Army Nurse Corps History Home > Army Nurse Corps Uniforms and Insignia > Army Nurse Corps Uniforms: A Retrospective Exhibit

The WRAIN Program, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, wasestablished on 1 May, 1964, as a class II activity under the jurisdiction of theSurgeon General in cooperation with the University of Maryland School ofNursing, with the academic aspects of the program under the jurisdiction of theuniversity.  MAJ Ilandene H. Filer was appointed AdministrativeDirector.  The program initially provided financial assistance to 135qualified high school graduates who desired to complete a four-year program innursing.  Upon completion of the program, a Bachelor of Science degree innursing was conferred by the University of Maryland.  Following statelicensure, participants were commissioned as second lieutenants (initially;later as first lieutenants) in the US Army Reserve and were obligated to serve onactive duty for three years.  In April 1975, it was announced thatrecruitment for the program was suspended pending a Department of Defense studyof the program.  WRAIN officially closed on 30 June 1978.  A total of1,219 students graduated from the program.  During its eleven years, fiveANC officers served as WRAIN's Directors: LTC Ilandene H. Filer (1964-1967), LTCMargaret Ewen (1967-1968), COL Drusilla Poole (1968-1974), LTC Billie J. Barcus(1974-1976), and COL Hazel W. Johnson (1976-1978).