Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Mercedes Olympia Cubria (April 15, 1903 - October 14, 1980), a.k.a. "La Tia" (The Aunt), was the first Cuban-born female officer in the U.S. Army. She served in the Women's Army Corps during World War II, in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, and was recalled into service during the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...

. In 1988, she was posthumously inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame.

Early years

Cubria was born in Guantanamo, Cuba on April 15, 1903. When Cubria was 3 years old she lost her mother, she also had 2 sisters along with her. When she was 13 years old, her and her family moved to the United States. In 1924 she became a certified nurse and became a naturalized citizen. She worked as a nurse, an interpreter, and a rancher in the years leading up to World War II.

Military service

On July 3, 1943, the WAC bill established the Women’s Army Corps as an integral part of United States Military. The bill was signed into law (Public Law 78-110), and became effective on September 1, 1943. Cubria enlisted in the Women's Army Corps after the U.S. entered World War II and, after her basic military training, she was sent to England for further training in cryptography. Cubria was commissioned with the rank of lieutenant, making her the first Cuban-born female officer in the United States Military. She was assigned to the 385th Signal Company. She was later reassigned to the 322nd Signal Company, where she worked on secret codes, and on gathering information on the Axis Powers.Caban, Pedro et al. (1994): ''The Latino Experience in U.S. History''. Northfield, Minnesota: Globe Pearson. p. 274. When the WAC bill established the Women’s Army Corps in 1943, Cubria and her female comrades-in-arms became members of the regular Army. After World War II ended, Cubria was promoted to the rank of captain. She was assigned to the U.S. Army's Caribbean Theater, based at Quarry Heights in the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

; she was the first woman to serve in active duty in that theater. When the United States entered the Korean War, Cubria was promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

and deployed to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, where she continued to work in military intelligence. When the Korean War ended in 1953 Cubria was given a medical discharge, and was awarded 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 ...

for "meritorious achievement in ground operations against the enemy". In 1962, Cubria was recalled to service by the U.S. Army as a result of the

. She worked primarily in the role of de-briefing Cuban refugees, as well as defectors who were fleeing the Cuban communist regime. She also helped the refugees find jobs and places to live. Cubria's work with the refugees proved to be a significant asset to the United States Army and the Central Intelligence Agency. Cubria was awarded the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

and continued to serve for the next eleven years.

Legacy

Cubria was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

and in 1973, at the age of 70, retired once more from the military. She was awarded a second Legion of Merit upon her retirement. Mercedes Cubria died on October 14, 1980, in her home in Miami, Florida. In 1988, Cubria was posthumously inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame. The Military Intelligence Hall of Fame is a

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

established by the

Military Intelligence Corps The Military Intelligence Corps is the intelligence branch of the United States Army. The primary mission of military intelligence in the United States Army is to provide timely, relevant, accurate, and synchronized intelligence and electronic ...

of the United States Army in 1988, to honor soldiers and civilians who have made exceptional contributions to Military Intelligence. The Hall is administered by the United States Army Intelligence Center at

Fort Huachuca Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation, established on 3 March 1877 as Camp Huachuca. The garrison is now under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is in Cochise County in southeast Arizona, appr ...

, Arizona.

Awards and decorations

Among Lt. Col. Cubria's military decorations were the following:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cubria, Mercedes O. 1903 births 1980 deaths Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army personnel of the Korean War Cuban emigrants to the United States Women's Army Corps soldiers Women in war 1945–1999 Women in war in East Asia

Early years

Military service

Legacy

Awards and decorations

Further reading

See also

References