Nancy Leftenant Colon: army nurse dies at the age of 104.
A granddaughter of enslaved people, Nancy Leftenant-Conlon became the first Black nurse to serve in the regular U.S. armed forces in 1948 (Risen, 2025). Ms. Leftenant-Colon died on Jan. 8 in Amityville, N.Y., on Long Island, at 104. (Risen, 2025)
Nurse Leftenant-Colon joined the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in February 1948. Risen (2025) states this was several months before President Harry S. Truman signed an executive order desegregating the armed forces. It was a seven-year struggle to rise through the ranks. (Risen, 2025).
For more information see the links below.
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References:
Risen, C. (2025). Nancy Leftenant-Colon, 104, Dies; Army Nurse Broke a Color Barrier. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/obituaries/nancy-leftenant-colon-dead.html.
Thompson, C. (2025). First Black woman to serve in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps after desegregation dies. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/01/15/g-s1-42698/nancy-leftenant-colon-military-army-tuskegee-obituary
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