Major Della Hayden Raney Jackson, A Soldier's Story
Major Della Hayden Raney Jackson, A Soldier's Story
Born on January 10, 1912, in Suffolk, Virginia, Major Della Hayden Raney Jackson would grow into one of the most important yet often overlooked pioneers in American military and nursing history.
After relocating to Durham, North Carolina, she enrolled at Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing and graduated in 1937. Lincoln Hospital was a significant institution serving African American communities in the segregated South, and it was there that Raney refined both her technical skill and her leadership capacity. She remained on staff, eventually supervising the operating room while quietly but persistently seeking entry into the United States Army.
Because of entrenched racial discrimination, her request to enlist was not immediately accepted. It was not until April 1941, just months before America formally entered World War II, that the Army Nurse Corps opened its doors to African American nurses. When it did, Della Hayden Raney stepped forward.
She was commissioned and assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where she became the commander of the Army’s African American nurses. In doing so, she became the first woman of African descent to hold a command position in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. It was not simply a symbolic role. She was responsible for supervising, advocating for, and ensuring the professional standing of nurses who were serving in a still-segregated military.
In March 1942, she was reassigned to the Tuskegee Army Airfield and promoted to Chief Nurse. There, she supported the medical needs connected to one of the most historic aviation training programs in American history. Throughout World War II, Major Raney Jackson continued supervising nursing units, ensuring proper standards of care and professional development.
Her service extended beyond the war itself. During the occupation of Japan, she deployed overseas, continuing to elevate military nursing during a crucial period of global transition.
Major Della Hayden Raney Jackson retired from the U.S. Army in 1978 after decades of service and leadership. She passed away on October 23, 1987, and rests in Arlington National Cemetery, a fitting place for a woman who helped reshape the professional landscape of military nursing.
Her legacy continues. In 2012, the National Black Nurses Association and the Tuskegee Airmen Foundation established a scholarship in her honor, a living testament to her belief that professional excellence and military service could work hand in hand.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
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