caption serviceyears branch death_place death_date birth_place allegiance awards placeofburial_label battles birth_date placeofburial rank image article_title name
ann of merit -lrb- legionnaire -rrb- a. bernatitus first american recipient of the legion 1936 -- 1959 united states navy nurse corps wilkes-barre , pennsylvania 3 march 2003 exeter , pennsylvania united states united states navy legion -rrb- american defense service medal asiatic-pacific campaign medal of merit presidential unit citation -lrb- united states place of burial battle world war ii of bataan battle of corregidor battle of okinawa 21 january 1912 st. , pennsylvania casimir 's cemetery , pittston , luzerne county captain 150px & nbsp ; & nbsp ; 75px ann a. bernatitus
 ann a. bernatitus
ann a. bernatitus

ann agnes bernatitus -lrb- january 21 , 1912 -- march 3 , 2003 -rrb- was a united states navy nurse who served during world war ii .
in october 1942 , she became the first american recipient of the legion of merit -lrb- legionnaire -rrb- for her heroism during the siege of bataan and corregidor from december 1941 through april 1942 .
she was among the last group of the `` angels of bataan '' to be evacuated from the philippines just prior to the fall of corregidor aboard and was the only navy nurse stationed there to evade capture .
she served at bethesda naval hospital , naval hospital great lakes then as in november 1944 as chief nurse aboard during the okinawa campaign .
she retired from the united states navy nurse corps as a captain in 1959 .
she donated her legion of merit medal to the smithsonian institution in 1976 .
she died at wilkes-barre general hospital , wilkes-barre , pennsylvania on march 3 , 2003 and was interred at st. casimir 's cemetery pittston , luzerne county , pennsylvania .
a monument in her honor was dedicated june 23 , 2007 at the exeter borough building in her home town .
