In 1965, Elizabeth Allen was a nurse on a mission. Inspired by her brothers’ service in the Vietnam War, having earned a Masters degree in Psychiatric Nursing and graduated from Officer Candidate School, she enlisted in the Air Force, insisting that she be assigned to Vietnam. Once in country, she further requested that she not work in a white uniform–i.e., taking care of officers–but close to the action, with wounded servicemen and civilians. She made a point of giving every patient the same care, including enemy soldiers taken captive. Allen has strong opinions on the way the Veterans Administration treats its women patients–opinions reinforced by her interview location, a VA facility in Michigan.
We honor you, Elizabeth Allen.