US Army COL Ruby Bradley an "Angel in Fatigues"

Welcome back, everyone!

Before we dive into today’s story, I want to highlight one of our recent YouTube shorts from the Duty & Valor YouTube channel. It tells the Medal of Honor story of U.S. Army Major Charles Thomas and his extraordinary heroism during a battle in World War II.

Charles Thomas, a 2LT at the time, led a platoon tasked with capturing a village in France on December 14, 1944. Despite knowing the mission lacked proper reconnaissance and that enemy armor was likely concentrated in the area, he volunteered to take command and rode in the lead vehicle.

As they moved into an exposed position, they came under heavy small arms and artillery fire. The initial burst disabled his vehicle, and Lieutenant Thomas was severely wounded.

Despite multiple gunshot wounds to his chest, legs, and arm, Thomas signaled for the column to halt and took charge of positioning the platoon’s first two anti-tank guns, ensuring they could return fire effectively. Realizing his injuries were too severe to continue leading, he called for the platoon commander and briefed him on the situation. LT Thomas refused to be evacuated until he was confident the new commander was fully in control.

LT. Charles Thomas was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, which was later upgraded to the Medal of Honor. 

As mentioned, Major Thomas’s Distinguished Service Cross was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. Sadly, he passed away before knowing the nation had finally given him the recognition he truly deserved.

Now, let’s move on to today's main story, which focuses on the most decorated American woman in military history: U.S. Army Colonel Ruby Bradley. As a combat nurse during both World War II and the Korean War, her courageous actions under extreme danger earned her the title “Angel in Fatigues.” This is her story.

Ruby Bradley was born on December 19, 1907, in Spencer, West Virginia. She was one of four children born to Frederick and Bertha Jane Bradley. After graduating from Glenville State Teachers College in 1926, she spent four years teaching in a one-room schoolhouse in Roane County. But in 1930, she sought a change in direction and enrolled at the Philadelphia General Hospital School of Nursing, graduating in 1933. Her career began at Walter Reed General Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Soon after, she sought to enter the Army.  In 1934, she was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. She later recalled that the recruiter told her, “Now, don’t worry. You won’t be in a war.” But that prediction proved far from accurate.

In February 1940, Lt. Bradley was deployed to the Philippines. She first served at Fort Mills and then at Camp John Hay on the island Luzon. But everything changed on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Within hours, the Philippines were under assault. Camp John Hay was hit by 128 bombs, leaving devastation in its wake.

Lt. Bradley, along with Lt. Beatrice Chambers, set out on foot to a logging camp 18 miles away to provide medical care to refugees. They stayed behind as long as possible, hiding in the hills for five days after the Army evacuated their camp. But eventually, the two nurses were captured by the Japanese and became the first U.S. Army nurses taken as POWs during the war.

Returned to Camp John Hay, Lt. Bradley and 500 other prisoners were crammed into a building meant for a fraction of their number. After six weeks, the Japanese allowed them to run a small hospital, where Lt. Bradley helped treat the sick and injured. Later, she was transferred to Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila, where conditions grew even worse.

Despite extreme malnourishment, limited resources, and the ever-present threat of punishment, Lt. Bradley and the other nurses performed miracles. With no equipment, they improvised—pulling threads from raw hemp to use as sutures, Lt. Bradley and a doctor even broke into an abandoned hospital to gather much-needed supplies. Three days later these supplies were put into use during an emergency appendix removal.  She even recounted that the Japanese were amazed at what they were doing without any instruments. Their resilience saved lives, and not a single one of the 230 surgeries they performed resulted in infection. 

Lt. Bradley’s compassion was boundless. She saved food from her own meager rations for the children in the camp, even crafting toys to lift their spirits. She recalled, “I’d save part of my food for the children later in the day, when they started crying.”

By the time the camp was liberated by the U.S. Army in February 1945, Lt. Bradley weighed just 86 pounds after three years of confinement. Her incredible work earned her and her fellow nurses the nickname “Angels in Fatigues.”

For her service, she was awarded the Bronze Star and promoted to first lieutenant. After returning to the U.S., she continued her education, earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of California in 1949. A year later, she was sent to Korea, where she served as chief nurse of the 171st Evacuation Hospital during the Korean War.

In November 1950, with Chinese forces closing in, Major Bradley refused to leave until all of her wounded soldiers were safely evacuated. Under fire, she personally helped load the last soldier onto a plane, narrowly escaping as an ambulance behind her was destroyed in an explosion.

Her bravery did not go unnoticed. Major Bradley was promoted to Colonel and became the 8th Army’s chief nurse, overseeing 500 nurses. For her service in treating the wounded during the war, she was given a full-dress honor guard ceremony as she left Korea in June 1953.

During her military career, Colonel Bradley earned 34 medals and citations, including being recognized twice for each the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, and also the Army Commendation Medal.

Colonel Ruby Bradley retired in 1963 but continued her work as a nurse supervisor at a civilian hospital for 17 more years. She passed away on May 28, 2002, and was laid to rest with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

Colonel Ruby Bradley's life stands as a testament to unwavering courage and selflessness in the face of unimaginable hardship. As a nurse and POW, she saved countless lives, often at the risk of her own, embodying the highest ideals of service and sacrifice. Her legacy reminds us that true heroism lies in putting others first, even in the darkest of times.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Duty & Valor. If you enjoyed this episode and our show in general, please like, follow, and share our show wherever you’re listening.  You can also support the show directly at patreon.com/dutyandvalor or by becoming a member of our Duty & Valor YouTube community. 

To read more about this week’s hero, check out the sources used in today's episode in our show notes and at dutyandvalor.com.

Remember, we release new episodes on the Duty & Valor YouTube channel on Fridays at 5 pm. On our channel, we also release daily YouTube shorts that highlight our Nation’s heroes, many of whom haven’t been featured on the show yet.

Please join us for our next episode, where we'll be sharing the inspiring story of another American hero who served with pride and lived with humility.