During World War two the worst fears of parents in Marseilles, Illinois were often conveyed by a seemingly innocuous figure - the town physician, who had been tasked with delivering ominous telegrams from the War Department.

He called on Cora and Floyd Richardson at 491 Lincoln Avenue twice within a year. He first delivered the crushing news that their bright vivacious daughter Eloise, a flight nurse in the South Pacific, had gone missing.

When he returned months later, it was not with the long-awaited word on their daughter's condition but to explain that her younger brother Jim, an infantryman in the 5th Marines, had been severely injured at Iwo Jima.

Jim eventually found his way home.

Eloise did not.

Eloise Marie Richardson was born on April 18, 1920, the second of five children. She loved to care for others. Her sister Eleanor was thirteen years younger and still recalls fondly how as a child, Eloise would spoil her with special outings and little gifts.

Eloise was beautiful, smart, and driven. She graduated from Marseilles High School in just three years. Since she was only 17 years old, Eloise had to wait until her next birthday to enroll in nursing school. She trained at Ryburn-King in nearby Ottawa, and then joined the staff there after matriculation.

She later received more specialized training at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. By 1942, Eloise held her dream job in a profession she loved. Yet the same yearning to care for others that drew her to nursing soon compelled her to leave behind the safety of the homefront. She enlisted on October 15 in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, hoping to save lives and see the world.

The life of a World War Two flight nurse was not easy and the perilous nature of the work meant that only volunteers were accepted for the position. The planes the nurses rode in were multi-use, often moving mail, supplies, and even weapons alongside injured soldiers as they navigated war zones, therefore they could not bear the Red Cross and enjoy the protections that it offered.

The dangers were never far from Eloise's mind. She had confessed to a fellow nurse that she did not think that she would ever make it home. Each day she faced death so that others might live.

On May 18, 1944, Eloise's tragic premonition came true. She was working on a routine shift, transferring patients from Bougainville to Guadalcanal. Her C-47 took off under threatening weather conditions and failed to reach its destination. No distress calls were made by the pilot. When the plane's disappearance was realized, an extensive three-day search was organized. Nothing was found from the plane or any of the 23 servicemen and women on board.

Eloise's parents and siblings clung to the hope that she might be found but as the days melted into weeks and then months, their optimism dissipated.

Her parents lived out their days never knowing what happened to their little girl in her final hours. Never having the privilege of laying her to rest or saying one last goodbye. Instead today, Eloise M. Richardson is commemorated here at the Wall of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery, eight thousand miles from her home in Marseilles.

In a poem called "Eloise," found in her unit's archives, an admiring fellow soldier of lesser rank concluded with the lines, “So day by day my love does store for Lieutenant Eloise Richardson. After the war, rank won't be anymore and then maybe our love will have fun."

I wish you had the opportunity to see that carefree post-war world he wrote about, the chance to perhaps explore a young romance or to take your sister Eleanor out for ice cream one more time.

The actions of nurses often go unrecognized in the annals of history. Yet they were and are so crucial to our successes.

Americans should aspire to your example.

You gave comfort in a time of war, and gave your own bright future for the collective good.

Eloise, you are a true American hero, and you will not be forgotten.

Thank you for giving your life for the country that we love.

Eloise M Richardson