In honor of Veterans Day, we would like to thank all VNA team members and volunteers who are veterans. VNA places a high importance on veterans and is a participant in the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s ‘We Honor Veterans’ program. In this way, we meet the unique needs for veteran patients, whether that’s physical, psychological or both. We also conduct recognition ceremonies on Veterans Day for our patients – and employees – to show our gratitude to these men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country.
From our VNA Family to yours – Happy Veterans Day!
Below are a few VNA veteran team members who generously shared a bit about their military experience with us:
- Donna Dickson: Donna is a VNA Hospice RN Case Manager. She was in the United States Army Reserves for eight years, serving as a mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) nurse in the operating room. She trained in Paducah, Kentucky with the 807th MASH that included annual training in several states.
- Lisa Murdock: Lisa is a VNA Hospice Nurse Liaison. Lisa served in the United States Air Force from Dec 1982 – Jan 1992. She was a United States Air Force Captain and part of the Air Force Nurse Corps in addition to being part of a flying air surgical team as a flight nurse. She also cared for newborns in the Air Force nursery as well as medical-surgical patients. She was stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base, in Wichita Falls, Texas and Wiesbaden, Germany “I flew all over Europe -back and forth to the U.S., Africa, Italy, and Turkey,” says Lisa.
- Kimberly Smith: Kim is the VNA Volunteer Coordinator. She was a Sonar Technician in the United States Navy for five years and was stationed in Yokosuka Japan. She was active during Operation Iraqi Freedom as well as Operation Enduring Freedom. She was a crew member on board the now decommissioned ship DD975 USS O’brien. She went into the military two weeks after graduation high school in 2000.
- Danielle Wynn: Danielle is a Case Manager for VNA and an RN. She was an Aviation Systems Warfare Operator Second-Class AW2 Rescue Swimmer in the United States Navy for eight years. She trained in the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, FL, which is attached to the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in Norfolk, Virginia. She completed one nine-month deployment in the Mediterranean.
