Celebrating Women’s History Month: The Courageous Service of Georgia Insley

​As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we honor the remarkable contributions of Georgia Insley, a dedicated nurse who served with distinction during World War II. Georgia graduated from Bellefontaine High School in 1935 and completed her degree at Miami Valley School of Nursing in Dayton in 1941. The following year, she enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps and was trained as a flight nurse for the newly formed 803rd Air Evacuation Squadron at Bowman Field in Kentucky.
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The training for the air evacuation doctors, nurses, and staff was intense, covering first aid, oxygen therapy, tropical diseases, nursing care in flight, arctic medicine, chemical warfare, survival skills, ocean

rescue, and physical fitness exercises. After completing their training, the 803rd Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron traveled to California and boarded a ship to their ultimate destination in the China-Burma-India Theater.

Most of the 803rd Squadron’s rescue missions took place in Burma, where they averaged over 1,500 patient evacuations of wounded servicemen per month on their C-47 and other transport planes. These missions were dangerous, with squadron members often fired upon and injured. The success of the medical air evacuation transport squadrons in the Pacific Theater led to their development for use in the European Theater. General Eisenhower acknowledged their importance, stating that they "unquestionably saved hundreds of lives, thousands of lives."

Lt. Georgia Insley spent fifteen months with the 803rd Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron, logging 535 hours in the air. She played a vital role in the U.S. armed forces and Allies' victory, earning the Air Medal, Presidential Citation, and two Bronze Stars for her service.

After returning home, Georgia married Ralph Stamm of Bellefontaine and continued her nursing career, working with area doctors, as a private nurse, and for twenty years with the Logan County Health Department. The 803rd Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron remained an important part of her life. She wrote a history of the squadron and stayed active with the group’s reunions, as well as local veterans’ groups like the Harold Kerr Post American Legion.
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This Women’s History Month, we celebrate Georgia Insley's courageous service and her unwavering commitment to nursing and her community. Her story is a testament to the power of dedication, compassion, and the impact one woman can have on the world.
This article is based on information provided by the Logan County Historical Society.