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“Today we honor all the nurses who have defended liberty and have made amazing sacrifices. Yet, as we celebrate our history, we embrace the future with confidence and leadership,” said Chaplain (Capt.) Walid Habash, 86th Airlift Wing chaplain, during the invocation for the Air Force Nurse Corps’ 64th anniversary celebration June 1 on Ramstein.
The ceremony was a day of reflection for nurses from the Ramstein Clinic and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. The event featured a slideshow highlighting military nurses on duty, a speaker and a panel of subject matter experts, who gave attendees an opportunity to ask a variety of questions.
“The nurse corps has a very rich history,
Col. Margaret Walsh, 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron commander, speaks at the 64th anniversary of the Air Force Nurse Corps July 1 on Ramstein. The anniversary luncheon detailed the history of the nurse corps and the direction of improvement the corps looks to achieve.
and not enough of their personal oral histories are being shared,” said Lt. Col. Erwin Gines, LRMC deputy chief nurse.
The celebration was a step in the right direction, shedding light on the little-known history of military nursing.
World War II defined the role of the flight nurse and paved the way for the establishment of the Air Force Nurse Corps on July 1, 1949. The Korean War of the 1950s brought more opportunities for Air Force nurses and saw the creation of a distinguishing insignia and badge for the nurses. Over the years, the Nurse Corps has successfully adapted to new environments through modernization, role expansion and professional development.
Col. Margaret Walsh, 86th Aeromedical Evac-uation Squadron commander, encouraged the guests to bring in a brighter future during her speech.
“Learn the organization,” Walsh said. “The only way you can be effective in creating change is by knowing the organization you work in.”
In the 21st century, nurses are more diverse, better educated and more professional than ever before.
“We go into nursing for our various reasons, but I think we learn to love it,” said Maj. Tonya Mial, 86th Medical Group health care integrator. “We have a common thread of love.”
The luncheon brought this history to the forefront and honored the sacrifices of these dedicated nurses who are proud to serve in the military.
“Honestly, it’s serving our past, present and future heroes,” said Capt. Nina Linnehan, 86th AES flight nurse evaluator and coordinator of the event. “Everyone that we touch has somehow sacrificed for their nation. Our dependent children are potential future heroes. Each and every person (at the ceremony) is a current hero to me because they signed the line that they would lay their life down for their nation. And we get to serve our past heroes in our retirees who have served previously so that I have the freedoms that I have today.”
“Happy birthday to the Air Force Nurse Corps from the Army Nurse Corps,” said Col. Lori Trego, LRMC chief of the center for nursing science.
The celebration is an annual event and the nurses said they are looking forward to celebrating it again next summer.
