Army nurses in Vietnam worked 12-hour shifts, dealt with severely wounded Soldiers, played card games to boost morale and never let an American Soldier die alone. One of them, 1LT Sharon Lane, was the only American woman killed by hostile fire.
Sharon was a favorite among the Soldiers and her fellow nurses. She was a shy young woman from Ohio, respected for her hard work and devotion to duty. She typically used her day off to volunteer in the surgical ICU, caring for the most critically wounded Soldiers. Sharon had volunteered to go to Vietnam instead of being ordered there; she wanted to be where she was needed the most and the jungle of Vietnam was that spot. But on June 8th, 1969, the 312th Evacuation Hospital was struck by Viet Cong fire, killing two and wounding another 27. Sharon was one of those two. She died instantly, just one month before her 26th birthday. Sharon’s name is found on panel 23W, line 112 of the Vietnam Wall. Seven other American women died in Vietnam, most from aircraft crashes.
The NIM honors Soldiers – past, present, and future. Will you honor the memory of Sharon and the seven others with a gift to the National Infantry Museum?
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