The unsung story of heroic World War II combat nurses sent into the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa to save thousands of American soldiers and Marines.
The Pacific Theater was the setting for some of World War II’s bloodiest battles, and yet much of its history remains untold. As the war in Europe was winding down, fierce Japanese resistance and mounting casualties slowed the US advance toward Japan. The terrible death toll of doctors, medics, and corpsmen forced the United States Navy to deploy combat nurses to contested airfields, where they triaged desperately wounded men and evacuated them to safety.
In The Flight Nurses’ War, award-winning historian Leah Garrett traces the lives of a team of nurses from their small-town origins to the devastation of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. They risked their lives on rickety, unpressurized aircraft and braved constant enemy assaults. As the battles intensified, Army nurses were also deployed to hospital ships and the infantry front- line, where they endured disease, snipers, and Kamikazes. Successfully evacuating thousands of wounded men from danger, the combat nurses freed up troops to secure both islands and help win the war.
Uncovering an extraordinary story of Second World War heroism, The Flight Nurses’ War powerfully brings to life the remarkable women who risked everything to save lives and assure America’s success in the Pacific campaign.
Leah Garrett is an award-winning professor at Hunter College, CUNY. Her life and academic career have taken her around the world. She spent several years of her childhood in West Africa; she was a Fulbright Scholar in the middle east and travelled extensively throughout the region; she lived in Cambridge, England and studied at Oxford University, England. She won a place at the Art Institute of Chicago and then went back to Africa to work in a Lesotho orphanage for a year. She was a Research Professor at Monash University in Australia for ten years. In 2019 she returned to her birthplace of New York City.
Leah’s interest in World War Two began with her own family. Many of her relatives were veterans, creating a personal connection to the history she would later investigate in depth.
Her forthcoming book, The Flight Nurses’ War: The American Women Who Saved Thousands of Lives at Iwo Jima and Okinawa (Basic Books US/Atlantic Books UK), tells the story of the pioneering American nurses who risked their lives to evacuate and care for wounded servicemen during some of the most devastating battles of the Pacific War.
Leah is also the author of the best-selling X Troop: The Secret Jewish Commandos Who Helped Defeat The Nazis (Harper Collins US/Penguin UK). While researching X Troop, she worked extensively in archives, secured the release of previously classified government documents, and interviewed the surviving X Troop commandos and their families. Her earlier work, Young Lions: How Jewish Authors Reinvented the American War Novel, received the Jordan Schnitzer Book Award for Modern Jewish History and was shortlisted for the National Jewish Book Award.
That combination of rigorous archival research, personal testimony, and a determination to recover overlooked lives continues to shape Leah’s work as a historian and writer.
Advance copy provided by the publisher, Basic Books.
In 1945, the Navy commissioned a small number of women as flight nurses and tasked them with accompanying wounded servicemen from Iwo Jima or Okinawa, where they were fighting, to Guam, where they could be treated in a US field hospital. These nurses were operating on the front lines, in dangerous conditions, close to battlefields. As flight nurses, they ensured that wounded servicemen would not lose their lives or their minds as they were transported to a place where they could be treated, healed, or provided with palliative care until they succumbed to their wounds. In some cases the limited tools that the nurses had – sometimes no more than morphine and sterile bandages – were enough to save lives, as the title claims. In many cases, their presence helped maintain calm and hold panic at bay. The calm, soothing, and reassuring words and sometimes just the gentle touch of the flight nurses could make a difference even to those servicemen who did not survive their wounds; their last minutes were spent in the presence of a person who represented home and care, instead of alone with their pain and their fear.
For readers who are looking for a story that highlights how the courageous women who flew to the Pacific Theater remember their experiences there, this book will provide one. It is based primarily on family papers (photo albums, letters home, diaries, interviews, family stories), and hews very closely to the version of the past as experienced by, recalled by, retold by the flight nurses themselves. So much history is written from different perspectives and so little from the perspectives of this small group of women and this volume will supplement it well. It has the limitations of a study that retains such loyalty to its protagonists, but also the benefits of the same.
Leah Garrett brings to life the true story of flight nurses in the pacific theater, With such care and attention to detail, you feel you are right there living through war. The story and importance of women’s stories have been downplayed for so long and The Flight Nurses’ War rectifies this beautifully. Garrett shares these accounts with grace, abd attention to detail. The book is gripping and deeply emotional, a true standout amongst similar books. An important read for all WWII historians and one I’ll be revisiting and recommending often.
