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First woman Army surgeon in 1898, assigned to secure and train nurses for the Spanish American War . When the war ended she organized the Army Nurse Corps under the US Surgeon General and served as its first director and the first woman assistant surgeon general.
Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee
In April 1898, the Army Medical Department accepted the offer of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Hospital Corps to screen applications and select nurses to receive contracts. Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee led this group of volunteers until August 29, 1898. On that date she was appointed an Acting Assistant Surgeon in the US Armythe only woman to hold this military position at that time.
Professional nurses under contract to the Army included nearly 250 nuns and 80 African American nurses including five graduates from the prestigious Tuskegee Institute. Native American nurses, including four from the Congregation of American Sisters in South Dakota, also volunteered.
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