Wilma (Nickname "DOLLY"),because She was about just 62 inch tall VINSANT was born February 20th.1917 in San Benito in Texas-USA.

Dolly's Father was an MD and Her Mother a Nurse.

Dolly was their only Child.

As 1 of the 500 US Flightnurses during WW2,DOLLY joined as First Lieutenant the 9th.US Airforce.

1943 Dolly was stationed in England for a 2 years period.

From there Airplanes picked up wounded Soldiers at the Frontline near MUNICH and FRANKFORT in GERMANY and transported them to Hospitals in BELGIUM and ENGLAND.

April 14th.1945 Dolly had a Day off, but because an other Nurse, Doris Rike was invited at a Party,vDolly told Her that She should take over as volunteer and joined the Flight instead of Doris.

The Airplane a C-47,crashed in very bad weather around Noon that day about 50 kilometers Northwest of the City of EISENACH in GERMANY.

Dolly and 5 of Her Workmates died.

Dolly was temporary buried in EISENACH.

June 1945,Dolly was buried on the US Soldiers Cemetery in MARGRATEN-HOLLAND.

Just 6 months before Dolly died in the Plane Crash She was married with Major WALTER L. SHEA, an Airforce Navigator from the BRONX NEW YORK.

Dolly was very devoted to her work as Flightnurse.

A Hospital in Her Hometown SAN BENITO(TEXAS) carries Her name:" Dolly Vinsant Memorial Hospital".

In the Hall of the Hospital is Her painted Picture at the Wall.

Yearly the Hospital has an" Dolly Vinsant Flight Nurse Award" for the best Nurse.

On the Cemetery in MARGRATEN are 8203 US Soldiers buried, included 4 Women.

The Graves are mostly adopted by Citizen living near the Cemetery.

Dolly was awarded with:

The Air medal Red Cross Medal Special Citation from President Harry Truman Posthumous Purple Heart

Source: Find A Grave Memorial: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9348776/wilma-r-vinsant

Thank you for your supreme sacrifice in service to your country.

_This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see _www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

Vinsant, Wilma R., 1st Lt