*🇺🇸Anna Mae Hays🇺🇸* A nurse from Pennsylvania answered her country’s call in 1942 and served through WWII and Korea. She cared for President Eisenhower, led the Army Nurse Corps, and helped open doors for women in military service. On June 11, 1970, she became the first woman in U.S. military history to attain general-officer rank. A nurse. A leader. A trailblazer. *🇺🇸Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays.🇺🇸* [Intro] Before the stars upon her shoulder, Before they knew her name, She was just a nurse from Pennsylvania, Who answered when her country called her name. [Verse 1] *🇺🇸The Call - She began as an Army nurse in 1942, after being inspired to serve following Pearl Harbor.🇺🇸* Pearl Harbor shook the nation, And the headlines filled the town, Anna Mae picked up her courage, And said, “I’ll serve when they call me out.” In nineteen forty-two she joined them, With a nurse’s heart and steady hands, She never knew the road ahead Would take her farther than she planned. [Chorus] Oh, Anna Mae Hays, She answered the call, Through the jungle and the battlefield, She stood strong through it all. She carried hope where hope was hard to find, She cared for the wounded, one at a time, And history remembers her name: Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays. [Verse 2] *🇺🇸India - During WWII, she serves in a demanding hospital in India, caring for thousands of wounded and sick soldiers.🇺🇸* In nineteen forty-three she traveled To Ledo, India, far away, Where the jungle met the Burma Road And the soldiers worked through night and day. Inside a hospital of bamboo, With monsoon rain and snakes outside, She worked there in the operating room, With courage standing by her side. Forty-nine thousand patients came, Through two and a half long years, And Anna Mae kept serving Through the hardship, sweat, and tears. [Chorus] Oh, Anna Mae Hays, She answered the call, Through the jungle and the battlefield, She stood strong through it all. She carried hope where hope was hard to find, She cared for the wounded, one at a time, And history remembers her name: Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays. [Verse 3] *🇺🇸Korea - During the Korean War, she follows the fighting and wounded through dangerous conditions while continuing to care for soldiers.🇺🇸* Then came Korea in the summer, And another war to face, The Fourth Field Hospital followed As the fighting changed its place. She landed at Inchon with the wounded, Then moved south through the night, With trains beneath the darkness, Not knowing if they'd make it through the fight. The cold was bitter, supplies were few, The operating rooms stayed bright, And Anna Mae kept working Through the long Korean night. [Verse 4] *🇺🇸The Healing - She compassionately brought music, comfort, and spiritual encouragement to soldiers and fellow nurses.🇺🇸* She wasn't only tending soldiers, She brought some music too, A field pump organ after duty, For a wedding or a service when she could. Through battlefields and hospitals, She never lost her way: To heal the body, lift the spirit, And bring a little light to every day. [Verse 5] *🇺🇸Walter Reed - Back at Walter Reed, she cares for President Eisenhower during his hospitalization, demonstrating the trust placed in her.🇺🇸* Then back home at Walter Reed, A new chapter had begun, She cared for President Eisenhower When illness brought him there. For twenty-three days beside him, She served with steady care, And the nurse from Pennsylvania Had earned the trust of a president there. [Chorus] Oh, Anna Mae Hays, She answered the call, From a jungle hospital To the highest walls. She carried hope where hope was hard to find, She opened doors for those behind, And history remembers her name: Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays. [Verse 6] *🇺🇸The Leader - As Chief of the Army Nurse Corps, she becomes a powerful leader who improves opportunities, education, and training for Army nurses.🇺🇸* By nineteen sixty-seven, She had risen through the ranks, Chief of the Army Nurse Corps, Leading thousands with her strength. She fought for better training, For education and respect, And opened doors for women The Army hadn't opened yet. She traveled down to Vietnam, To see the nurses there, And worked to build a stronger corps With courage, skill, and care. [Verse 7] *🇺🇸Changing History - She challenges barriers facing women in the military and helps create greater opportunities for married women and mothers to serve.🇺🇸* She knew the rules could change, If someone dared to speak, So she pushed for better chances For the women serving there. Married women, mothers, nurses, Could build a military career, The walls that once stood in their way Began to disappear. [Bridge] *🇺🇸Builds to June 11, 1970, when she receives her stars and becomes the first woman in U.S. military history to attain general-officer rank.🇺🇸* Then came the day in June, Nineteen seventy, June the eleventh day, The stars were pinned upon her shoulders— And history changed that day. Not because she asked for glory, Not because she sought the fame, But because a lifetime of service Had earned her that name. [Final Chorus] *🇺🇸This section celebrates her entire journey from Army nurse to pioneering general and honors the legacy she created for women who followed.🇺🇸* General Anna Mae Hays, First woman to wear the stars, From the jungles of India To the fields of Korea's war. From a nurse with steady hands To a leader breaking through, She showed what courage, faith, and service Could ask a person to do. General Anna Mae Hays, Let the story now be told: She carried wounded soldiers, She served the young and old. And when they placed those stars upon her, She remembered those before— Every Army nurse who served with her, And every one who'd served before. [Outro] *🇺🇸Reflects on Anna Mae's lasting legacy as a courageous nurse, leader, and trailblazer who changed military history.🇺🇸* So remember Anna Mae Hays, When you hear the bugle play: A nurse became a general, And she helped change the way. Not just a star upon her shoulder, Not just a name in history— But a woman who answered the call, And opened doors for those to come. General Anna Mae Hays.
