Profiles of Valor: Mary Edwards Walker

Monday of this week (March 25) was National Medal of Honor Day — the anniversary observance of the awarding of the first Medals of Honor. It is a day to recognize all recipients of our nation’s highest military award for their “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty,” as well as to recall their extraordinary service and sacrifice on behalf of their brothers in arms and in defense of American Liberty.
A native of Oswego, New York, Walker broke many barriers, including earning her medical degree from Syracuse Medical College in 1855.
At the onset of the war, she attempted to join the Union Army, but as with all women, she was rejected by the uniform services. However, because of her persistence, she was hired as a civilian nurse and later a surgeon by the Union Forces, becoming the first female surgeon in the U.S. Army. She was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland and later the 52nd Ohio Infantry. She wore traditional men’s clothing as a surgeon, which helped her blur the lines of distinction in an era when women were not expected in the field.