Women Warriors

Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee, U.S. Navy

Lenah Higbee was a Canada native, born in 1874. She came to America in 1899 to complete her formal nurse training at the New York Postgraduate HospitalThat same year, she married her husband, John Henley Higbee a retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant ColonelLenah worked in private practice healthcare until her husband had passed away in 1908. She then decided to further her career by attending a post graduate course at Fordham Hospital, New York City.   

In 1908 congress had passed legislation for the Navy Nurse Corps and required the applicants to be unmarried and 22 to 44 years of age. Therefore, Lenah, a 36-year-old widowdecided to joinTwenty females made up the first group of Navy Nurses– later known as the “Sacred Twenty”. 

Just one year later, Higbee was the Chief Nurse at Norfolk Naval Hospital, and in 1911, became the second Superintendent of the Corps– a role she held for eleven years. She was never given a rank and was paid far less than her male colleagues.  

Not only did Higbee grow the Nurse Corps from 160 to over 1,300 nurses, she also served on several healthcare committees, preparing the Red Cross for the impacts of WWI. She then led the Nurse Corps through the war and survived the Spanish Flu epidemic. For her accomplishments, she was awarded the Navy Cross in 1920  

Lenah also advocated for healthcare to dependents of military members and formalized the Navy nursing uniforms bearing the oak leaf and acorn over an anchor 

Higbee retired from the Navy in 1922 after fourteen years of serviceShe essentially shaped the Navy Nurse Corps and had left a significant influence on the Navy. She also became the first woman to have a U.S. Navy warship named after her. 

 

Sources 

https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/biographies-list/bios-h/higbee-lenah-s.html 

https://usnhistory.navylive.dodlive.mil/2018/03/05/lenah-higbee-a-continuing-legacy-and-trailblazer-for-navy-women/  

https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/9550 

 

Back To Blog
  • Need Assistance?

    Here to Serve You


    We understand the obstacles and unique challenges women veterans face and are here to assist you.

    Get Help
  • Other Inquiries

    Contact

  • Get News & Updates

    Subscribe

  • Do your finances keep you up at night? Not sure ho Do your finances keep you up at night? Not sure how to achieve financial freedom?

Join us on March 1st for a webinar on the First Steps to Financial Freedom.

During this webinar you will learn about important topics to take the first steps to create your financial plan, understanding credit and minimizing debt, saving to build wealth, and more.

Two live sessions are available to accommodate our national community: 
East Coast and Midwest – 6:00pm Central Time/7:00pm Eastern Time
West Coast – 6:00pm Pacific Time 

The very first step to financial freedom is showing up! 

Register today by clicking the link in our bio.
    Meet Major General Marcia Anderson. In 2011, Ander Meet Major General Marcia Anderson. In 2011, Anderson became the first African American woman in the United States Army’s history to achieve the rank of Major General in the United States Army Reserve. Her last two assignments before her retirement were Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Human Resources Command and Deputy Chief, U.S. Army Reserve. In this role, Anderson, had oversight for the planning, programming and resource management for the execution of an Army Reserve budget of $8 billion that supported over 225,000 Army Reserve Soldiers, civilians and their families. 

Learn more by clicking the link in our bio. 
.
.
.
.
#BlackHistoryMonth #BlackHistory #BlackLeaders #BlackWomen #Leadership #WomenInTheMilitary #MilitaryWomen #Military #WomenMakingHistory #Inspiration
    Meet Master Sgt. Natasha Smith. She is the 81st He Meet Master Sgt. Natasha Smith. She is the 81st Healthcare Operations Squadron internal medicine flight chief and sharing how her family, faith and heritage have been the cornerstones of her military career.

“My children are my inspiration. They inspire me to be a better mother, daughter, sister and Airman! It is my mission to show them there is nothing too hard for them to accomplish.” - Master Sgt. Natasha Smith.

