She was an intelligent, nonbelligerent person, who expressed herself in a respectful way. She’d had her share of run-ins with her superiors at the hospital where she worked and officers in the military, but always handled them gracefully, and often convincingly. She was stationed in Chicago, rather than somewhere in the Deep South, which was a relief to her father. She was assigned to a unit of Negro nurses, and stayed within the parameters that were expected of her. She was one of the most capable nurses in her unit, when she volunteered as a nurse in the Army Air Forces Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron. One of the reasons she did so was to get transferred to Europe, and her application was immediately accepted. She was told that she was the only “colored” nurse who had been accepted in the squadron, or had even applied. The unit had not been designated as segregated so far, and they could hardly separate a single nurse from the others. The officer who went over the applications was progressive and decided to try it as an experiment. They would have to see how the other nurses reacted, and the governors of the RAF Unit with whom they’d be housed if they sent her to England.

Her father objected even more strenuously than he had when she enlisted in the army soon after war was declared. And this time his objection was that the missions she’d be flying as a nurse, bringing wounded men back from the front lines, would be dangerous. He didn’t want to lose his only child. But nothing could ever stop Louise once she made up her mind, and this time was no different.

She arrived promptly at five P.M. on New Year’s Day at Bowman Field, Kentucky. She was in proper uniform, suitcase in hand, ready for six weeks of intense training. The group was divided and assigned to twenty-bed barracks, and the sergeant in charge directed her to a bed on the far end. The sergeant was as startled as many of the nurses to see Louise appear, but she looked calm and confident as she changed into the overalls they’d been given to do an hour of push-ups before dinner. No one made a single comment to see a woman of her race in their midst. There were a few glances exchanged, but nothing was said.

She lined up behind Audrey and Lizzie in the mess tent, with Alex right behind her. Alex was groaning at the push-ups they’d just done, and Lizzie was making fun of her.

“What happened to map reading on the list of courses?” Alex complained. “I won’t be able to walk tomorrow.”

“Wait until ‘simulated enemy attack’ and parachute jumping,” Lizzie added.