Veterans Legacy Program: Frieda Lambrecht, woman, immigrant, proud Veteran of two wars

Three members of the Women’s Army Corps proudly render a military salute.

Msgt. Frieda M. Lambrecht was a Veteran of both World War II and Korean War. She served during an era when opportunities for women in the military were expanding.  As a soldier in the Army Medical Department, she affected the lives of many wounded soldiers during both wars. In honor of Women’s History Month, the National Cemetery Administration is honored to share Lambrecht’s Veterans Legacy.

Lambrecht was born in Germany on August 31, 1913. She lived there until her family immigrated to the United States in 1926. Three years later, she became a naturalized citizen in Illinois, where she worked as a nurse at the St. John’s Sanitarium for ten years.

During World War II, Lambrecht decided to use her medical experience in the military. In February 1945, she enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps as a surgical assistant. Established in 1942, the Women’s Army Corps created hundreds of non-combat positions for women, giving them the first opportunities to serve in the Army in occupations other than a nurse. It allowed women to expand into the fields of driving, cooking, medical, and clerical work.

Women Army Corps medical personnel working a blood machine.

Lambrecht continued to serve in the Women’s Army Corps after World War II ended. She worked in a number of different Army hospitals around the country.  While serving in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, she met Conrad J. Lambrecht, an Army warrant officer and bandleader.  They married in July 1951.

During the Korean War, the Army stationed the newlywed couple in Japan as husband and wife. There, Frieda Lambrecht continued to serve as a surgical assistant at the Tokyo Army Hospital, treating soldiers wounded in the Korean War.

The Army discharged Frieda Lambrecht in October 1952. After her husband’s discharge from the Army in 1959, the two moved to Umatilla, Florida. For many years, Frieda Lambrecht continued to work as a surgical assistant at Waterman Memorial Hospital.

On April 4, 1995, Frieda Lambrecht passed away at the age of 81. Her husband, Conrad Lambrecht passed away on September 12, 2000. They are buried together at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida.

Frieda Lambrecht’s grave marker located at Florida National Cemetery

Last year, in partnership with the Veterans Legacy Program, students and faculty at University of Central Florida conducted research on over 100 Veterans buried at Florida National Cemetery, including the Frieda and Conrad Lambrecht. Their biographies are now shared with public. 

This partnership is part of the larger initiative to modernize the memorialization of Veterans. The Veterans Legacy Program launched in May 2016 to engage students, teachers, and the public with stories of Veterans buried at national cemeteries. For more information on the Veterans Legacy Program, please visit https://www.cem.va.gov/legacy/

Please join us in recognizing the Veterans Legacy of both Frieda and Conrad Lambrecht. Their biography can be read here: https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/B201-0-868-F.html