#VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Ellen Ainsworth

Veteran of the Day graphic created by Tenzin Chomphel for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Ellen Ainsworth. Ellen served during World War II from 1942 to 1944.

Ellen was born in Glenwood City, Wisconsin. She graduated from the Minneapolis Eitel Hospital School of Nursing in 1941 and joined the Army Nurse Corps in March 1942. Her first duty station was at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas until early 1943, when she was reassigned to the 56th Evacuation Hospital at Fort Sam Houston. The unit subsequently deployed to Tunisia before being relocated to Anzio, Italy. On Feb. 10, 1944, the Battle of Anzio reached the hospital where Ellen was on duty, and she sustained severe wounds from the artillery fire. Ellen remained calm and began to move her patients to safety. She died six days later due to the injuries sustained and was buried at the Sicily American Cemetery in Italy.

For her courageous service, Ellen was awarded the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, American Campaign Medal, Europe/Africa/Middle Eastern Campaign and the World War II Victory Medal.

We honor your service, Ellen.

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? 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 information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn 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/.

Contributors:

Graphic designer: Tenzin Chomphel

Fact checker: Kat Blanchard

Editor: Taryn Gehman