Nancy Leftenant-Colon, the first Black woman to join the U.S. Army Nurse Corps after the military was desegregated in the 1940s, has died at the age of 104. She passed away earlier this month at a nursing home in New York. Known for quietly breaking barriers during her remarkable military career, Leftenant-Colon enjoyed a legacy of resilience, excellence, and service.
Born on September 29, 1920, in Goose Creek, South Carolina, to James and Eunice Leftenant, she graduated from Amityville High School in New York in 1939. Despite facing racial discrimination, Leftenant-Colon pursued her passion for nursing, graduating from Lincoln School of Nursing in 1941. According to her biography posted on Tuskegeeairmen.org , when she initially sought to join the Armed Forces, she was denied due to her race. Undeterred, she persisted and was accepted as a reservist into the Army Nurse Corps in January 1945, becoming a Second Lieutenant and serving at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, treating wounded soldiers from World War II.
In 1948, after President Harry Truman issued Executive Order 9981 abolishing segregation in the military, Leftenant-Colon became the first Black woman integrated into the Regular Army Nurse Corps. Her career continued to flourish as she transitioned to the newly established U.S. Air Force, where she supported missions during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, serving in various locations, including Germany, Japan, Alaska, and Vietnam. As a Flight Nurse with the 6481st Medical Air Evacuation Group, she evacuated wounded soldiers from active war zones and was credited with saving countless lives…