As a huge history lover, I was completely blown away by this untold story. Following these brave combat nurses into the bloodshed of Iwo Jima and Okinawa gave me total goosebumps. It’s a gripping, emotional tribute to true real-life heroism.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Terrific Account of the Women Who Changed Wartime Medical Evacuation
The Flight Nurses’ War by Leah Garrett is a terrific work of military history and one of the stronger historical accounts I have read recently. I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, and it appealed to me immediately because of my interest in World War II, military history, and personal accounts from people who lived through major historical events. What makes this book stand out is the way it combines military history, medical history, and women’s history without losing sight of the individuals involved. This is not just a book about nursing. It is a book about courage, innovation, sacrifice, and women proving themselves in a world that often underestimated them.
The research is excellent, and the subject itself is fascinating. I knew very little about WWII flight nurses before reading this, especially their role in medical triage, evacuation, and the movement of wounded soldiers from combat zones to the medical facilities on Guam. Garrett explains their training, responsibilities, and wartime experiences clearly, while also showing how quickly these women had to adapt under pressure. The sections on Iwo Jima and Okinawa were especially strong because they were readable, grounded, and easy to follow even with the military context. The inclusion of photographs, firsthand accounts, and family stories also made the history feel immediate and human.
My only real issues were with pacing and visual context. Some parts of the campaign history slowed a bit, and I occasionally found myself wanting maps to better understand the scale and location of events. I used Google Maps at times to follow the geography more clearly. Still, these are minor criticisms in an otherwise strong book. Garrett does a terrific job showing that flight nurses were not merely supporting figures in the war effort. They were essential to the care, evacuation, and survival of wounded troops, and their experiences helped shape military medical evacuation practices that continue to matter.
Overall, I would strongly recommend The Flight Nurses’ War to readers interested in World War II, women’s history, gender studies, military medicine, or overlooked stories of service and sacrifice. This is an important and engaging account of women who worked under extreme danger and pressure, learned in real time, and became pivotal to the broader medical system of the war. It is a powerful reminder that some of the most essential stories of WWII are still the ones many readers know the least about.
Thank you to NetGalley, author Leah Garrett, and Basic Books / Seal Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley #TheFlightNursesWar
What an eye opening and heartbreaking look into a part of World War II history that deserves so much more recognition.
This book sheds light on the extraordinary women who served as combat and flight nurses during some of the most brutal battles of the Pacific, including Iwo Jima and Okinawa. From evacuating thousands of wounded soldiers aboard unpressurized, unreliable aircraft to serving on hospital ships and near the front lines, these women faced unimaginable conditions. Constant enemy fire, kamikaze attacks, disease, and the horrific realities of war were all part of their daily lives.
What stood out to me most was the sheer courage and sacrifice of these women. The physical and emotional toll they endured while continuing to care for others was remarkable. Their stories are a powerful reminder that the sacrifices made during wartime extended far beyond the battlefield.
The book is incredibly informative and descriptive, although I will say it reads more like a historical biography than a traditional story. At times, the amount of historical detail made it a slower read for me, but I appreciated how thoroughly these women’s experiences were documented.
I also really enjoyed the postwar chapter. Getting a glimpse into their lives after everything they had endured added a meaningful layer to their stories.
Overall, this was an educational, emotional, and worthwhile read. While the pacing wasn’t always my favorite, the history and sacrifices documented within these pages made it worth reading. If you’re a history buff, particularly interested in World War II or the often overlooked contributions of women during wartime, I would absolutely recommend picking this one up.
Thank you Basic Books | Seal Press, NetGalley, and the author for this ARC!
So excited to have won this book from a Goodreads Giveaway! I've read many HF and NF books about WW2 set in both the European and Pacific theaters, but this one focusing on the nurses was immersive. This non-fiction book takes the reader into the world of the newly commissioned Navy flight nurses in the later years of the war, specifically on Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Guam. I absolutely loved learning about the bravery and heroism of these women. They were well trained nurses but the horrors they experienced at Iwo Jima and Okinawa was nothing their training prepared them for. They had to learn to make real-time decisions about life and death situations in field hospitals with fighting going on all around and evacuation flights. How these women rose to the occasion and saved so many men is so inspiring. The impeccable research that was done to provide the detail about the difficult in-flight situations, horrible living conditions on the islands, and experiences of this crew of nurses allowed the reader to be immersed in these events. The Postwar chapter shares a snapshot of what the women went on to accomplish after the war and I enjoyed learning about that part of their lives as well. I highly recommend this book for all readers that love to learn new things and want to read about a different perspective of this era.
The Flight Nurses' War introduces you to about 1/2 of the first team of 12 women who were selected to be the first Flight Nurses. It was pretty impossible to treat wounded men at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, so they brought needed nurses to assist with transit back to base hospitals.
I partially felt like some of the women were neglected and not mentioned in this book, but I also know that a more comprehensive book would have really left me confused and overwhelmed with too many names. The end of the book lists all the women who were selected and also subsequent women who followed the first group.
