"Eighteen thousand American Red Cross nurses provided much of the medical care for the American military during World War 1, and 4,800 Red Cross ambulance drivers, including Walt Disney and Ernest Hemingway, provided first aid on the front lines. Of those, 296 nurses and 127 ambulance drivers died in service to humanity.

"By the end of the war, the Red Cross had 21 hospitals in France, as well as 12 convalescent homes, 9 infirmaries, 10 dispensaries and 130 canteens.

"Those who have been on the receiving end of their care and compassion will never forget the war time nurse. My great aunt, Annie Meehan, served on the battlefield of World War I as a member of the Carmelites, a medical order of nuns. Recruited in Ireland, she was stationed at Lisieux, France, and was decorated by the French government. Written in 1918 and kept alive by America's barbershop quartet singers, this song is a tribute to all those dedicated women who, with a smile on their lips and fatigue in their eyes, worked to keep death at a distance."

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