Helene Wallingford

Helene Wallingford of Malta, New York is a Vietnam-era veteran and former United States Navy Lieutenant.

Ms. Wallingford served five years of active duty in the U.S. Navy from 1965 to 1970 as a nurse, compassionately providing healing care for injured and wounded American service members during the height of the Vietnam War.

There are many veterans who would not be alive today if it was not for the professionalism and skill of Ms. Wallingford and the other nurses who were there to provide compassionate care for our wounded warriors. They truly saved lives during the Vietnam War.

Ms. Wallingford’s courageous service and efforts to save lives and heal others during the Vietnam War earned her numerous awards, including the National Defense Service Medal and Navy Commendation.

During this time, her future husband, United States Marine Corps Captain David Wallingford, was shot and wounded in Vietnam. He was evacuated to a military hospital in Yokosuka, Japan, where he met and was treated by Ms. Wallingford, who was stationed there.

After her military service, Ms. Wallingford worked as a nurse at St. Peter’s Hospital and Saratoga Hospital, and went on to advise and educate the next generation of nursing students at Maria College and the Excelsior College Nursing Program.

Ms. Wallingford also has given back to her fellow nurses as the Past President of Sigma Theta Tau International.

In what can only be described as a storybook romance, the Wallingfords met while she treated him for wounds he sustained in combat during the Vietnam War. They fell in love, got married, raised four children, and are the proud grandparents of eight grandchildren.

Both are recipients of the New York State Senate Liberty Medal for their courageous service to our State and Nation during the Vietnam War.