SURPRISE, AZ — A Surprise veteran whose career took her from the battlefields of Vietnam to the halls of international diplomacy has received a national legacy award in recognition of a lifetime of service.
Wanona “Winnie” Fritz, a former U.S. Army nurse, was honored in Washington, D.C., coinciding with the 125th anniversary of the Army Nurse Corps. The award recognizes decades of contributions spanning military medicine, international health care reform and community service.
Fritz grew up on a farm in Illinois and became the first member of her family to pursue a military career. Drawn to the US Army through a scholarship opportunity, she was preparing to graduate when the Vietnam War escalated.
As a young Army nurse, Fritz served in Southeast Asia, flying aboard Huey medical evacuation helicopters and helping operate a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, commonly known as a MASH unit.
“We would go on the MEDCAP missions and try to rescue and care for as many as possible, or provide a quality death if we could not save them,” Fritz said.
Her work during humanitarian missions in combat zones earned her a Bronze Star for extraordinary bravery against hostile forces.
A wartime injury later brought Fritz to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Maryland, where she cared for presidents, members of Congress and foreign heads of state in the intensive care unit.
It was there that she met Jordan’s late King Hussein, a relationship that would shape the next chapter of her career.
“It was very, very good. His Majesty was one of the best bosses I could have,” Fritz said.
Fritz went on to work alongside the king for 17 years, helping oversee a broad transformation of Jordan’s health care system. Her efforts earned her a Jordanian Medal of Honor.
Today, Fritz remains active in public service in Arizona. She works with the city of Surprise on projects aimed at expanding affordable housing, organizing veterans events, and advocating for improvements within the Department of Veterans Affairs system.
Despite the recognition she has received throughout her life, Fritz said her motivation comes from a lesson instilled by her parents during childhood.
“Here was a question that my parents would almost always ask that the four of us needed to answer,” Fritz said. “And that question was: How is the world a better place because you were here today?”
For Fritz, that question has guided a lifetime of service — from caring for wounded soldiers in Vietnam to improving lives at home and abroad.
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