Carmen Lozano Dumler

Second Lieutenant Carmen Maria Lozano Dumler,[note 1] RN, (September 18, 1921 – March 29, 2015), was one of the first Puerto Rican women to become a United States Army officer. During World War II, she served as a nurse and interpreter, and provided support for patients who spoke Spanish.

Carmen Maria Lozano Dumler
Second Lieutenant Carmen Maria Lozano Dumler
Born(1921-09-18)September 18, 1921
San Juan, Puerto Rico
DiedMarch 29, 2015(2015-03-29) (aged 93)
Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Place of burial
Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois
Allegiance United States Women's Army Corps
Years of service1944–1946
Rank
Second Lieutenant
Unit65th Infantry Regiment, United States Army Nurse Corps

Early years

Lozano was born and raised in San Juan, the capital city of Puerto Rico. She lived in a coffee plantation which was managed by her father. She received her primary and secondary education in San Juan.[1][2][3] She graduated from the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing in the spring of 1944.[4]

By this time the United States had entered World War II and therefore needed to boost its military capabilities; as a result, the Army ordered Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry Regiment to full war strength and drafted many Puerto Ricans — even those whose knowledge of English was minimal. The Army recognized the need for bilingual nurses based on a letter to the surgeon general in New York to help the soldiers that returned with wounds. In 1944, WAC (Women's Army Corps) recruiters were sent to Puerto Rico to organize a unit of 200 WACs.[5] Over 1,500 women applied.[5] Lozano applied to become an Army nurse and on Aug. 21, 1944, became one of thirteen women selected.[1][6][4] According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, she "described it as the happiest day of her life."[4]

Military service

Lozano was one of the first Puerto Rican women to become a United States Army officer.[4][7]

On August 21, 1944, she was sworn in as a 2nd Lieutenant and assigned to the Rodriguez (161st) General Hospital (named after Major Fernando E. Rodriguez Vargas) at Fort Brooke, Puerto Rico in San Juan, where she continued to receive further training. Upon completing her advanced training, she was sent to Camp Tortugero where she also assisted as an interpreter whenever needed.[1] According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, in addition to her work as a translator, she also provided "her support to the patients who appreciated having someone to talk to who shared the same language."[4] In 1945, Lozano was reassigned to the 359th Station Hospital of Ft. Read, Trinidad and Tobago, British West Indies, there she attended wounded soldiers who had returned from Normandy, France.[1][8][4]

While in Trinidad she decided that she would like to become a doctor after the war and took correspondence courses from Louisiana State University.[1] She met Lieutenant Joseph Dumler in Trinidad and they were married in the Base Chapel.[1]

Later years

After the war, Lozano returned to civilian life and moved to Baltimore, Maryland with her husband. They later moved to Hoffman Estates where she hoped to continue her education in medicine. She enrolled as a part-time student at the University of Maryland but had to put her studies on hold after having her first child. She continued her nursing and counseling career at the Brothers Health System for 20 years until her retirement in 1985. After retiring, the Dumlers lived in Florida for 23 years, renting out four Sunshine State properties they’d bought as investments.[3]

Dumler died March 29, 2015, at Brookdale Senior Living facility in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.[9] She was 93 and had Alzheimer's disease. Marilla Cushman of the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation said:[3]

“She is certainly a pioneer for Puerto Rican women, one of the first 13 to be commissioned into the Army Nurse Corps. Carmen and her 12 cohorts led the way for Puerto Rican women in the Army Nurse Corps.[3]

Awards and decorations

Among Dumler's awards and decorations are:

Army Good Conduct Medal
Women's Army Corps Service Medal American Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal

Badges:

  •    Army Nurse Corps badge

Honors:

  • National Hispanic Heritage Month 2019 (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)[4]

Notes
  1. This name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the maiden family name "Lozano" and the second or matrimonial family name is "Dumler".

See also

References
  1. Women's Memorial Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "la Voz" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
  3. O'Donnell, Maureen (May 2, 2015). "Carmen Lozano Dumler, Puerto Rican nurse who blazed trails in Army". The Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  4. Lara, Judith (October 11, 2019). "Hispanic American Veterans honored during heritage month". VAntage Point. U.S. Department of Veterns Affairs. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  5. Davis Jr, Command Sgt. Maj. Archie L. (September 30, 2010). "A brief history of Hispanic women in our Army". Fort Hood Sentinel. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  6. The Contributions of Hispanic Servicewomen--Written by: Judith Bellafaire, Ph.D., Curator Archived 2004-03-14 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Hispanics in Defense of Our Nation" (PDF). U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 4 February 2021. Second Lieutenant Carmen Lozano Dumler was one of the first Puerto Rican women to become a US Army officer
  8. Puerto Rican Servicewomen in Defense of the Nation Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
  9. "Carmen Maria Dumler 1921-2015". Chicago Suburban Daily Herald. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.

Further reading
  • Puertorriquenos Who Served With Guts, Glory, and Honor. Fighting to Defend a Nation Not Completely Their Own; by : Greg Boudonck; ISBN 978-1497421837
  • LAS WACS-Participacion de la Mujer Boricua en la Seginda Guerra Mundial; by: Carmen Garcia Rosado; 1ra. Edicion publicada en Octubre de 2006; 2da Edicion revisada 2007; Regitro tro Propiedad Intectual ELA (Government of Puerto Rico) #06-13P-)1A-399; Library of Congress TXY 1-312-685
  • Historia militar de Puerto Rico; by: Hector Andres Negroni; Publisher: Sociedad Estatal Quinto Centenario (1992); ISBN 84-7844-138-7
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