Elinor Powell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elinor Powell
Born	1921 (1921) Milton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	2005 (aged 83–84)
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Rank	Second lieutenant

Elinor Powell (1921–2005) was an amazing African-American nurse who served in the World War II. She is famous for marrying a German prisoner of war, which was very unusual at the time.

Elinor's Early Life

Elinor grew up in Milton, Massachusetts. Her grandmother had a brave story, escaping slavery as a teenager. She traveled north using the Underground Railroad, a secret network that helped enslaved people find freedom. Elinor's father also served in World War I. His service later inspired Elinor to join the United States Army as a nurse.

Serving in the Army

In 1944, Elinor Powell joined the army. She completed her basic training at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. This was a very important military base for black soldiers and nurses. Elinor was one of only about 300 nurses allowed to join the Army Nurse Corps. There were strict rules about how many black nurses could join.

Elinor worked as a second lieutenant at a prisoner of war (POW) camp in Florence, Arizona. Her job was to care for German soldiers who had been captured in Europe and North Africa. At that time, black nurses were not allowed to treat white American soldiers. Because of this, black nurses were assigned to care for German prisoners.

A Special Relationship

Even with strict rules, Elinor fell in love with a German prisoner named Frederick Albert. He was a medic from Vienna and had been captured in Italy. This relationship was very risky for Elinor. She could have faced serious trouble, like being removed from the army.

Elinor met Frederick in the mess hall, where he worked as a cook. Just before Frederick was released and sent back to Germany in April 1946, they had a son. This helped Frederick get a special visa to return to the U.S. The next year, they got married in New York.

Life After the War

After they married, Elinor and Frederick moved to Boston. However, they faced a lot of unfair treatment because they were an interracial couple. This means people had problems with a black person and a white person being married. So, they decided to move to Germany.

But life there wasn't much better for them. Eventually, they returned to the U.S. and settled in Connecticut. Frederick passed away in 2001 when he was 75 years old. Elinor passed away in 2005 at the age of 85. They had two sons, Steven and Chris. Their son Chris became a talented trumpeter and played with the famous Duke Ellington Orchestra.

In 2018, a book called Enemies in Love was written by Alexis Clark. It tells the amazing story of Elinor Powell and Frederick Albert's unique relationship.