What these women went through was amazing. Still amazed that a kamikaze plane could hit a floating hospital and create a hole three decks deep, and have a boat with survivors. Definitely don't miss reading about this and there are pictures!
Lots of pictures throughout. If you are looking for non-fiction that is really interesting, read this one!
Many thanks to author Leah Garrett for sharing her knowledge and writing The Flight Nurses' War. Many thanks to NetGalley and Basic Books | Seal Press for approving my request to read the advance read copy in exchange for an honest review.
It seems fairly rare to read about women on the front lines of World War II, perhaps because not many women were on the front lines. Whatever the reason, Leah Garrett's account of the Navy flight nurses who saved thousands of lives more or less at the front lines of the horrific battles at places like Iwo Jima and Okinawa is incredibly important.
Garrett holds nothing back in her descriptions of the gruesome wounds that the soldiers endured, and that the nurses were expecting and try to bring them back from - often during hours long flights on unheated planes that were taking fire from the Japanese. So it isn't easy to read, but it's valuable because it shows the true horrors of war and it shows what true heroes look like in war.
From a historical perspective, it's an excellent overview of the battles at Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Bataan... and that's important since a lot of World War II History seems to focus more on the European Theater.
It's a true story of hope and bravery in the most awful extremes.
I'm grateful to have received an early digital copy of this book through NetGalley. Basic Books/Seal Press, and the author in exchange for an honest and original review. All thoughts are my own and written wholly by me without the aid of AI.
Historian Leah Garrett delivers a gripping, meticulously researched narrative in The Flight Nurses’ War: The American Women Who Saved Thousands of Lives at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Focusing on March 1945—as Europe’s war waned while the brutal Pacific Campaign raged on—this book shines a light on the crucial, underappreciated medical achievements of U.S. Army Air Force female flight nurses.
Pioneering and brave, these women shattered military gender barriers by flying unarmored C-47 cargo planes directly into active war zones. Exposed to enemy fire and oceanic weather, they transformed transport planes into flying trauma units to evacuate severely wounded soldiers from battlefields like Iwo Jima and Okinawa to Guam. Garrett brilliantly balances rigorous historical research with deeply human storytelling, drawing on personal accounts and photographs to convey the physical danger and emotional weight of aerial care. Every soldier—whether destined to survive or enter palliative care—was treated equally as a hero.
Engaging, evocative, and inspiring, this unique book opened my eyes to a campaign I previously knew little about, sparking a desire to read more about WWII history.
Rating: 4/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Seal Press - Hachette Book Group for the advanced reader copy.
This was a fascinating and inspiring account of a little known group of women. I was truly hooked on every page, and I feel like I got to know all of the women whose lives were included in this story. Often, when there are as many people being discussed as there were in this book, I would find myself getting confused or forgetting who was who. That was not the case here. Garrett did an excellent job highlighting each individual's life, family, personality, and war record. I always remembered that Mary Leahy was the Navy nurse from Massachusetts and never had to go back and remind myself that Jane Kendeigh was the first flight nurse to fly into Iwo Jima. I would highly recommend this book to any history buff - casual or dedicated. You will be inspired from the first page or last by this incredible group of women.
I was expecting this book to be purely about the origins of flight nursing, but it is more a mini bio of each of the original flight nurses, concentrated on their time in the war, which was not just flight nursing. One of the things that surprised me was how much of what we do in nursing goes so far back (turkey sandwiches! canned cut up peaches! a culture of you'll get time off when you need medical leave! disregard for safe working hours - how many times have I wondered why we aren't like aerospace in this regard - the answer is WW2.) Anyways, I don't think that's the point of the book but it stood out to me.
My grandfather served in the Navy in the South Pacific during World War II. He was an anti-aircraft gunner who also landed men and supplies on the beachheads during the Battle of Okinawa. For this reason, I've always been interested in this area of World War II history.
I'm also interested in women's history, and I've been thrilled to see so many unwritten stories brought to life as they are in Leah Garrett's fascinating history, The Flight Nurses' War.
Garrett follows the first group of Navy nurses ever assigned to an active combat zone. Readers learn about where the women came from, their personalities, and their experiences during the war. Some of them had never told their stories to anyone.
Their training was strenuous. Examples? Treading water for ten minutes with their hands tied behind their backs. Swimming a full mile. Hauling dead-weight bodies back and forth across the pool. Swimming 440 yards in ten minutes wearing their Navy overalls and boots. They weren't given weapons training, and they weren't given any training for what we now call PTSD, but they found themselves doing whatever was needed, and they felt honored if the wounded soldiers called them "Mom."
The Flight Nurses' War uncovers an important part of history by telling the stories of these remarkable women. I am so glad Garrett made it possible for me to meet them.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley)