Women's US Army Service uniform worn by Brigadier General Hazel Johnson-Brown

Hazel Johnson-Brown was born on October 10, 1927, and joined the Army Nurse Corps (ANC) in 1955. Throughout her life she distinguished herself as a military and public healthcare professional. During the Vietnam War, Johnson-Brown was stationed in Japan where she trained nurses who were being sent to Vietnam. She also served for a time as the director of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Nursing. In 1979, Johnson-Brown became the first African American woman general in the history of the U.S. military and the first African American woman to be appointed chief of the ANC. She retired from the ANC in 1983 after almost 30 years of service. Brigadier General Johnson-Brown died on August 5, 2011, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.