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| 2nd Lt. Mildred Shimp served in the 61st Station Hospital in Algeria. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/188548982/mildred-alice-shimp http://www.keltaskavern.com/sjmedhistory/61st.html |
Mildred Alice Shimp never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, she sacrificed her life for our freedom.
She was born on September 22, 1919 in New Jersey. Her parents Abner and Leah were also both born in New Jersey. Her father worked as a railroad office ticket agent and later as a telegraph operator. Mildred had two older brothers and one older sister. By 1940 Mildred had completed four years of high school and was still living at home. She received her nurse's diploma in 1941 and worked at Cooper Hospital.
She enlisted in the army in September 1941. She became a nurse and second lieutenant in the 61st Station Hospital. The story of the 61st Station Hospital is an interesting one. The entire hospital was recruited intact from Cooper Hospital in Camden, New Jersey. Sixteen doctors and 22 nurses were sent to North Africa, arriving in Algeria on Christmas Day 1942. They set up their hospital in a former French Foreign Legion outpost in El Guerrah, Algeria.
Lt. Shimp was killed as a result of a truck accident on April 17, 1943.
Her grave is at Lake Park Cemetery in Swedesboro, New Jersey.
Bronze Star hero and B-17 top turret gunner George Walker, escaped POW, was born one year earlier on the same date. You can read about George here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
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