Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays died on August 7, 2018, in Washington, D.C., at the age of 97 (please verify exact date).
Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays passed away in 2018, closing out a life defined by trailblazing service and dedication to military nursing. She lived to the age of 97, having witnessed and contributed to sweeping changes in both military policy and the role of women in the armed forces over the course of her lifetime.
Her death was marked with tributes from military institutions, nursing organizations, and government officials who recognized her as a pioneer whose promotion in 1970 permanently altered the trajectory of women's roles in the U.S. Armed Forces. She was remembered not only for breaking the rank barrier but for her extensive humanitarian service across three wars: World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
Following her death, tributes noted her lasting legacy in military medicine and gender equality, with several institutions—including the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where a health clinic was named in her honor in 1977 while she was still alive—continuing to commemorate her contributions. Her life story continues to be taught as a case study in leadership, perseverance, and the gradual dismantling of institutional barriers for women in the military.