Gertrude Rourke Gannon

August 10, 1925 - July 23, 2010

Gertrude's son writes:

My mother, Gertrude Rourke Gannon, spoke of her time in the Cadet Nurse Corps as one of the happiest periods of her life. Towards the end of her life, as her memory was fading, her face would always light up, her brain would awaken, and you would swear you were talking to the young 19 year cadet who was taking care of our wounded heroes at Rhodes Army Hospital in New York. It was there that she met my father, her patient. Although the cadets were not suppose to fraternize with the enlisted men they found a way to get to know each other and eventually marry. She lived a long, happy, productive life and worked as a nurse until her retirement. I respected my mother, not just as a parent, but as a woman who overcame many obstacles in her life. Although she came from a traditional Irish Catholic family, she taught me acceptance of others and open mindedness.

In tribute to my father, I joined the US Army as a medic in 1972. In tribute to my mother, I graduated with my BS in Nursing and was given my commission in 1982. I finished my career after retiring from the Army Nurse Corps as Head Nurse of psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC.

When she died 4 years ago, she was buried next to my father in a Veterans Cemetery on Long Island, NY. Her memorial simply says:

Gertrude Rourke Gannon
1925-2010
Cadet Nurse Corps

Thanks, Mom!