DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS
AIR MEDAL WITH 4 OAK LEAF CLUSTERS
RED CROSS MEDAL
PURPLE HEART
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FIRST SERVICEWOMAN TO BE KILLED IN COMBAT
FIRST WOMAN TO RECEIVED DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS'
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SHIP,HOSPITAL,AIRPLANE NAMED AFTER HER.DIED IN PLANE CRASH INTO MOUNTAIN WHILE LEAVING BATTLEFIELD WITH WOUNDED IN PLANE.802ND AIR EVACUATION COMMAND. CRASH CUT HER IN HALF.FIRST WOMAN SHIP IN SERVICE NAMED AFTER HER.US ARMY HOSPITAL SHIP IN WW11 CALLED ALEDA E. LUTZ. LADY IS BURIED IN France. MAYBE A TRIBUTE TO HER IN MICHIGAN,LIKE THE HOSPITAL THERE. Audie Murphy a hero and so Lutz is too.
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In 1942, a woman from Freeland, Michigan enlisted with the U.S. Army to care for wounded American, British and French soldiers, and the occasional wounded German or Italian prisoner of war.
A graduate of Arthur Hill High School and the Saginaw General Hospital School of Nursing, Aleda E. Lutz was an aerial nurse in World War II, caring for America's boys on hospital transport planes as they hurried their cargoes back to hospitals from the front lines and from the battlefields. She died at 28, on her 196th mission, when the airplane that was carrying her and 15 wounded soldiers crashed in a storm between Lyons, France and Italy on Nov. 1, 1944.
Lutz's decision to serve in the 802nd Airborne Medical Air Evacuation Squadron would take her far from her roots, her family and her home to the far-away countries of Tunisia in Africa, Italy and France. Her decision would ensure the care and evacuation of more than 3,500 patients, all while she logged 814 hours in the air.
"Transporting by air the wounded from battle areas to base hospitals is the work that we do here," Lutz wrote in January 1944, shortly after she was promoted from second to first lieutenant.
Paul Vasold remembers his aunt as an outgoing, funny person who once sent him a whole coconut through the mail, addressed by the postcard stapled to the shell.
"Shell and all, she mailed it to me from Florida while she was in training," he said.
After her death, Lutz was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the first military women to receive that medal as well as the Air Medal with Four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Red Cross Medal and the Purple Heart. Lutz's story, one of a pioneer and a patriot, was used by the Army to recruit more nurses for the service.
Lutz was the leading flight nurse in the 802nd in terms of evacuations flown, number of flight hours and the number of patients evacuated.
Her work and her courage would later lead the naming of a hospital ship and Aleda E. Lutz Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Saginaw, Michigan in her honor.
Story Written by : Alison Libersa, Rhone American Cemetery
AIR MEDAL WITH 4 OAK LEAF CLUSTERS
RED CROSS MEDAL
PURPLE HEART
-----
FIRST SERVICEWOMAN TO BE KILLED IN COMBAT
FIRST WOMAN TO RECEIVED DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS'
--------
SHIP,HOSPITAL,AIRPLANE NAMED AFTER HER.DIED IN PLANE CRASH INTO MOUNTAIN WHILE LEAVING BATTLEFIELD WITH WOUNDED IN PLANE.802ND AIR EVACUATION COMMAND. CRASH CUT HER IN HALF.FIRST WOMAN SHIP IN SERVICE NAMED AFTER HER.US ARMY HOSPITAL SHIP IN WW11 CALLED ALEDA E. LUTZ. LADY IS BURIED IN France. MAYBE A TRIBUTE TO HER IN MICHIGAN,LIKE THE HOSPITAL THERE. Audie Murphy a hero and so Lutz is too.
-------------
In 1942, a woman from Freeland, Michigan enlisted with the U.S. Army to care for wounded American, British and French soldiers, and the occasional wounded German or Italian prisoner of war.
A graduate of Arthur Hill High School and the Saginaw General Hospital School of Nursing, Aleda E. Lutz was an aerial nurse in World War II, caring for America's boys on hospital transport planes as they hurried their cargoes back to hospitals from the front lines and from the battlefields. She died at 28, on her 196th mission, when the airplane that was carrying her and 15 wounded soldiers crashed in a storm between Lyons, France and Italy on Nov. 1, 1944.
Lutz's decision to serve in the 802nd Airborne Medical Air Evacuation Squadron would take her far from her roots, her family and her home to the far-away countries of Tunisia in Africa, Italy and France. Her decision would ensure the care and evacuation of more than 3,500 patients, all while she logged 814 hours in the air.
"Transporting by air the wounded from battle areas to base hospitals is the work that we do here," Lutz wrote in January 1944, shortly after she was promoted from second to first lieutenant.
Paul Vasold remembers his aunt as an outgoing, funny person who once sent him a whole coconut through the mail, addressed by the postcard stapled to the shell.
"Shell and all, she mailed it to me from Florida while she was in training," he said.
After her death, Lutz was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the first military women to receive that medal as well as the Air Medal with Four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Red Cross Medal and the Purple Heart. Lutz's story, one of a pioneer and a patriot, was used by the Army to recruit more nurses for the service.
Lutz was the leading flight nurse in the 802nd in terms of evacuations flown, number of flight hours and the number of patients evacuated.
Her work and her courage would later lead the naming of a hospital ship and Aleda E. Lutz Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Saginaw, Michigan in her honor.
