Anna Mae Hays
The Army nurse who broke the brass ceiling, becoming the first female general in U.S. military history and transforming the Nurse Corps.
1920–2018 (age 98)·20th-century United States Armed Forces officer·Birthday: February 16·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Anna Mae Hays's story is one of quiet, relentless professionalism that shattered a monumental barrier. She entered the Army Nurse Corps during World War II, serving in grueling conditions on the front lines in India, where she treated casualties from the Burma campaign. This experience forged a leader who understood the core of military nursing. Rising through the ranks, she became the 13th Chief of the Army Nurse Corps in 1967, just as the Vietnam War demanded more from medical services. Hays modernized the corps, fighting for and winning crucial policy changes: she abolished automatic discharge for pregnancy, established child care centers, and secured equitable allowances for nurses. Her historic promotion to brigadier general in 1970, shared in a joint ceremony with Air Force Chief Nurse Anna May McCabe, was a symbolic and practical victory, granting the nurses' leadership a formal voice in the Pentagon's highest councils.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Anna was born in 1920, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Anna Was Born
The biggest hits of 1920
#1 Movie
Way Down East
Anna's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1920Born
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1925Started school
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1933Became a teenager
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1936Could drive
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1938Could vote
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1941Turned 21
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1950Turned 30
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1960Turned 40
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1970Turned 50
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 60
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 70
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 80
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2018Died at 98
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
Key Achievements
- Became the first woman in the United States Armed Forces to attain the rank of general officer on June 11, 1970.
- As Chief of the Army Nurse Corps, ended the policy of automatic discharge for nurses who became pregnant.
- Oversaw the Army Nurse Corps during the Vietnam War, ensuring high standards of care for wounded soldiers.
Did You Know?
She was pinned with her general's stars by her brother, Colonel John Hays, who was also a career Army officer.
During her service in India in WWII, she often worked in a 1000-bed hospital with limited supplies and torrential monsoon rains.
Her promotion ceremony was delayed so she could be promoted concurrently with the Air Force's first female general, Anna May McCabe.
“A nurse goes where she's needed, and I was needed in the Army.”
