You wake up and don your army combat uniform complete with boots and dog tags; accessorize it with a stethoscope, trauma sheers, and a penlight and feel more pride in that uniform than in hospital scrubs. You have had the opportunity to fire a variety of weapons, ride in helicopters and other military craft, travel to parts of the world you never thought you would see, and overcome obstacles you never thought possible. You somehow find a profound and discrete satisfaction in what you d... Read More ››

You roll out of bed at O’dark-thirty to go for a quick run before duty. You wear combat boots & camouflage to work. On arriving at ‘the office’ you check the computer and pray your deployed Marine son’s name is NOT on the list of the next Med-Evac of incoming wounded from Iraq or Afghanistan. You proudly help off-load litters of wounded and ill patients from the war zone now at the ER door. You quietly answer questions on the phone from an anxious far-away mother of a wounded soldier who just a... Read More ››

You know you’re a military nurse when…across the trauma bay, ICU, ward or wherever, you see in the eyes of a fellow military nurse, “the look”. It is the quiet confidence of experience. Of having been tested with the most clinically challenging trauma cases in the world, many that defy description and having dealt with them in multiples. And knowing that you and your colleagues will lean on each other, help each other, and provide each wounded service member the best care possible, no matter ... Read More ››

You know you’re a military nurse when you drive a 5 ton across the desert for 4 days and 3 nights in full combat gear. There is very little sleep and the menu is nothing more and nothing less than our favorite MREs. You are truly a military nurse if by the end of the 3rd day you are thinking of which is your favorite meal out of the selection available. You are a true military nurse when showers become available and you comment that 4 minutes is a waste of water and 3 minutes is plenty of tim... Read More ››

Military nurses range in experience and expertise, but all are valuable to providing care for the wounded warrior. I am actually a civilian nurse working in a military hospital in Germany. My family and I decided to accept an opportunity to move to Germany to provide a service to the men and women of the armed forces protecting our freedom and standard of living we have come to enjoy. I work on the inpatient psychiatric department and care for soldiers who suffer from PTSD, TBI. and depression. ... Read More ››

"You'll Know You're a Military Nurse when... you spend the rest of your life worrying and praying for patients whose names you don't even remember. Two days before leaving Vietnam one young man, Bobby, started to wake up from his surgery. He opened one eye and asked me ".how many"? I asked what he meant and he asked me how many legs were gone? I had to tell this 19 year old that he had lost both legs. It turned out that Bobby was from my home state of Connecticut. I spent every free moment ... Read More ››

I had the privilage of serving during the counterinsurgency operations with the 10th CSH in 2006. You know your a military nurse when you discover above all else the absolute reverence that the heroes in the Combat Arms community demonstrates to you. I had the privalage of being involved in some of the worst Emergency Scenarios one could imagine. Examples of senior ranking Infantry officers and NCO's breaking down and thanking my young staff for their efforts and "their tears...because those ... Read More ››

You thought nothing else could phase you-you had seen it all. I was an RN in the Army a 1LT, barely new but still very eager and untainted. It was November. I remember it well. A few weeks prior to Thanksgiving and I only had a little over 6 weeks left of my tour. I spoke Spanish. They told me this was a plus. I loved it. We were to go to Santa Rosa, near Copan, a very poor section of Honduras for a MEDRET-Medical Readiness Training Exercise. Most of these were humanitarian missions. We set up ... Read More ››