Second Lieutenant Carmen Maria Lozano Dumler, 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. Lozano Dumler has since been featured in promotional and recruitment materials that celebrate diversity in the US military.
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. She graduated from the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing in the spring of 1944. The Army recognized the need for Puerto Rican nurses to address language barriers in hospitals, and the Surgeon General's Office, the Governor of Puerto Rico, the Commissioner of Health of Puerto Rico and physicians worked together to develop criteria to select Puerto Rican nurses for the Army Nurse Corps Lozano applied to become an Army nurse and on Aug. 21, 1944, became one of thirteen women selected. According to retired Lt. Col. Marilla Cushman of the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation, "She is certainly a pioneer for Puerto Rican women, one of the first 13 to be commissioned into the United States Army Nurse Corps (USANC). Carmen and her 12 cohorts led the way for Puerto Rican women in the Army Nurse Corps. 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." She was 93 and had Alzheimer's disease.
In 2020 Carmen Lozano Dumler was posthumously inducted to the Puerto Rico Veterans Hall of Fame.
Awards and decorations
Among Dumler's awards and decorations are:
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|army nurse corps badge
|Army Commendation Medal
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|Army Good Conduct Medal
|Women's Army Corps Service Medal
|American Campaign Medal
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|World War II Victory Medal
|Army of Occupation Medal
|Humanitarian Service Medal
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Badges:
- Nurse Corps branch of service insignia|80px Army Nurse Corps badge
Honors
Lozano Dumler has been featured in material that celebrates diversity in the US military, for Hispanic Heritage Month and for recruitment material:
- National Hispanic Heritage Month 2009 (U.S. Army Medical Department)
- National Hispanic Heritage Month 2019 (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)