06/21/2026
Today we honor Chief Nurse Esther Voorhees Hasson, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy Nurse Corps, and U.S. Army Reserve.
In June 1898, during the Spanish–American War, Chief Nurse Hasson became a contract nurse with the U.S. Army. She left the Army in 1901 and served as a nurse in Panama from 1905 to 1907.
Chief Nurse Hasson was the first Superintendent of the Navy Nurse Corps when it was established in 1908. She saw 19 nurses from a pool of 33 invited candidates recruited and trained for Naval service. Chief Nurse Hasson and the 19 nurses were known as the “Sacred Twenty”.
Over Chief Nurse Hasson’s tenure as Superintendent, which ended in 1911, the Nurse Corps grew to a force of 85 nurses.
On June 18, 1917, Chief Nurse Hasson became active as a U.S. Army Reserve Nurse during World War I and set sail for Europe. She returned to the United States on April 8, 1919, and on June 21, 1919, she left active service. On March 8, 1942, Chief Nurse Hasson passed away. Her remains were interred in Arlington National Cemetery and three Army and three Navy nurses served as pallbearers.
We honor her service.
Read more about Chief Nurse Hasson at https://foundationforwomenwarriors.org/esther-hasson/.
