Manufactured by
Unidentified
Distributed by
United States Army Air Force, American, 1941 - 1947
Owned by
Lomax, Louise Virginia, American, 1920 - 2011
Date
1943-1953
Medium
metal
Dimensions
H x W x D: 3/8 × 1 3/16 × 5/16 in. (1 × 3 × 0.8 cm)
Caption
Louise Lomax joined the Army Nurse Corps (ANC) as a 2nd Lieutenant in March 1943 and trained as a psychiatric nurse at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C. By September 1943 she was stationed at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama, home of the Tuskegee Airmen. Lomax remained at Tuskegee during the war, where she was eventually promoted to 1st Lieutenant.
After the war, Lt. Lomax went on to serve at Lockbourne Army Air Base in Ohio; Provident Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland; at VA hospitals in Downey, Illinois; and Perry Point, Maryland; and finally at the Army’s Percy Jones General Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan. Lt. Lomax retired from active duty in March 1949 and transferred to the Reserve Corps, where she served for four years. She was honorably discharged from the ANC in April 1953.The exact origins of this pin are unknown. It's possible that Lomax wore the pin after her retirement from the ANC as a patriotic symbol or as a symbol of her Army service.
Description
A U.S. insignia pin worn by Lt. Louise Lomax as part of her Army Nurse Corps uniform. The pin is gold with a push pin backing, with clasps. It is in the shape of the letters "U." and "S."
Place used
Tuskegee, Macon County, Alabama, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Awards and Medals
Type
insignias
Topic
Medicine
Military
Nursing
Segregation
U.S. History, 1945-1953
Women
World War II
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Pia Marie Winters Jordan in memory of her mother, First Lieutenant Louise Virginia Lomax Winters, Army Nurse Corps; and her uncle, Sgt. Henry James Lomax, U.S. Army
Object number
2022.42.2.4.6
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd522b47eaa-bcbb-4851-afe6-7d510fd4f526

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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