Advocating for World War II’s Unsung Lifesavers

Photo by Gabrielle Lefkowitz, SOC/BA ’27.

This Veterans Day, an American University class is working to raise awareness about the critical contributions of an underrecognized group of service members.

Students in School of Communication professor Gemma Puglisi’s public relations portfolio capstone are working with the Bataan Legacy Historical Society (BLHC) this semester to honor the service and sacrifice of 73,000 US Army and Navy nurses during World War II. 

When the United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor in 1941, fewer than 7,000 nurses were on active duty. By 1945, that number had grown tenfold. Nurses treated millions of wounded service members on the front lines, helping ensure fewer than 4 percent of US soldiers died from their wounds.

Nurses on the ground at Normandy. Photo courtesy of the Army Nurse Corps Association.

These women endured hunger, disease, bombings, and discrimination to provide critical care. About 200 died in combat. In some cases—including after Japanese forces captured the Bataan Peninsula in 1942—they were also taken as prisoners of war.

“What stands out to me is how selfless they were,” said Deirdre Brown, SOC/BA ’27. “They might not have been carrying the weapons, but they were the ones behind the scenes saving the men who were. I find them incredibly courageous.” 

Despite playing a critical role in Allied victory, World War II nurses—only a few of whom are still alive today—have never received the Congressional Gold Medal. The BLHC is part of a coalition of retired nurses, veterans, educators, and community leaders working to change that. 

In the community-based learning course, 18 AU students have gained real-world experience working alongside BLHC founder and executive director Cecilia Gaerlan. The class connected with the organization through AU’s Center for Leadership and Community Engagement. 

“There was no question that I thought this would be the perfect project for the students,” Puglisi said. “I knew that the students would find this project rewarding and inspiring, but more importantly, I wanted them to make a difference.” 

Eagles have supported the campaign by securing media interviews for nurses’ families, providing branding and marketing services, and organizing outreach on campus and on Capitol Hill.

In 2025, lawmakers introduced two bipartisan bills—S.2195 and H.R. 4901—that would award Congress’s highest civilian honor to the nurses. 

Photo by Gabrielle Lefkowitz, SOC/BA ’27.

On November 9, Puglisi’s class hosted a panel discussion at the Rayburn House Office Building featuring journalist Liza Mundy; retired Navy Nurse Corps Captain Judy Brinckerhoff, whose mother was a WWII nurse; and retired US Army Brigadier General Clara Adams-Ender, former chief of the Army Nurse Corps; The gathering—carried live on C-SPAN and moderated by Sam Stiles Williams, SOC-SPA/BA ’27—aimed to build momentum among representatives and congressional staff. 

“The progress we’ve made as a group of college students with limited resources has been phenomenal,” Brown said. “What we’ve done has given me a lot of hope and inspiration for my future career in public relations.”

The students have also developed sample advocacy letters to help supporters urge their representatives to back the WWII Nurses Congressional Gold Medal Act. 

“That’s how we get the bill in front of Congress and how it gets passed,” Brown said. “We need 67 Senate cosponsors and 290 House cosponsors. It’s a tall order, but it’s not impossible.” 

No matter the outcome of the vote, Puglisi is certain “students will always remember their contributions and their work.”