Cordelia Elizabeth Cook (March 17, 1919 – June 19, 1996) was an American combat nurse in the

United States Army Nurse Corps The United States Army Nurse Corps (USANC) was formally established by the U.S. Congress in 1901. It is one of the six medical special branches (or "corps") of officers which – along with medical enlisted soldiers – comprise the Army Medical ...

during World War II. She was the first woman in the U.S. Army to receive both the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

award and the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

Early life

Cook was born in

Fort Thomas, Kentucky Fort Thomas is a home rule-class city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States, on the southern bank of the Ohio River and the site of an 1890 US Army post. The population was 16,325 at the 2010 census, making it the largest city in Campb ...

, on March 17, 1919. She obtained her

primary schooling Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or firs ...

in Fort Thomas. She went by the name "Betty".

Military duty

Cook attended the Christ Hospital School of Nursing in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, for 3 years and graduated in 1940. She became a surgical nurse with the rank of

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

in the United States Army Nurse Corps. Cook was sent to Europe during World War II. The

field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile A ...

in Italy she was working at was bombed in 1943. In spite of the dangers, she continued her nursing duties into January 1944 at the 11th Field Hospital in the

Presenzano Presenzano (Campanian: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about north of Naples and about northwest of Caserta Caserta () is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Camp ...

sector at the Italian front. She received a Bronze Star Medal award for her service, being the first woman to receive the award. Cook sustained a

shrapnel Shrapnel may refer to: Military * Shrapnel shell, explosive artillery munitions, generally for anti-personnel use * Shrapnel (fragment), a hard loose material Popular culture * ''Shrapnel'' (Radical Comics) * ''Shrapnel'', a game by Adam C ...

wound to her right arm from German artillery fire while carrying out her duties. Because of this she received the Purple Heart award, becoming the first woman to receive both the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart awards.

Personal life

Cook married Harold E. Fillmore, a U.S. Army captain.Note: The married name she used for documents and legal use was Cordelia Elizabeth Fillmore or Cordelia E. Fillmore. The Fillmores had a daughter, Sara, and two sons, David and William. After the war, she worked as a registered nurse at Doctors Hospital North in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, for 28 years. She was a member of the Crestview Presbyterian Church in West Chester, Ohio, near Cincinnati.''Columbus Dispatch'' newspaper (Columbus, Ohio) - Thursday, June 20, 1996 - obituary, p. 7F Cook died in

Upper Arlington, Ohio Upper Arlington, often known by its initials U.A., is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, on the northwest side of the Columbus metropolitan area. The Old Arlington neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ...

, on June 19, 1996, at 77 years of age.

Footnotes

Bibliography

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External links

Cordelia Cook
Find-A-Grave.com listing {{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Cordelia E. 1919 births 1996 deaths People from Fort Thomas, Kentucky Military personnel from Cincinnati People from Columbus, Ohio United States Army Nurse Corps officers Female United States Army nurses in World War II Kentucky women in health professions