05/28/2026
Forever in our Hearts — Our nation mourns the loss of Diane Carlson Evans, a trailblazing U.S. Army combat nurse and veterans’ advocate, served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969, providing lifesaving care under harrowing conditions.
Born in 1946 on a Minnesota dairy farm, she joined the Army Nurse Corps after becoming a registered nurse. In Vietnam, she served at evacuation hospitals in Vung Tau and Pleiku.
Returning home to silence and trauma, Evans refused to let women veterans be forgotten. In 1984, she founded the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation, leading the decade-long fight for the memorial dedicated in 1993 on the National Mall.
Diane Carlson Evans will forever be remembered and deeply loved by all who knew her. May she rest in peace.
The Greatest Generations Foundation
“Every Day is Memorial Day”
