Nurses received more than 1,500 medals, citations, and commendations during the war. Sixteen medals were awarded posthumously to nurses who died as a result of enemy fire. These included the 6 nurses who died at Anzio, 6 who died when the Hospital Ship Comfort was attacked by a Japanese suicide plane, and 4 flight nurses. Thirteen other flight nurses died in weather-related crashes while on duty. Overall, 201 nurses died while serving in the Army during the war.

American Defense Service Medal	..	The American Defense Medal was awarded to all military personnel including nurses, for honorable service of twelve months or longer, at any time between September 8, 1939 and December 7, 1941.  The American Defense Service Medal was established per Executive Order 8808 in June 1941 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In February 1942, the criteria were announced in Department of the Army Circular 44. The Secretary of War and the Secretary of Navy approved the ribbon design in January 1942. The golden yellow color was symbolic of the golden opportunity of the youth of the United States to serve their country. The blue, white and red pin stripes on each side  represented the National colors.
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American Campaign Medal		Awarded for service within the American Theater from 7 December 1941 past the end of World War II. The American Campaign Medal was established per Executive Order 9265, dated 6 November 1942, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The American Campaig Medal was first issued as ribbon only. The ribbon design was approved by the Secretary of War on 24 November 1942. The blue color represents America. The blue, white and red stripes in the center (taken from the American Defense Service Medal ribbon) refers to the continuance of American defense after Pearl Harbor. The white and black stripes refer to the German flag colors (the enemy at the Atlantic Coast) while red and white stripes are for the Japanese colors and refer to that part of the conflict on the Pacific Coast. The American Theater included North America, the Caribbean and certain Atlantic and Pacific islands and South America. The service had to last at least a period of 30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days. On 17 December 1947, the first medal was presented to General of the Army George C. Marshall.
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Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal		Alwarded for service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater from 7 December 1941 past the end of World War II. The Asiatic-Pacific Campaig Medal was established per Executive Order 9265 in November 1942 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The ribbon design was approved by the Secretary of War on 24 November 1942. The  white and red stripes on each side represent the Japanese colors. The blue, white and red stripes in the center are adopted from the American Defense Service Medal ribbon and refer to the continuance of American Defense after Pearl Harbor. The medal was first issued as ribbon only.  The Asiatic-Pacific Theater included Hawaii and other Pacific Ocean islands, Alaska, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, New Guinea and southeast and south Asia as well as the eastern Soviet Union. The service had to last at least a period of 30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days. On 17 December 1947, the first medal was presented to General of the Army Douglas MacArthur.
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European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal		Awarded for service within the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater from 7 December 1941 past the end of World War II.  The EAME Campaign Medal was established per Executive Order 9265 in November 1942 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was first issued as ribbon only. In December 1942, the ribbon design was approved by the Secretary of War. The brown represents the sands of Africa and the green represents the green fields of Europe. The blue, white, and red stripes in the center are taken from the American Defense Service Medal ribbon and refer to the continuance of American Defense after Pearl Harbor. Green, white and red are the Italian colors and the white and black colors represent Germany. The European-African-Middle Eastern (EAME) Theater included Europe, the western Soviet Union, Greenland, Iceland, Africa, and southwest Asia. The service had to last at least a period of 30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days. On 24 July 1947, General Eisenhower was presented the first medal.
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WWII Victory Medal		Awarded to all military personnel for service between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946. The World War II Victory Medal was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress). The specified ending date on December 31, 1946 was the date of the official termination of hostilities as proclaimed by President Truman. The Victory Medal was first issued as a ribbon, and was referred to simply as the "Victory Ribbon". By 1946, a full medal had been established which was referred to as the World War II Victory Medal.
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Army of Occupation Medal		Awarded for 30 days consecutive service or more while performing duty in Germany, Austria, Italy, Japan and Korea at the close of World War II and postwar periods. Exact dates should be referenced using official Army regulations. The Army Occupation Medal was established by War Department Circular 102 in April 1946.  The black color on the ribbon represented Germany,  the color red Japan. A Bronze clasp with the word "GERMANY" or "JAPAN" ass worn on the suspension ribbon to indicate service in Europe or the Far East.  The first medal was presented to General Eisenhower on 2 April 1947.