Rear Adm. Frances Shea Buckley was the first Navy nurse corps officer and second woman to be promoted to the two-star flag officer rank. She served as director, nursing services, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda; director, nursing service, Naval Regional Medical Center, San Diego; and director of the Navy Nurse Corps in 1979. During the Vietnam War, she served as operating room supervisor aboard USS Repose (AH 16) where thousands of casualties were cared for off the coast of Vietnam’s northern station. After her retirement from the Navy in 1983, Buckley remained active and engaged in her profession and her community, serving on the board for the Veterans Medical Research Foundation and the Retired Officers Association. She chaired the Veterans Administration Women’s Advisory Committee and served on the faculty of the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Nursing.

Last Updated: 30 March 2023