Women's US Army Service jacket worn by Brigadier General Hazel Johnson-Brown

Sugarman Uniforms, American · 1980

In 1979, Brig. Gen. Hazel Johnson-Brown became the first African American woman general in the history of the U.S. military and the first African American woman to be appointed chief of the Army Nurse Corps (ANC). She had a highly decorated career in the ANC, as evidenced by the ribbon rack on the left chest of her uniform jacket. The medals represented on her ribbon rack are (left to right, top to bottom): Army Distinguished Service, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service, Army Commendation with Oak Leaf Cluster, National Defense Service, Army Service, and Army Overseas Service.