Elizabeth Hafley Ray

Elizabeth Hafley Ray was born in Englewood, NJ in June 1920, and was working as a nurse at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Hoboken, New Jersey, at the outset of World War II. She had no friends in the military and did not come from a family with a military tradition. Ray did have two brothers—one who would be drafted during World War II and another during the Korean War in the early 1950s. She decided to enlist, so she went to New York City to complete her paperwork and entrance testing. Once Ray passed her entrance test, she was able to request her station location, and said she wanted to serve overseas. As a nurse, she was commissioned as a second lieutenant. 

After training, Ray was sent to England in early 1944. Upon arrival, she discovered there were no official living quarters for nurses, and so they were lodged in local homes. Ray was subsequently stationed in a local empty hospital during the Normandy Invasion. It quickly filled up as wounded men were flown from France to a local airport, and then transferred to her hospital. She recalled that her hospital was “bombed” twice. On the first strike, a POW was killed; and, on the second occasion, there was significant structural damage. German aircraft were not in action over England at this time, so these attacks were probably by the V-1 flying bomb, known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or “doodlebug.”

Throughout her time in the Army, Ray had mixed feelings. Although she was proud of serving her country and helping injured soldiers, she was homesick and did not always like the strict structure of military life. Ray also felt that, as a woman, she was not always accepted, but that because she was a nurse it was easier, since they filled a vital slot.

As the Allies pushed across Europe in the wake of D-Day, Ray was sent to stations in France and Belgium. On arrival at her last duty station in Belgium, she was housed in a more permanent place, in an old nursing home building.

During her free time, Ray enjoyed dances and movies. She also enjoyed USO concerts from America. Ray had some fear about wandering too far because of the “buzz bombs” and was warned to always remain vigilant. She was in Belgium during the Battle of the Budge and the ensuing final months of the war. When the war ended, Ray returned to the United States and was discharged honorably as a first lieutenant.

Ray had stayed in contact with her family through letters, and she looked forward to returning home. Once home, she returned to working as a nurse in a hospital, and met her husband who was also a veteran. They had four children and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Although Ray lost contact with most of the nurses she served with, she had no regrets about serving, stating that she learned the value of discipline and respect.

Elizabeth Ray passed away May 9, 2015, at the age of 94 in Hackensack, New Jersey.