Story Written by : Alison Libersa, Rhone American Cemetery
DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS
AIR MEDAL WITH 4 OAK LEAF CLUSTERS
RED CROSS MEDAL
PURPLE HEART
-----
FIRST SERVICEWOMAN TO BE KILLED IN COMBAT
FIRST WOMAN TO RECEIVED DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS'
--------
SHIP,HOSPITAL,AIRPLANE NAMED AFTER HER.DIED IN PLANE CRASH INTO MOUNTAIN WHILE LEAVING BATTLEFIELD WITH WOUNDED IN PLANE.802ND AIR EVACUATION COMMAND. CRASH CUT HER IN HALF.FIRST WOMAN SHIP IN SERVICE NAMED AFTER HER.US ARMY HOSPITAL SHIP IN WW11 CALLED ALEDA E. LUTZ. LADY IS BURIED IN France. MAYBE A TRIBUTE TO HER IN MICHIGAN,LIKE THE HOSPITAL THERE. Audie Murphy a hero and so Lutz is too.
-------------
In 1942, a woman from Freeland, Michigan enlisted with the U.S. Army to care for wounded American, British and French soldiers, and the occasional wounded German or Italian prisoner of war.
A graduate of Arthur Hill High School and the Saginaw General Hospital School of Nursing, Aleda E. Lutz was an aerial nurse in World War II, caring for America's boys on hospital transport planes as they hurried their cargoes back to hospitals from the front lines and from the battlefields. She died at 28, on her 196th mission, when the airplane that was carrying her and 15 wounded soldiers crashed in a storm between Lyons, France and Italy on Nov. 1, 1944.
Lutz's decision to serve in the 802nd Airborne Medical Air Evacuation Squadron would take her far from her roots, her family and her home to the far-away countries of Tunisia in Africa, Italy and France. Her decision would ensure the care and evacuation of more than 3,500 patients, all while she logged 814 hours in the air.
"Transporting by air the wounded from battle areas to base hospitals is the work that we do here," Lutz wrote in January 1944, shortly after she was promoted from second to first lieutenant.
Paul Vasold remembers his aunt as an outgoing, funny person who once sent him a whole coconut through the mail, addressed by the postcard stapled to the shell.
"Shell and all, she mailed it to me from Florida while she was in training," he said.
After her death, Lutz was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the first military women to receive that medal as well as the Air Medal with Four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Red Cross Medal and the Purple Heart. Lutz's story, one of a pioneer and a patriot, was used by the Army to recruit more nurses for the service.
Lutz was the leading flight nurse in the 802nd in terms of evacuations flown, number of flight hours and the number of patients evacuated.
Her work and her courage would later lead the naming of a hospital ship and Aleda E. Lutz Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Saginaw, Michigan in her honor.
Story Written by : Alison Libersa, Rhone American Cemetery
AIR MEDAL WITH 4 OAK LEAF CLUSTERS
RED CROSS MEDAL
PURPLE HEART
-----
FIRST SERVICEWOMAN TO BE KILLED IN COMBAT
FIRST WOMAN TO RECEIVED DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS'
--------
SHIP,HOSPITAL,AIRPLANE NAMED AFTER HER.DIED IN PLANE CRASH INTO MOUNTAIN WHILE LEAVING BATTLEFIELD WITH WOUNDED IN PLANE.802ND AIR EVACUATION COMMAND. CRASH CUT HER IN HALF.FIRST WOMAN SHIP IN SERVICE NAMED AFTER HER.US ARMY HOSPITAL SHIP IN WW11 CALLED ALEDA E. LUTZ. LADY IS BURIED IN France. MAYBE A TRIBUTE TO HER IN MICHIGAN,LIKE THE HOSPITAL THERE. Audie Murphy a hero and so Lutz is too.
-------------
In 1942, a woman from Freeland, Michigan enlisted with the U.S. Army to care for wounded American, British and French soldiers, and the occasional wounded German or Italian prisoner of war.
A graduate of Arthur Hill High School and the Saginaw General Hospital School of Nursing, Aleda E. Lutz was an aerial nurse in World War II, caring for America's boys on hospital transport planes as they hurried their cargoes back to hospitals from the front lines and from the battlefields. She died at 28, on her 196th mission, when the airplane that was carrying her and 15 wounded soldiers crashed in a storm between Lyons, France and Italy on Nov. 1, 1944.
Lutz's decision to serve in the 802nd Airborne Medical Air Evacuation Squadron would take her far from her roots, her family and her home to the far-away countries of Tunisia in Africa, Italy and France. Her decision would ensure the care and evacuation of more than 3,500 patients, all while she logged 814 hours in the air.
"Transporting by air the wounded from battle areas to base hospitals is the work that we do here," Lutz wrote in January 1944, shortly after she was promoted from second to first lieutenant.
Paul Vasold remembers his aunt as an outgoing, funny person who once sent him a whole coconut through the mail, addressed by the postcard stapled to the shell.
"Shell and all, she mailed it to me from Florida while she was in training," he said.
After her death, Lutz was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the first military women to receive that medal as well as the Air Medal with Four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Red Cross Medal and the Purple Heart. Lutz's story, one of a pioneer and a patriot, was used by the Army to recruit more nurses for the service.
Lutz was the leading flight nurse in the 802nd in terms of evacuations flown, number of flight hours and the number of patients evacuated.
Her work and her courage would later lead the naming of a hospital ship and Aleda E. Lutz Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Saginaw, Michigan in her honor.
Story Written by : Alison Libersa, Rhone American Cemetery
Inscription
1LT, 802 MED AIR EVAC SQ WORLD WAR II
