William Beaumont Army Medical Center Soldiers and staff, along with Army Nurse Corps veterans, celebrated the 115th anniversary of the Army Nurse Corps with a historic uniform display at WBAMC's Clinical Assembly Room, Feb. 2.
Although nurses had been rendering aid to sick and wounded Soldiers since 1775, Congress passed the Army Reorganization Act of 1901, creating the Army Nurse Corps. Although nurses were not originally commissioned as Army officers, the all-female corps served three-year tours and provided basic hygiene and housekeeping procedures.
"It's always important to know your heritage, where you came from and where we are today," said Maj. Tammy Fugere, the officer in charge of the Army Nurse Corps 115th Anniversary celebration. "We are, as a corps, what we are today because of what's happened in the past."
The anniversary celebration featured uniforms of Army nurses from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Cold War, Desert Storm, Iraq, Afghanistan and other eras.
The Army Nurse Corps' 115th anniversary motto, "Lead from where you are," was reiterated substantially throughout the presentation.
"It's important for the younger nurses to know how we can still evolve in the future," said Fugere. "Everyone is a leader. Just lead at whatever level you are to make an impact on the Nurse Corps and our patients."
The celebration also welcomed Constance J. Moore, a retired Army colonel and the current historian for the Army Nurse Corps Association. Moore, a resident of El Paso, Texas, shared experiences of training hundreds of foreign nurses and developing leadership skills. In 2008, Moore retired from the Army after her last assignment as the hospital education chief at WBAMC.
"It's essential to lead from where you are and use opportunities to grow, like volunteering for an unusual job," said Moore.
According to Fugere, although not officially included, the Nurse Corps has become more of a triad of elements encompassing commissioned officers, enlisted soldiers and civilian Army nurses.
The celebration closed with the eldest Army Nurse Corps commissioned officer, youngest enlisted nursing Soldier and most senior civilian nurse sharing a noncommissioned officer sword to cut a cake in celebration of the 115th anniversary.
"Leadership is a choice you make, not a place where you sit," said Moore. "Anyone can choose to become a leader wherever he or she is. Wherever you are, lead from there."
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