Della Hayden Raney (January 10, 1912 – October 23, 1987) was an American

nurse Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

in the Army Nurse Corps. Raney was the first

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

nurse to report for duty in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the first to be appointed chief nurse. In 1944, she became the first black nurse affiliated with the Army Air Corps promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, and she was later promoted to major in 1946. Raney retired from the Army in 1978.

Biography

Della H. Raney was born on January 10, 1912, in

Suffolk, Virginia Suffolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. As of 2020, the population was 94,324. It is the List of cities in Virginia, 10th-most populous city in Virginia, the largest city in Virginia by bou ...

. She graduated from the Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing in 1937. At Lincoln, she worked as an operation supervisor and before enlisting in the military had also worked at the Community Hospital of

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

, and at the K.B. Reynolds Hospital in

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...

. In April 1941, Raney reported for duty and was the first African American nurse to serve in the Army Nurse Corps in World War II. Raney, commissioned as a second lieutenant, was first stationed at

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty from 2023–2025) is a United States Army, U.S. Army Military base, military installation located in North Carolina. It ranks among the largest military bases in the world by population, with more than 52,000 m ...

, where she worked as a nursing supervisor. The next year, she was transferred to the

Tuskegee Army Air Field Sharpe Field is a closed private-use airport located northwest of the central business district of Tuskegee, a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. This airport is privately owned by the Bradbury Family Partnership. Formerly known ...

Station Hospital. Raney worked as the chief nurse there and was promoted to captain in 1944. Also in 1944, she was transferred to

Fort Huachuca Fort Huachuca is a United States Army military base, installation, in Cochise County, Arizona, Cochise County in southeast Arizona, approximately north of the Mexico–United States border, border with Mexico and at the northern end of the Huac ...

. At the time, she was the only black woman to earn that rank and work for the

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. In 1946, she was on terminal leave from

Camp Beale Camp may refer to: Areas of confinement, imprisonment, or for execution * Concentration camp, an internment camp for political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or minority ethnic groups * Extermination ...

where she worked as head nurse. Raney was also promoted to the rank of major that year. She was the first black nurse promoted to the rank of major in the US Army. In the 1950s, she was stationed at the Percy Jones Army Medical Hospital. Raney served in the Army until her retirement in 1978. She was honored for her service by the

Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Fighter Group, 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of th ...

in 1978. Fellow soldiers called her "Maw Raney." On October 23, 1987, Raney died. The Tuskegee Airmen and the

National Black Nurses Association The National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) was founded in 1971 in Cleveland, Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania t ...

created a scholarship named after her in 2012.

References

External links

*
Arlington National Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raney, Della H. 1912 births 1987 deaths African-American nurses United States Army Nurse Corps officers People from Suffolk, Virginia African Americans in World War II Female United States Army personnel Nurses from Virginia Military personnel from Virginia 20th-century African-American women United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces officers African-American United States Army personnel Tuskegee Airmen