I was a Viet Nam era operating room nurse in the Army from 1968 - 1970. Years later, in a civilian hospital, we were getting ready to try and repair a leaking intracranial aneurysm on a homeless man who had been found on the street. He was terrified!! I was talking with him trying to calm him a little and I asked where he was from and he said to me that the last home he had was in the Army during Viet Nam. I told him I was a nurse in the Army during the war and he grabbed my hand so hard - I al... Read More ››

You know you're a military nurse when you look forward to having a completely color coordinated "outfit". I recently returned from my second deployment to Afghanistan. In 07 I worked in the hospital at the Army Air Base in Bagram, taking care of US and Afghanistan patients. It was then the most rewarding thing I have done in my 40 year nursing career. In July this year I coomplered my second 6 month deployment to Afghansitan. I was part of a team that stood up the first Contingency Aeromedical S... Read More ››

You know you are a military nurse when: you are caring for 30 plus wounded troops in the back of a dark, cold and noisy aircraft cargo bay while wearing Kevlar body armor, helmet and other combat gear. Caring for wounded troops in the back of a cargo plane is one of the biggest challenges for an Air Force flight nurse. The environment is in constant flux where the temperature will be 110 degrees when bringing the wounded onboard and then 60 degrees when the aircraft reaches altitude. The aircraf... Read More ››

I'm a new "butterbar" (second lieutenant) Registered Nurse, on my first "summer camp" (two weeks annual active duty deployment) scared and skinny. I am standing in line for breakfast in my BDUs (Battle Dress Uniform) in Greyling, Michigan, when out of the woods a three-foot tall black and brown bear ambles out and joins the line of soldiers walking past the breakfast items! I start wondering what on earth I have let myself in on by joining the United States Army Reserves and allowing mysel... Read More ››

You'll know you're a military nurse in 2010 when... 10. You build a 52-bed tent hospital before you start working in it. 9. Every time your patient has to use the toilet, you escort him out to the port-a-pot. 8. Ninety-percent of the ward is a name alert because everyone is named "Mohammed." 7. All the patients’ spike temps around 1400 vitals, because it's 90+degrees in the tent, and that's with AC. 6. You have mastered the three most important Afghani (Pashtu) words: pain, bathroom, and ... Read More ››

....you're dressing the wounds of a man who tried to kill you the week before. As the combat support hospital co-located with the prison, it was our responsibility to provide medical care to all detainees in theater. Oftentimes, we were subject to attack as the insurgents were attempting to free their fellow comrades from the prison. If the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) wounded an insurgent during the attack, he was brought to us to stabilize and rehabilitate to the point when he could join the ... Read More ››

.......when you always wear 2 hats-that of a leader and officer and that of a nurse. In difficult situations (and there are many) others look to you to consider all alternatives and choose the best option- for your patients and those who serve them. I have worked with many outstanding nurses in my career. But those in the Army Nurse Corps always tried harder and accomplished more with less: to work together, to achieve the mission set, to maximize everyone's contribution and to never take ... Read More ››

I was 14 years A Navy Hospital Corpsman, servrd with the Marines at Khe Sahn, one year, enlisted Army Medic and 10 years Army Nurse. " You,ll know you,re a Military Nurse when.....the troops, your colleagues , bur most importantly, your patients don't care about your rank or gender, but that, you simply.....just care " Dick Lawrence, Major, US Army Nurse Corps. [ Ret ] Read More ››