Today I attended the Military Order of The Purple Heart's ceremony honoring Military Nurses. The ceremony was held at Arlington National Cemetery. The ceremony focused on the proud tradition of military nursing. Closing remarks focused on our fellow Army Nurses that we have lost. One loss that is still near and dear to our hearts is Captain Maria Ortiz whom we lost on July 10, 2007.
Following the ceremony our leaders placed a wreath in front of a statue in Section 21. Against a background of evergreens, the heroic size white marble figure looks out upon the Army, Navy and Air Force nurses who so valiantly earned their right to lie at Arlington. The granite statue of a nurse in
uniform, sculptured by Frances Rich, honors the nurses who served in the U.S. armed forces in World War I, many of whom rest among the hundreds of nurses buried in Section 21 -- also called the "Nurses Section."
Walter Reed Army Medical Center's Department of Nursing had a strong showing of support. Each floor sent some of their nurses in either Class A's or Dress Blues to the ceremony. Here I am with 1LT Caroline Morris from the MICU/PICU, fellow APU grad 2LT Michelle Siemens from the Cardiology Stepdown, and 1LT Jessica Dos Santos from the SICU.
