1LT SHARON ANN LANE
Name: First Lieutenant Sharon Ann Lane
Rank/Branch: O2 / U.S. Army, Army Nurse Corps
Unit: 312th Evacuation Hospital, 67th Medical Group, 44th Medical Brigade, USARV
Date of Birth: July 7, 1943
Home City/State of Record: Canton, Ohio
Tour Start (Vietnam): April 29, 1969 – reported for duty at the 312th Evacuation Hospital, Chu Lai
Date of Casualty: June 8, 1969
Age at Loss: 25
Country/Province of Loss: South Vietnam / Quang Tin Province
Wall Location: Panel 23W, Line 112
1LT Sharon Ann Lane grew up in Ohio, graduated from Canton South High School in 1961, and completed her nursing training at Aultman Hospital School of Nursing before joining the Army Nurse Corps in 1968. After stateside service at Fitzsimons General Hospital, she volunteered for duty overseas. She was sent to Vietnam in April 1969, where she cared for both American and Vietnamese patients at the 312th Evacuation Hospital in Chu Lai.
On the morning of June 8, 1969, enemy 122mm rockets struck the hospital complex. Lieutenant Lane ran toward her ward to protect her patients; a rocket detonated between two Quonset huts and fragments fatally wounded her. She was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for heroism and the Purple Heart, and is remembered as the only American servicewoman killed as a direct result of enemy fire during the Vietnam War.
Her legacy lives on in memorials, scholarships, and even a clinic in Chu Lai that bears her name, continuing the healing work she gave her life to perform.
mickyspano.com/ and The Micky Spano Show proudly honor First Lieutenant Sharon Ann Lane as our Veteran of the Day for November 17, 2025. We remember her courage, compassion, and ultimate sacrifice for her patients and her country.
Leave a Reply