The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program is honored to announce the February 2026 story of the month has been selected to recognize the memory of 1st Lieutenant Wilma “Dolly” R. Vinsant of the United States Army Nurse Corps. This year, the Story of the Month publication will honor and recognize the service memory of those lost by commemorating our Untold Stories of Service work with Richard Sherman, author of “Never Home: Remembering the Military Heroes Who Never Returned.” The following was researched, written, and presented to the Story of the Month publication by Richard Sherman.

“The war was over for Dolly Vinsant. After nearly 3 years of service, she had fulfilled her “Hazardous Flight” quota of 30 missions as a flight nurse and now in mid-April 1945, she was packing her bags and getting ready to head home. She just had one more favor to do for a friend.

Wilma Dolly Vinsant was born in San Benito, TX, the only child of Dr. William Vinsant and Nellie Mae. Like her mom, Dolly grew up and became a nurse, earning her nursing certificate before the war at John Sealy Hospital in Galveston, TX around 1939. She then joined the Army on September 1, 1942, exactly 25 years after her father who served as an Army doctor in World War I. She completed her qualifications, graduating in the first class of flight nurses on February 18, 1943 at Borman Field, KY. She deployed to Europe with the 806th Medical Air Evacuation Squadron which arrived in Liverpool, England July 1943. The squadron moved to Orly Airfield near Paris in December 1944.

Then in January 1945, she married Army Major Walter Shea in Berkshire, England, and on February 17th, she celebrated her 28th birthday. The 806th Military Air Evacuation Squadron served as an “air ambulance” – on outbound legs, the planes brought supplies and fuel to the front, and on their return flights, they brought injured troops back for medical treatment in England or the US.  And April 1945 was a busy month for the 806th, with more than 17,000 troops evacuated by the squadron.

Now about that favor. Another flight nurse and friend of Dolly’s, Dolores Rike had a sortie scheduled on April 14th. However, there was a party Dolores wanted to attend and she asked Dolly if she could take the flight. Vinsant agreed, but the Commanding Officer denied the request, as it was time for Vinsant to head home. However, Vinsant and Rike submitted a second request and the C.O. relented. And so on April 14th, Dolly Vinsant boarded a C-47 Dakota aircraft. It would be her last flight. The aircraft crashed between Dusseldorf and Frankfurt, Germany with the loss of all 6 crewmembers onboard, including Dolly Vinsant.

In her honor, the Dolly Vinsant Memorial Hospital opened in her hometown in 1949, serving the community of San Benito until finally closing in 2007.

Vinsant was 1 of 17 flight nurses to die on active duty in Europe during World War Two. She received the Air Medal, Red Cross Medal, a Special Citation from President Harry Truman, and a posthumous Purple Heart. Wilma “Dolly” Vinsant is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery, located in the southeast corner of the country.”

The United States Navy Memorial honors 1st Lieutenant Wilma “Dolly” R. Vinsant of the United States Army Nurse Corps, featured within this Story of the Month. Each month, this series honors a Veteran’s story recorded by the Stories of Service Program at the Navy Memorial. To learn more about this story and to explore the Navy Memorial archive, visit the Navy Memorial Stories of Service site at https://www.navymemorial.org/stories-of-service

Richard Sherman is a published author, professor, Navy Gulf War Veteran, and contributor to the Untold Stories of Service Program. Richard also joined the ranks of the Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program and actively interviews Veterans which has enriched our program by conducting extraordinary interviews which are now part of the Navy Memorial Interview Archive. To further explore the work of Richard Sherman, visit:  www.NeverHomeHeroes.com