December 4, 1918 – April 11, 2017
LTC Marguerite Tussey served as an operating room nurse during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Tussey began her military career during World War II, where she earned the first of five Battle Stars. In World War II, she was in Sissone, France operating on casualties from the Battle of the Bulge. She served in field hospitals across Europe and often operated under fire or in the immediate aftermath of battle. When war erupted in Korea, Tussey treated hundreds of casualties a day in makeshift operating rooms with limited supplies. In Vietnam, she served at evacuation and field hospitals. Her decades of experience allowed her to mentor other nurses in treating casualties as they arrived by helicopter, often within minutes of injury during mass casualty events. She helped implement life-saving protocols that improved survival rates for countless wounded soldiers. Tussey’s career represents the evolution of military medicine and exemplifies Army values not just through her repeated voluntary service, but in how she served.