One of America's Last Remaining Female WWII Vets Honored With Overdue Ceremony in Hospice Care

Jean Ostrow was one of nearly 120,000 nurses who served in the Cadet Nurse Corps during WWII. Now, at the age of 94, she's one of last remaining female World War II veterans in the country.

Last week, Ostrow, who is currently in hospice care in Palm Bay, Florida, was formally recognized for her years of uniformed military service.

During an intimate ceremony in her living room Thursday, Hospice of Health First personnel presented Ostrow a trio of WWII lapel pins, a U.S. flag, a laminated copy of her Cadet Nurse Corps membership card, and a handmade red-white-and-blue quilt.

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"Miss Jean, we thank you for your service to our nation. Thank you for the sacrifices you made and your willingness to serve our country," Danielle Mims, Hospice of Health First volunteer coordinator, said during the event, per Florida Today. "You saved the lives of many soldiers so that they could continue to fight to maintain our freedom."

The Cadet Nurse Corps was created in 1943 to help alleviate the nursing shortage during WWII. Today, they are the only WWII uniformed service members who have not been formally recognized as veterans.

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Ostrow, who originally hails from Escondido, California, was 18 when she earned admission to the Cadet Nurse Corps on February 11, 1945. She spent three years tending to U.S. troops that were wounded in the Pacific Theater and transported to California for treatment.

"There was a fair amount of gruesome things which she was involved in, bringing them into the hospital and getting them into their care," her son, Rick Ostrow, told Florida Today.

"It's very, very nice to see Mom being honored. She's been quite a hero to me," he added.

Congratulations Miss Jean and thank you for your service.