GRAHAM, ANNIE R. N727004 LTC, ANC 

DECORATIONS 
American Campaign Medal 
European - African - Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 2 Bronze Service 
Stars 
World War II Victory Medal 
Army of Occupation Medal (Japan) 
Korean Service Medal 
United Nations Service Medal 
National Defense Service Medal 
National Defense service Medal with 1st Oak Leaf Cluster 
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with 10 Year Device 
One of eight nurses listed on the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial, Washington, DC 
Buried in Arlington National Cemetery 

RANK 
Second Lieutenant March 1942 
First Lieutenant April 1944 
Captain November 1946 
Major May 1953 
Leiutenant Colonel June 1966 

ASSIGNMENTS 
General Duty Nurse 3/1942 - 11-1945 Station Hospital, Fort Jackson, SC 
57th Station Hospital and 171st Evacuation Hospital, U. S. Army, Europe (WWII) 
Not on active duty 11/1945 - 12-1950 Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree 
at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. 
General Duty Nurse 1/1951 - 9/1952 U. S. Army Hospital, Camp Rucker, Alabama 
General Duty Nurse 10-1952 - 9/1954 U.S. Army Hospital, Camp Yokohama 
Osaka Army Hospital, Japan 
Army Health Nurse 11-1954 - 3/1958 U.S. Army Hospital 
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri 
Army Health Nurse 4/1958 - 10/1960 45th Field Hospital, U.S. Army, Europe 
Surgical Head Nurse, 
Medical Surgical Supervisor 10/1960 - 11/1963 Walter Reed General Hospital 
Washington, D.C. 
Head Nurse 1/1964 - 3/1966 U.S. Army Hospital, Asmara, Ethiopia 
Supervisor, Dept. of Surgery, 
Assistant Chief Nurse 3/1966 - 10/1967 Womack Army Hospital 
Fort Bragg, North Carolina 
Chief Nurse 11/1967 - 8/1968 91st Evacuation Hospital, 43rd Medical Group, 
44th Medical Brigade,Tuy Hoa, Viet Nam 

Born November 7, 1916 in Efland, NC 

Annie Ruth Graham's final Christmas Letter to friends and family, 1967: 


Greetings! 

This Christmas finds me a long, long way from North Carolina.  I arrived in 
Saigon on 18 November and almost immediately departed for Tuy Hoa (pronounced 
Too-ey Wah) where our hospital (400 bed) is located directly on the beach of 
the South China Sea which is perfectly beautiful but quite treacherous.  All 
buildings here are tropical type and the hospital is cantonment style.  It is 
monsoon season now so we have torrential rains at times.  The climate is 
quite humid but the nights are really rather pleasant.  Getting used to my 
new outfit (tropical fatigues, jungle boots, and "baseball cap") is not as 
"exciting" as in World War II but I'm quite sure I'll manage to survive it 
all!  Our nursing staff consists of 59 nurses (12 male) who of our enlisted 
personnel seem very well trained and apparently have been doing an excellent 
job. 

The tour of duty here is 12 months so I plan to be home for Christmas next 
year. 

I hope you have had a good year and that your Christmas is filled with joy 
and the New Year with more happiness than you could possibly wish for. 

Hope, too, that everyone will pray for peace.  Love, Ruth 


LTC Annie Ruth Graham died at the Tachakawa Air Force Hospital, Japan, on the 
fourteenth of August 1968. 

Ruth was admitted to the 91st Evacuation Hospital at 10:30 p.m. on 8 August, 
after suffering what appeared at first to be a fainting spell.  Upon 
admission to the hospital her illness was diagnosed as a subarachnoid 
hemmorrhage.  Due to the seriousness of her condition she was evacuated, with 
one of the physicians in attendance, to the U.S. Air Force Hospital at 
Tachakawa Air Force Base, Japan, where, despite every effort to save her 
life, she died at 9:55pm on the fourteenth of August. 

CITATION 
BY DIRECTION OF THE PRESIDENT 
THE LEGION OF MERIT 

Is awarded posthumously to 

LEIUTENANT COLONEL ANNIE RUTH GRAHAM, N727004, ARMY NURSE CORPS 
UNITED STATES ARMY 

Lieutenant Colonel Graham distinguished herself by exceptionally meritorious 
conduct in the performance of outstanding service during the period November 
1967 to August 1968 while serving as Chief, Nursing Service, 91st Evacuation 
Hospital, 43rd Medical Group, 44th medical Brigade in the Republic of Viet 
Nam.  In this position Colonel Graham was responsible for the entire nursing 
service for an active four hundred bed inpatient and outpatient medical 
complex.  She personally controlled and coordinated all nursing care, and 
through her diligence and close supervision, the admission, treatment and 
disposition of patients were handled in an expeditious and efficient manner.   
During the enemy's Tet Offensive and other mass casualty situations, she was 
continually present and worked tirelessly in organizing and directing all 
nursing activities.  Her meticulous attention to detail and astute planning 
ensured the smooth functioning of her staff during these critical periods.   
Colonel Graham developed and implemented a comprehensive and intensive 
training program of instruction for ward personnel, which significantly 
enhanced the technical ability of her staff.  Displaying a sincere interest 
in the welfare of the Viet Namese civilians, she often spent her off duty 
hours visiting the nationals who, as innocent victims, suffered the 
consequences of the war.  Through her forceful leadership, keen foresight and 
unrelenting determination, Lieutenant Colonel Graham contributed immeasurably 
to the medical support mission in the Republic of Vite Nam.  Her professional 
competence and outstanding achievements were in keeping with the highest 
traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon herself, her 
unit and the United States Army.