Head and shoulders portrait of Ellen G. Ainsworth, published in the Milwaukee Sentinel. View the original photo here: WHI 99328

Born in 1918 in Glenwood City, Wisconsin. Ainsworth was the only woman from Wisconsin serving in the United States military to die from enemy fire during World War II.

Military Career

She served as Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Army Medical Corp. When she was stationed in Italy during World War II, Ainsworth died during the Battle of Anzio on February 16, 1944, during an attack on the 56th Evacuation Hospital. She was awarded the Silver Star for her calm treatment of patients throughout the battle as well as a Purple Heart. Ainsworth is buried in American Cemetery in Sicily, Italy. Ainsworth Hall in the Wisconsin Veterans Home at Fort Hamilton, N.Y. and a conference room in the Pentagon are all named after her.

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Ellen Ainsworth

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[Source: Submitted by Ashley Komorowki of Alverno College. U.S. Army website: Ainsworth, Ellen Gertrude; viewed Nov. 25, 2011. Wilson, Barbara. They Gave Their Lives. Web page at http://userpages.aug.com/captbarb/lives.html viewed Nov. 25, 2011 ]