They were there: Nurses Honor Guard offers ceremony of remembrance at UMMC
Photo by Joanne Beck
Being part of a nurses honor guard serves double duty for a Navy veteran still active as a registered nurse after 18 years, Maxine Fearrington says.
Not only is she able to honor any nurses who have died, but participating in the traditional ceremony connects Fearrington to her military experience—she proudly gave 20 years in areas of supply and finance.
“So being at an honor guard is especially important to me because I’m able to pay tribute to those who have done what I’ve done, walked in my shoes,” she said Monday outside of United Memorial Medical Center. “And, being in the military, what do you lean on? For a couple of years, when I was stationed in Wilmington, I was on the honor guard there. We represented the whole state of Delaware. So when a service member in Delaware passed away, we went and did a military funeral for them.”
Whether in Delaware or New York, Fearrington has pursued her ideals of providing service and comfort to fellow nurses as part of the GLOW Nurses Honor Guard, a local chapter of the New York State Nurses Association.
The group conducted its first ceremony in front of UMMC as a symbolic memorial for all those nurses who have given aid, a smile, and a gentle touch and have since passed on.
On Monday, the group of Honor Guard members, dressed in traditional white uniforms and deep blue capes lined in red satin, formed a semicircle around the flagpole in front of the North Street hospital. With little fanfare and no marching band, they read a script of poetry, instructions and words for thought.
“We honor you this day and give you a white rose to symbolize your devotion to your profession, and to show honor and appreciation for being our nursing colleague,” they said in unison.
A small audience attended the event and was invited to answer the first half of “they were there.”
They were there:
- When a calming, quiet presence was all that was needed.
- In the excitement and miracle of birth, the mystery and loss of life.
- When a siren glance could uplift a patient, family member or friend.
- At those times when the unexplainable needed to be explained.
- When the situation demanded a swift foot and a sharp mind.
- To embrace the words of the world, willingly, and offer hope.
- To witness humanity, its beauty, in good times and bad, without judgment.
Michelle Moag of Pavilion has been a registered nurse for 11 years. She and Fearrington have been with the Honor Guard since it began in 2022.
As for becoming a nurse, “I just love helping people,” Moag said. “It’s like the foundation of it, helping people get through their darkest times, and I just love that.”
Following in her mother’s white-shoed footsteps, Moag remembers seeing her mom in action.
“I remember going to work with her when I was like, probably eight or nine, and be like, ‘I want to do that.’ So that’s what I did,” she said, sharing the Honor Guard’s ceremony schedule. “We had a few right off the bat, and then we didn’t have any for many months, and then we’ll have a few. And just now we’ve been getting more publicity with it, I guess people are realizing that this is a service that we offer, and now we’re getting more and more, and the people are telling their friends, and this is the first time we’ve done this ceremony. So hopefully this will be an annual thing.”
The ceremony was brief and solemn.
“I would like to invite any nurses present to stand as we do a final roll call,” a nurse said.
“Nurses, report for duty,” was said three times, with a triangle chime struck once after each sentence. “Nurses, we officially release you from your nursing duties. Your work on earth is done. You may now go home in peace.”
A candle, representing the Nightingale lamp that honors nurses from their nursing colleagues, was lit, then extinguished to represent a farewell.
Dan Ireland, who maintains his registered nursing license, celebrated his new title and place amongst the nurses as chief nursing executive and patient care officer while appreciating the moment before him.
“I think it's an honor to be able to recognize those who have come before us and who have left us. And so the ceremony today was just a wonderful chance for us to globally say to all the nurses who have passed and for all their years of dedication, a thank you and recognize their work and the work that they have done to shape the nursing profession,” Ireland said. “And so being asked to be a part of it was a huge honor for me. And these are a group of dedicated nurses who really want to make sure that even though there are people who aren't at the bedside, who eventually retire from nursing and eventually pass away, that they get recognized. Because once you're a nurse, you're always a nurse. And we never forget our nurses.”
Being in the role of nurse is humbling for Ireland, he said. It’s about serving at someone’s bedside and caring for a person “at their time of need, to give parts of yourself and helping them work through whatever life dilemma they’re going through.”
“It's just personally very fulfilling for me, and it's something that I'm humbled each time I have the opportunity to interact with the patient, and then away from the bedside, utilizing my nursing knowledge skills and the connections I've made with our staff helped me to really make decisions that will impact our patients better,” he said. “And when I think of it from a nurse's perspective, I'm able to really put that patient at the forefront of it and make sure that we're doing the very best we can for all our patients.”
Nurse’s Prayer
May I be a nurse, Lord, with gentle healing hands, who always speaks with kindness, who cares and understands.
And while I’m serving others, as you would have me do, please help me to remember that I’m truly serving you. Amen.
For prior coverage, go HERE.
Photo by Joanne Beck
