Anna Mae Violet Hays (née McCabe; February 16, 1920 – January 7, 2018) was an American military officer who served as the 13th chief of the United States Army Nurse Corps.

[2] Hays paved the way for equal treatment of women, countered occupational sexism, and made a number of recommendations which were accepted into military policy.

[3][2] Her father was Daniel Joseph McCabe (1881–1939),[4] and her mother was the former Matie Florence Humphrey (1885–1961),[5][6] who was of Welsh descent;[7] both her parents were officers of The Salvation Army.

[16] The living and working conditions were primitive; buildings were made of bamboo, and dysentery, leeches and snakes were common, particularly during monsoon seasons.

[10] After serving two and a half years in India, Hays was on leave in the United States when World War II ended.

[7] As she had done in India, Hays spent some of her off-duty time in Korea assisting chaplains by playing a field pump organ for church services, some of which were held on the front lines.

In July 1967, she was promoted to the rank of Colonel, and on September 1 of the same year she was appointed chief of the Corps, a position she held until her retirement on August 31, 1971.

[15][8] Hays said in her address to the gathering, that the general stars "reflect[ed] the dedicated, selfless, and often heroic efforts of Army nurses throughout the world since 1901 in time of peace and war.

Completed in August 2020, Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays Elementary School is located at 1227 West Gordon Street in Allentown.