#VeteranOfTheDay Army Nurse Corps Veteran Alice L. Mikel Duffield

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is World War I Army Nurse Corps Veteran Alice L. Mikel Duffield.

Alice was born in Arkansas in 1896. As a young child, she enjoyed singing and spending time with her loved ones. Originally, she was unsure about what she wanted to be when she grew up. As Alice explained in an interview with the Veterans History Project, during this time there were a limited number of jobs for women. Rather than pursue a career, Alice intended on marrying a man to whom she became engaged; however, she broke off the engagement and signed up to be a nurse at age 19.

She was one of the first nurses trained Sparks Hospital in Fort Smith, where she met Jane Delano, a relative of Franklin Roosevelt. Delano was recruiting nurses for the Army Nurse Corps. Alice was commissioned as a captain in the United States Army after graduation.

She served a nurse at the base hospital in Camp Pike (now Camp Robinson), Arkansas, during World War I.

After the war, for 15 years, she worked at Veterans hospitals in Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee.

At the time of her death, on April 22, 2002, Alice was 105 years old and was the oldest woman Veteran in Tennessee.

We honor her service.

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? You’re in luck! VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much of the information as you can put together with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating for how to create the best submission.

Veterans History Project

This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.

Graphic created by Carl J. Valentino: Carl J. Valentino is a student at the University of Delaware with a Major in International Business and a Minor in Graphic Design.