LaTonya Jones
Chicago, Illinois, United States

One of the most coveted military awards is the Army Expert Field Medical Badge (EFMB). It is awarded to soldiers who demonstrate excellent performance of common military tasks while simultaneously exhibiting an expert level of proficiency in applying basic medical care in the field.1 All branches of the military medical units are encouraged to participate in the rigorous annual testing of physical and mental agility over a four-day period.1 Competition tasks include: (1) a written exam; (2) land navigation; (3) combat casualty care; (4) casualty evacuation; (4) communication tasks; (5) warrior skills tasks; and (6) a foot march.2 Generally, physicians and nurses compete against one another during the timed testing.1 Moreover, the EFMB is considered one of the greatest achievements for soldiers in the Army Medical Department because it recognizes experts capable of rendering high-quality evidence-based medical care to injured soldiers regardless of the situation.3 Captain Clara Adams-Ender was the first woman, as well as the first registered nurse, to receive the EFMB in 1967.4
Adams-Ender was a trailblazer who paved the way for many nurses to excel in the face of complex ethical dilemmas in high-intensity combat situations.5 Moreover, she fought for justice and equality. Her fight for civil rights began when she was a college student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in 1960.6 Together with hundreds of other students, civil rights organizations, churches, and members of the community, she protested racial segregation at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.6 This non-violent protest, culminating with the desegregation of the lunch counter after six months of protest, provided daylight during one of the darkest moments of United States civil rights history.6
Similarly, as a retired brigadier general, she was instrumental in paving the way for more than 15,000 transgender soldiers to serve openly in the United States military when she urged the government to allow all military personnel to serve with honor and integrity.7
Born into a family of sharecroppers on July 11, 1939 in Willow Springs, North Carolina,8 she enlisted in the US Army in 1961 and served for more than thirty years. She was the first African American nurse to earn a master’s degree in military arts and sciences while holding a Master of Science Degree in Nursing.8 The EFMB was one of many distinguished service awards she received. Moreover, she was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to serve as the Chief Nurse of the United States Army Nurse Corps, where she oversaw thousands of nurses in hundreds of medical centers throughout the world.8
Ironically, Adams-Ender never intended to be a leader. Her plan was simply to serve as an Army nurse for three years and then marry.9 She credits divine intervention for her many accomplishments and exceptional leadership skills, particularly because of the pervasive sexism that she faced in the Army.9 She also believes growing up with brothers gave rise to her ambition, perseverance, strength, and endurance.9
She describes her military service as “grand and glorious” despite the pervasiveness of sexism and racism.10 She believed the military should look like America, and that the color of her skin and her gender were a stumbling block for those who discriminated against her.10
Adams-Ender was named by Working Woman magazine as one of the 350 women who changed the world in 1996.11 Moreover, she was inducted as a member of the United States Army Women’s Hall of Fame in 2019.11 When she retired in 1993, she opened her own consulting business. At eighty-five years of age, she remains a vital force, leader, and example of tenacity, grit, and perseverance.
Notes
- Fieg EL, Baker TS, and Bishop EC. (1987). Army Expert Field Medical Badge (EFMB) enhances Air Force medical readiness. Military Medicine, 152(7), 351-354. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/152.7.351
- April MD et al. (2022). A Descriptive Analysis of the Execution of the Expert Field Medical Badge Competition with Mitigation Measures during the COVID-19 Pandemic. U.S. Army Medical Department Journal, 12.
- Corregidor S. (August 30, 2022). Earning the Army’s Expert Medical Badge. https://www.army.mil/article/259806/earning_the_armys_expert_field_medical_badge
- Johnson K. African American Women Who Made U.S. Military History. Black Enterprise (Online). 2019. https://flagship.luc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/magazines/african-american-women-who-made-u-s-military/docview/2755607079/se-2
- Gignoux-Froment F et al. (2024). Ethical Dilemmas Faced by Military Health Personnel During High-Intensity Conflict: The Crucial Issue of Triage. Military Medicine, 189(9-10), 234-238. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usae165
- McDaniel, V. P. (2023). Black History Month Feature: Black Resistance. Virginia Nurses Today, 31(1), 9-9.
- Generals back trans acceptance. (2014). Herizons (Winnipeg), 28(2), 8.
- Jenkins O and Pollitt P. (2015). North Carolina Chiefs of the United States Army Nurse Corps. Tar Heel Nurse, 77(5), 15-15.
- Dent D. Brigader General Clara Adams-Ender: Leader and healer. Essence.1990;20(12):44. https://flagship.luc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/magazines/brigadier-general-clara-adams-ender-leader-healer/docview/1876772573/se-2
- Marbella J. Seeing diversity play out in court Military watches Naval Academy admissions trial. Capital Sep 23, 2024. https://flagship.luc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/seeing-diversity-play-out-court-military-watches/docview/3107993968/se-2
- Wikipedia. (2025). Clara Adams-Ender. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Adams-Ender
LATONYA D. JONES, RN, BSN, JD, is a graduate student at Loyola University Chicago, Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. She is employed as a full-time neonatal ICU staff nurse at Sinai Chicago Hospital and a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. She also holds a law degree from Western Michigan University at Cooley Law School. She plans to become a transformational executive nurse leader.
Submitted for the 2024–25 Nurse Essay Contest
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