Sharon Ann Lane
Sharon Ann Lane | |
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Born | Zanesville, Ohio, U.S. | July 7, 1943
Died | June 8, 1969 Chu Lai, Republic of Vietnam | (aged 25)
Buried | Sunset Hills Burial Park, 40°51′19.2″N 81°26′29.2″W / 40.855333°N 81.441444°WCanton, Ohio, U.S. |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Branch | ![]() |
Years of service | 1968–1969 |
Rank | ![]() |
Unit | 312th Evacuation Hospital, 67th Medical Group, 44th Medical Brigade |
Campaigns | Vietnam War
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Awards | |
Alma mater | Aultman Hospital School of Nursing |
Sharon Ann Lane (July 7, 1943 – June 8, 1969) was a United States Army nurse and the only American servicewoman killed as a direct result of enemy fire in the Vietnam War. The Army posthumously awarded Lane the Bronze Star Medal for heroism on June 8, 1969.
Biography[]
Sharon Ann Lane was born in Zanesville, Ohio, the daughter of John and Mary "Kay" Lane.[1] When she was two, the family moved to North Industry, Ohio.[2] In June 1961, she graduated from Canton South High School in Canton, Ohio. In September, Lane entered the Aultman Hospital School of Nursing in Canton and graduated from there in 1965.[3] She worked at the Aultman Hospital until May 1967, and then attended Canton Business College.
On April 18, 1968, Lane joined the U.S. Army Nurse Corps Reserve.[3] On May 5, she began her Army medical training at the Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.[4][3] She completed her training on June 14 and was commissioned a second lieutenant.[4] On June 17, she reported to Fitzsimons General Hospital in Denver, and while on duty there was promoted to first lieutenant.[3] In 1969, after volunteering for duty in South Korea or Vietnam,[5] she received orders for Vietnam and reported to Travis Air Force Base in California on April 24.[3]
Lane's tour in South Vietnam began on April 24, 1969.[3] On April 29, she reported for duty at the Army's 312th Evacuation Hospital in Chu Lai where she was assigned as a general duty staff nurse to the Intensive Care and Vietnamese wards.[3] On June 8, Chu Lai was hit by an enemy rocket attack and Lieutenant Lane was killed by a 122mm rocket[6][7] that struck between two quonset huts of Vietnamese civilians, soldiers, and POWs,[8] that formed the Vietnamese ward (Ward 4) where Lane last served.[3][5] A Vietnamese child was also killed.[5] The 312th Evacuation Hospital received an Army Meritorious Unit Commendation for the period October 1, 1968 to May 31, 1969.
A military funeral and burial was held for Lane on June 14, 1969, at Sunset Hills Burial Park in Canton, Ohio.[3]
Among the roughly 11,000 American women who were stationed in Vietnam, Lane was the only one killed by hostile fire in the war. Seven other women, who were also nurses (6-Army, 1-Air Force), died in accidents and from illnesses.[9][10]
The Vietnam Women's Memorial at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site in Washington D.C., was dedicated on November 11, 1993.[11]
Awards and decorations[]
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Bronze Star Medal w/ Valor device |
Purple Heart | ||||||||||
National Defense Service Medal | Vietnam Service Medal w/ 1 bronze campaign star |
Vietnam Military Merit Medal | |||||||||
National Order of Vietnam (Knight) |
Vietnam Gallantry Cross w/ Palm |
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal |
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Army Meritorious Unit Commendation | Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation |
Bronze Star Medal with "V" device[]
First Lieutenant Lane was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal with "V" device for her actions on June 8, 1969.[3]
General Orders No. 598
4 July 1969
Citation:
"For heroism in connection with military operation against a hostile force. Lieutenant Lane distinguished herself by exceptional valorous actions during a rocket attack on the 312th Evacuation Hospital. Since her arrival at the hospital, her untiring efforts as a general duty staff nurse have made her ward a particularly outstanding one. It was through the application of rare foresight and sound principles of management that Lieutenant Lane overcame and minimized the problems inherent in providing medical support in a combat environment. As the sounds of the first incoming rockets reported throughout the hospital, Lieutenant Lane, thinking only of the welfare of her patients, rushed to her ward in an effort to protect her charges from harm. At this time, the ward took a direct hit from an enemy 122mm rocket. The resultant explosion produced metal fragments that stuck Lieutenant Lane, taking her life. As a result of Lieutenant Lane's courageous actions in the face of adversity, total disaster to the ward was prevented and many lives were saved. Lieutenant Lane's personal bravery and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon herself, her unit and the United States Army."[3]
Legacy[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Sharonlanepressrelease.jpg/220px-Sharonlanepressrelease.jpg)
- Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 11920 at Evans, Georgia, was named the 1Lt Sharon A. Lane Memorial Post.[12]
- Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 199 in Canton, Ohio, was named the Sharon Lane Memorial Chapter (May 26, 1986).
- In 1969, Lane was named Outstanding Army Nurse of the Year by the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution.[3][13]
- In 1970, Lane was posthumously presented the Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee Award by the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution.[3][13]
- In 1973, a life-size bronze statue of Lane was dedicated at Aultman Hospital School of Nursing's courtyard (moved later to the building's entrance) in Canton, Ohio.[14]
- In 1995, the volunteer center at Fort Hood, Texas, was named after Sharon Lane.[3]
- In 2001, the medical library in Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson, Colorado, was named the Sharon A. Lane Medical Library.[3]
- In 2002, a medical clinic built by the Sharon Ann Lane Foundation in Chu Lai (Tam Hiep Commune), Vietnam, was dedicated the Sharon Ann Lane Clinic.[14][15][16]
- In 2003, Lane was inducted into the Ohio Military Hall of Fame in Columbus, Ohio (the hall of fame's exhibit is at Mott's Military Museum in Groveport, Ohio).[14]
- In January 2019, a new exhibit about Lane was put up at the U.S. Army Medical Department Museum at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.[4]
Notes[]
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.
References[]
- ^ Find A Grave
- ^ "Remembering Nurse Sharon Lane of Canton, Ohio".
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Sharon Ann Lane". Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "New AMMED Museum exhibit honors only U.S. nurse killed by enemy fire in Vietnam". Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "The Monday After: Sharon Lane Remembered". Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ NVA and VC rockets
- ^ NVA and VC Weapons: 122mm Rocket (Soviet BM-21)
- ^ "Sharon Lane honored at 45th annual ceremony".
- ^ "Friends recall only nurse killed by hostile fire in Vietnam". May 28, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ Time
- ^ Vietnam Women's Memorial Foundation
- ^ VFW Post roster
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Celebrate 125! Monday: Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee". Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Ohio's nurses legacy moves on 50 years after death in Vietnam". Retrieved June 14, 2021.
- ^ Purple Heart Magazine, May/June 2017
- ^ Sharon Ann Lane Clinic, Tam Hiep, Vietnam (1st Marine Division Association, Daily Itinerary, 10 June 2014)
External links[]
- First Lieutenant Sharon Ann Lane at the National Museum of the United States Army
- Sharon Ann Lane at Find a Grave
- Sharon Ann Lane at The Virtual Wall
- Works by or about Sharon Ann Lane in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
- 1943 births
- 1969 deaths
- American military personnel killed in the Vietnam War
- Burials in Ohio
- People from Stark County, Ohio
- People from Zanesville, Ohio
- United States Army Nurse Corps officers
- Women in the United States Army
- American female military personnel of the Vietnam War
- Recipients of the National Order of Vietnam
- Recipients of the Gallantry Cross (Vietnam)