A day that will live in infamy

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

It is crazy that of all places to be reminded that we as nurses need to take that time to stop and actually listen to our patients is on Facebook. I am "friends" with some of my AN friends outside of our AN family here. It was recently noted by a friend that it is important that we stop and take the time, in and out of the hospital, to listen to their stories. Many of them are of the greatest generation and we cannot forget what they sacrificed for us to remain free. Take a moment and listen but do not forget to thank them, or any soldier, for their service. Their sacrifice is great.

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Today.....December 7...a day that lives "in infamy" is the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. I am reminded of a patient I was caring for in the ICCU 25 years ago when a bunch of very important looking men in uniform came into the ICU wanting to speak to my patient. I went and asked him and he said yes. To my surprise it was the military giving metals for survivors of Pearl Harbor....50th anniversary. He was on shore leave from the USS Arizona. He survived the attack. That night he talked to us ALL night about that horrible day. I never looked at December 7th the same way again. Best history lesson I ever had.

If you are reading this Sir....THANK YOU again for your service.

It is my dearest hope and wish that anyone reading this takes the time to hear the greatest generation....they are leaving us (I miss you Daddy) But also remember those who sacrificed every thing on Sept 11, 2001. Hug your local Police, Firefighter, EMT, EMT-P....they are the ones who run towards something the rest of us are running from.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Now a funny one......lighten the mood.

I lived in Chicago and one HORRIBLE ICCU night (yes MAK, Marsha) a patient complained he got more sleep at midway. Well the other nurse (you know who you are...LOL) and I laughed, agreed, and went to the nurses station; where we wondered why the man was sleeping on the runway at Midway airport...laughed and went home.

Well.....I stopped at my parents house on the way home and told this story and laughed about the guy sleeping on the runway. My Dad got THAT LOOK and I thought "what the heck?" My Dad said...."You thought he was sleeping on the runway? Shame on you....he meant the BATTLE OF MIDWAY" I was ashamed. So....I admitted my faux Pas...and learned all about the Battle of Midway.

He started his story......"Six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States defeated Japan in one of the most decisive naval battles of World War II......."

Stop and listen....they deserve it!

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I was getting a patient ready for his CABG and I noticed big splotchy black "tattoos" on his chest and back. There was no real pattern to them and it looked like the tattoo artist was on acid when he did the job. I knew this guy must have been in the service, being of a certain age so I asked him if he lost a bet while on shore leave or something.

He said "sort of". The "tattoos", he told me, was actually black sand from Iwo Jima. An artillery round landed near him sending ballistic beach sand into his skin.

Got kind of quiet just then. I thanked him for his service and he blew it off like he just held a door open for me or something.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I was getting a patient ready for his CABG and I noticed big splotchy black "tattoos" on his chest and back. There was no real pattern to them and it looked like the tattoo artist was on acid when he did the job. I knew this guy must have been in the service, being of a certain age so I asked him if he lost a bet while on shore leave or something.

He said "sort of". The "tattoos", he told me, was actually black sand from Iwo Jima. An artillery round landed near him sending ballistic beach sand into his skin.

Got kind of quiet just then. I thanked him for his service and he blew it off like he just held a door open for me or something.

I just was watching a history channel about Iwo Jima.

On the memorial statue in Washington D.C.

Uncommon valor was a common virtue

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Uncommon valor was a common virtue

Amen...but if we make the mistake of thinking uncommon valor was isolated to those men in the PTO or ETO, we risk contradiction by history. Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East are stark testimony to seed bed of valor that is America...warts and all, and there are plenty.

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I sent a WWII sailor to the hospital yesterday, hopefully in time for early intervention, and missed getting to visit him today.

They are are a special lot for sure. It's been an honor to help them in anyway we have been able in their twilight years.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

You know those brown-with-gold lettering caps that many old retired Vet guys wear? Over the years I've seen many - some indicating PEARL or IWO. But one night, I read the cap of one Vet - INDIANAPOLIS. (The gentleman was a pt in my NH rehab unit.)

It took my breath away. I could only mumble stunned was ''You were on the INDIANAPOLIS"? And he just quietly answered "Yes".

All I could do was humbly say "thank for your service'.

I am ashamed to say that at the time all I knew about the INDIANPOLIS was from the character Quint from the movie JAWS. And embarrassed.

I did some research after and I've tried to familiarize myself with more WW2 history. I've heard some statistic that 'everyday 5 remaining survivors of WW2 die'.

With them goes their histories, like those of the Holocaust victims. Soon Korea vets and those of Viet Nam will be next. 'Nam was my era - had I been male, I would have been lottery-drafted. Remember the lottery-draft?

I've been thinking about my Dad lately. I have NO idea where he served - any campaigns. I know he WAS in Germany and visited France (and England?). I've been meaning to do some investigation.

To all Vets out there (active, discharged and retired) - thank you for your service.

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Amen...but if we make the mistake of thinking uncommon valor was isolated to those men in the PTO or ETO, we risk contradiction by history. Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East are stark testimony to seed bed of valor that is America...warts and all, and there are plenty.

I agree with this. However, as a point of interest, the quote "Uncommon valor was a common virtue" found on the Marine War Memorial (often incorrectly referred as the Iwo Jima Memorial) is a quote by Admiral Nimitz referring to the Marines that participated in the Iwo Jima campaign.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

I had an uncle that lost his right leg-very high AKA-@Guadalcanal. He was a PT boat capt, Ltjg in rank, had gone ashore for a meeting; when they started bombing, everyone tried to get to their boats. He was wounded then. I was just a kid, so didn't ask him too much about it, but was reminded every time he drove us somewhere. He had a prosthesis, but his amputation was so high that it had a belt-like thing around his waist, and he would walk w/this rolling gait. And I would see his stump socks drying in the laundry room. He died when I was in nursing school of pancreatic ca.

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I have a friend whose brother went down on the Juneau in 1942, the ship where there were several (many) sets of brothers serving together. The famous ones were the 5 Sullivans, all lost all at once. As a result of this, the Navy made a policy that brothers (and now sisters) were never to serve on the same ship.

She was 9 years old and remembers when her mother answered the door and there was the chaplain and the corporal. She remembers her shrieking and falling to the floor. They took her mother to the psych hospital, and that poor little girl never saw her mother again. She's in her late 80s now and still hears that sound.

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