education, a lifetime nursing career, uniforms and the opportunity to earn the title of senior nurse cadet.

“Why wouldn’t you?” Washington asked. “$15 a month that you could spend, more later. I had no money so why not? And they had snappy uniforms. There was no reason not to.”

“We were credited with saving the healthcare system, and the surgeon general at that time said that we were as important to the healthcare system as the Marines were to D-Day because a lot of the hospitals would have had to close down,” Lowe said. “They just didn’t have enough nurses to keep them open.”

After the war ended, deployed nurses returned home and the Cadet Nurse Corps was dissolved. Despite attempts by former members of the corps and other advocates , the 124,000 women who joined were never granted veteran status.

News Channel 11 sat down with Washington and Lowe for an interview about their service. To see the full story, look for News Channel 11’s weekly Veterans Voices story on Friday at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. and on WJHL.com.

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