Learn more by clicking the link in our bio.
.
.
.
.
#BlackHistoryMonth #BlackHistory #Success #WomenInTheMilitary #MilitaryWomen #MiitaryMom #MilitaryKids #Inspiration #Military #RoleModel
    A heartfelt thank you to the Green Foundation for A heartfelt thank you to the Green Foundation for the generous $25,000 investment in our mission! Our donors are critical partners in ensuring women veterans can achieve success in their after-service lives. You too can support the personal and economic wellbeing of women veterans and their families. 

To make an impact or learn more visit our website by clicking the link in our bio.
.
.
.
.
#Nonprofit #FoundationforWomenWarriors #FFWW #WomenWarriors #WomenVeterans #WomanVeteran #Veterans #Veteran #Military
    Happy Presidents' Day! Happy Presidents' Day!
    The Women’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Lab The Women’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor reported the median childcare price for a family with one child ranged from $4,810 to $15,417 in 2018.  Today, childcare costs continue to increase significantly. An infant enrolled in licensed childcare in San Diego costs an average of $19,000, a price tag more costly than in-state college tuition.

According to the San Diego Foundation Workforce, Childcare & Change Report, Californian’s pay 26% higher than the national average for childcare, and San Diego is 15% higher than the state average. For many, this reality threatens not only their financial stability, but potentially their employment. 

Our childcare program allows women veterans to focus on their education and advancing their careers while their children are in safe and reliable care. To learn more or apply visit the link in our bio.
.
.
.
.
#WomenVeterans #WomanVeteran #FemaleVeterans #FemaleVeteran #Veteran #Veterans #MilitaryVeterans #WomenInTheMilitary #MilitaryWomen #MilitaryWoman #MilitaryKids #MilitaryFamily #Military #FoundationForWomenWarriors #FFWW #WomenWarriors #HonorHerService #EmpowerHerFuture
    Meet Joy Allen. Allen serves as Deputy Department Meet Joy Allen. Allen serves as Deputy Department Head for Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Corona Division’s Performance Assessment Department, which serves as the independent analysis and assessment agent across several warfare areas including Air Defense, Integrated Air and Missile Defense, Surface, Strike, and, Cyber. 
 
The department's expertise is utilized across unit level, multi-ship, and strike group compositions, and she ensures everything runs smoothly and assists with daily, high-level operations that are critical to warfighter success and combat capability.
 
“I am grateful for the opportunity to work in a leadership role for our Navy.” - Joy Allen
 
Learn more by clicking the link in our bio.
.
.
.
.
#BlackHistoryMonth #BlackHistory #WomeninSTEM #BlackWomenInSTEM #Leadership #USNavy #NavalSurface #NavalSurfaceWarfareCenter
    Join us on Saturday, March 25th, 2023, at 5:30pm a Join us on Saturday, March 25th, 2023, at 5:30pm at The Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) located in Balboa Park for a special in-person screening of The Six Triple Eight Documentary followed by a Q&A. 

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, known as the Six Triple Eight, was the only all-black female battalion to serve in Europe during WWII. Confronted with racism and sexism from their own leadership and troops, they cleared a backlog of over 17 million pieces of mail. The 6888th ensured troops stayed in touch with their loved ones back home. President Biden signed into law on March 14th, 2022, a Congressional Gold Medal to recognize the women of the 6888th.

Ticket are $25 per person and must be purchased in advance. Limited tickets are available and will not be sold on site.

Buy your tickets today, visit the link in our bio.

#SixTripleEight #6888 #6888th #NoMailLowMorale #6888thCentralPostalDirectoryBattalion #Veterans #Veterans #WomenVeterans #WomanVeteran #FemaleVeterans #FemaleVeteran #Military #WomenInTheMilitary #MilitaryWomen #MilitaryWoman #BlackHistory #BlackHistoryMonth #WomensHistoryMonth #WomensHistory #CongressionalGoldMedal #WomensArmyCorps #USArmy #Army #WomenInTheArmy #Soldiers #BreakingBarriers #PavingTheWay #RoleModels #Inspiration #Trending