Sonali Bhansali
Chicago, Illinois, United States
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Nurses have made important contributions in all aspects and eras of healthcare, including war time. Jane Rignel, Linnie Leckrone, and Irene Robar are three nurses who were recognized and awarded for their work on the front lines in France during World War I. Rignel was the chief nurse who supervised the care of soldiers at Mobile Hospital No. 2, which was attached to Field Hospital No. 127.1 She and the nurses under her supervision were awarded the Citation Star in 1918. Their team of twenty-two cared for wounded soldiers injured in heavy enemy fire on July 15, 1918, near Bussey le Chateau, France. By 6:00 am that day, seventy-five patients had arrived. Rignel organized triage and surgical areas, demonstrating great courage, determination, and leadership.2
Edith Cavell was a British nurse who helped soldiers of Britain, France, and Belgium to escape German-occupied Belgium during World War I.2 In September 1914, she helped two British soldiers that were trapped behind German lines. After treating their injuries, she arranged to have them smuggled out of Belgium to the Netherlands. She treated 200 British, French, and Belgian soldiers over eleven months, sending them back to their families after caring for them. In August 1915, she was arrested by the German authorities and placed in solitary confinement at St. Gilles Prison in Brussels. Her arrest was determined to be legal under international law, and she was found guilty and sentenced to death. She was shot by the firing squad on October 12, 1915. After the war, a memorial service was held at Westminster Abbey and she was buried in Norwich Cathedral.3
References
- “Nurses on the Great War’s Front Lines.” U.S. Department of Defense, 2022. https://www.defense.gov/external-content/story/Article/1780446/nurses-on-the-great-wars-front-lines/
- Wolf, RW. “Three Female Army nurses received Silver Star for WWI actions.” U.S. Army, 2018. https://www.army.mil/article/204847/three_female_army_nurses_received_silver_star_for_wwi_actions
- “Who was Edith Cavell”? Imperial War Museums, n.d. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/who-was-edith-cavell
SONALI BHANSALI completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Botany and Horticulture. With four years of ongoing experience as an EKG technician at Mount Sinai Hospital, she is now finishing her Master’s in Nursing at DePaul University.
Submitted for the 2024–25 Nurse Essay Contest
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