Cmdr. Paul M. Barfknecht, emergency nurse, Shock Trauma Platoon, Health Service and Support Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 4, simulates pumping air into a patient during a mass casualty training exercise held 2 March 2009 at Camp Baharia, Iraq. – Photo by Cpl. M.M. Bravo

Approximately 95 percent of coalition forces wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan survive—the highest rate of any war ever fought—thanks to military nurses, physicians and medics. The war in Afghanistan is now the longest in U.S. history, and military nurses—the most educated in the nation—have been there from the beginning.
 
In a new book titled You’ll Know You’re a Military Nurse When …, U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force nurses describe, in their own words, what it is like to care for soldiers—sometimes the enemy—with life-threatening wounds, some of whom never return home.

Content for the book, which honors nurses willing to risk their own lives to care for fellow service members, was gleaned from impressions and reflections submitted by combat-zone-experienced military nurses via a special website, designed for that purpose by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International. Some samples:

“On one ward, you are caring for a Marine who has been wounded and, on the other ward, you are caring for the EPW (prisoner) who wounded him.” — Megan Dodge, U.S. Army

“You witness the pinning of a Purple Heart on an injured service member’s hospital gown. He salutes from his bed and says, ‘Thank you.’ Then, when all the VIPs leave, he says to you, ‘This is the one medal I never wanted to receive.’” — Mary Carlisle, U.S. Air Force
 
”You spend the rest of your life worrying and praying for patients whose names you don’t even remember.” — Paula Quindlen, U.S. Army

In addition to highlighting the professional, personal, physical and emotional challenges and rewards that differentiate military nursing from civilian nursing, the book includes comments from nurses who served in the Vietnam War. Stories are categorized as follows: 1) On the move; 2) uniforms that pack more than a stethoscope; 3) trauma; 4) honor and dignity; 5) band of nurses; 6) nurses; 7) multitaskers; 8) real life on the front lines; and 9) rewards of the job. The book’s foreword was written by Major General Gale S. Pollock, former chief nurse of the Army and former Acting Army Surgeon General. 

Praise for You’ll Know You’re a Military Nurse When…
“Until now, only the military nurse and the warriors they cared for knew. This collection captures the heart and soul of military nursing, previously an enigma to those on the outside looking in.” — Cindy Gurney, Colonel (Ret.); U.S. Army Nurse Corps Historian

“I laughed; I cried; I remembered. These pages are a fitting tribute to the incredible accomplishments of today’s military nurses. The short vignettes are rich in accounts of daunting challenges, unforgettable patients and inevitable occasions of sadness that come when you care deeply about those you serve. Yet there are also stories of the humor, camaraderie and pride that sustain the spirit through the toughest times. This book will spark memories and, I hope, inspire many to join the ranks of military nurses.” — Barbara C. Brannon, Major General, USAF (Ret.); Assistant Air Force Surgeon General for Nursing, 1999-2005

“This book is a must-read, particularly for anyone thinking of becoming a military nurse or for military nurses who haven’t served in a combat environment. More importantly, it is a must-read for all who care about our soldiers, the medical treatment they receive, their courage and the commitment of the medical teams. To read this book, look at the pictures and not have a tear come to the eye seems impossible. It leaves me touched and prouder than ever of those who serve.” — Wilma L. Vaught, Brigadier General, USAF (Ret.); president, Women in Military Nurse Service for America Memorial Foundation

Ordering information
You’ll Know You’re a Military Nurse When…; published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International; ISBN: 9781-930-538-99-3; price: US $13.95; trade paperback, 96 pages; trim size: 6 x 6; available at www.nursingknowledge.org/STTIbooks RNL