BJACH celebrates 120 Years of Army Nurse Corps
Lt. Col. Brian Bolton
BJACH Chief of Nursing Operations
FORT POLK, La. Army nurses past and present gathered at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital Feb. 2 to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Army Nurse Corps. Nurses have served with the Army since 1775, but on Feb. 2, 1901, Congress formally established the Army Nurse Corps.
Army Nurse Corps officers serve in a variety of environments from military treatment facilities, like BJACH, to expeditionary units such as the 32nd Hospital Center and the 115th Field Hospital, forward surgical teams, research facilities and aeromedical evacuation units. In addition to patient care, Army Nurse Corps officers have opportunities to teach, recruit, serve as healthcare administrators and work in research.
3 FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – Blanchfield Army Community Hospital staff paused momentarily to mark the 120th birthday of the Army Nurse Corps, Feb. 2.
“This year we decided to create a living museum featuring memorabilia from nurses who are currently serving and from retired nurses in our community,” said Col. Amanda Forristal, BACH’s deputy commander for nursing. “Current Army Nurse Corps officers reached out to retired nurse corps officers in the area and learned their stories, which are displayed here, for our team to reflect and reminisce on what we have done in the Army Nurse Corps.”
One such retiree is Col. Debbie Winters who joined the Army Nurse Corps in 1976, and completed her career in the Army Reserve. She served in field hospitals and traditional hospitals like BACH, attended the Army War College, and was assigned to a forward deployed unit in England during the first Gulf War.
FORT BENNING, GA – The Army Nurse Corps (ANC) celebrates its 120th anniversary on February 2. The theme for 2021 is “Diverse in Talent, United in Mission.” Capt. Ben Stone, a Nurse Methods Analyst, volunteered to lead the planning for Martin Army Community Hospital’s ceremony.
“I’ve given my life to the military. I’m a prior Navy veteran. Got out, got my college degree and came back into the Army. There’s been more years in my adult life spent in the military than anything else,” said Stone. “I’m very honored and privileged to be in the Army Nurse Corps. I’m honored and privileged to be a Soldier.”
8 SEMBACH, Germany The U.S. Army Nurse Corps anniversary on Feb. 2 celebrates Army nurses who have served honorably in a variety of situations, from war to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, as well as in times of peace.
The nurse corps was formally recognized on Feb. 2, 1901.
For Capt. Ashley Jefferson-Watts, a clinical nurse and officer in charge of the primary care clinic at U.S. Army Health Clinic Grafenwoehr, being a nurse is something she has wanted to do since she was in seventh grade.
“I wanted to be an Army nurse specifically, to help and heal our warfighters and their families,” said Jefferson-Watts. “To know that you can make a difference in your comrades and their family’s lives brings me a sense of peace and happiness. People may not always remember what you said, but they definitely remember how you made them feel.”
While some museums are closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Apollo’s usual weekly pick of exhibitions will include shows at institutions that are currently open as well as digital projects providing virtual access to art and culture.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art reopened, along with five other institutions in the city, on 8 January, offering another chance to see this broad-ranging display of artworks, posters and archival materials relating to the provision of medical care over the last century (until 4 April). The exhibition looks in particular at care in times of crisis, exploring how images have been used to celebrate caregivers – whether professional medics or informal community networks – and to advocate for social reform. Highlights include Elizabeth Catlett’s portrait of an army nurse during the Second World War, and images from W. Eugene Smith’s famous photo essay of 1951 depicting the work of Maude Callen, a nurse and midwife from South Carolina. Find out more