Flo Awarded the Bronze Star

The Military’s Recognition vs. Red Cross Restrictions

My Mother and Audie Murphy Chapter 123

The U.S. Army recognized Florence Wick’s service with multiple military honors, but the American Red Cross (ARC) severely restricted her ability to display them. Flo received the Presidential Citation Ribbon with four bronze battle stars for service in the European Theater, the fourragère (a French military decoration awarded to units that distinguished themselves in combat), and the Bronze Star. Despite these honors, the ARC forbade her from wearing most of them, a policy that reflected institutional tensions over the women’s status and role.

Why the ARC Prohibited Display of Military Awards

The ARC’s restrictions stemmed from a deliberate strategy to maintain the appearance that these women were noncombatants, even though their actual service contradicted this designation. After VE Day, clubmobilers who had served at least 30 days in designated battle zones became eligible for battle stars—the same recognition offered to military personnel. The Army awarded these women five battle stars to wear on their European Theater of Operations ribbons.

The ARC’s response was to prohibit the women from wearing Army-issued battle stars and instead issued meaningless silver stars as a substitute. This move served two purposes: it denied the women public recognition of their actual combat-zone service, and it reinforced the Red Cross’s institutional need to classify these women as civilians rather than military personnel. Allowing the women to wear military decorations might have jeopardized the very arrangement that permitted them to work so close to the fighting front.

Evidence of Military Support

Not all Army officials agreed with the ARC’s restrictions. Colonel L.C. McGarr, who served as Assistant Division Commander, wrote to Flo expressing his support. In his correspondence, he stated: “I hope you get that bronze star—it was my last official act as Asst Div C.G. You gals deserve it first of all in my books.” This correspondence suggests that Army leadership recognized and valued the contributions of the clubmobilers, even as the Red Cross worked to minimize their visibility and official status.

The Casualty Record: Evidence of Actual Combat Risk

The casualty statistics reveal how close these women truly came to combat. The American Red Cross lost 280 personnel across World Wars I and II out of 51,600 serving—a rate of 5 deaths per 1,000 serving. This compares to approximately 3 deaths per 1,000 for the entire U.S. armed forces.

During World War II specifically, the ARC lost 86 personnel, and 52 of them (60%) were women. These women experienced higher casualty rates than male ARC workers because they spent significantly more time close to and on the fighting front. This casualty record provided irrefutable evidence that clubmobilers like Flo were exposed to genuine combat danger—contradicting the ARC’s classification of them as noncombatants.

Broader Implications for Female Veterans

Flo’s experience reflected a larger institutional failure to recognize women’s wartime service. Post-war initiatives like the GI Bill were overwhelmingly directed toward male veterans, despite women technically being eligible. Female veterans were rarely informed of their eligibility for education and training benefits during discharge, while male veterans received systematic outreach. Noncombatants like the clubmobilers received no GI Bill benefits at all, further marginalizing their contributions and limiting their post-war opportunities.

The ARC’s suppression of military awards was not simply bureaucratic oversight—it was a deliberate institutional choice that denied these women recognition for service that exceeded the danger levels of many official military personnel.

Thanks to: “After all, who takes care of the Red Cross’s morale?”: The Experiences of American Red Cross Clubmobile Women during World War II, A Thesis by Paige N. Gulley

“Girls” in Name Only: A Study of American Red Cross Volunteers on the Frontlines of World War II, A thesis by Julia A. Ramsey