Mary E. Merritt
World War I
### World War I

[thumb\|320px\|Camp Taylor, circa 1918\.](/wiki/File:Camp_taylor_panorama.jpg "Camp taylor panorama.jpg")
At the start of World War I, African American nurses were excluded from volunteering because of their race. After the [pandemic](/wiki/Pandemic "Pandemic") "[Spanish flu](/wiki/1918_flu_pandemic "1918 flu pandemic")" occurred in 1918, African American soldiers were treated at [Camp Taylor](/wiki/Camp_Taylor%2C_Louisville "Camp Taylor, Louisville") in Louisville. African American nurses, including Merritt, were hired to care for these soldiers. Merritt was awarded a certificate of merit by United States President [Woodrow Wilson](/wiki/Woodrow_Wilson "Woodrow Wilson") for her work during [World War I](/wiki/World_War_I "World War I") at Camp Taylor.


How does this relate to World War I?