Amy Jensen, RN, charge nurse, says she wanted to show veterans we appreciate the sacrifices they make.
Most of us hear of bombings that kill U.S. Service members in far away places, but eventually forget the tragic news as we move on with our lives. Not Amy Jensen.
When Amy Jensen heard of 13 U.S. service members who were killed after suicide bombers detonated explosive belts just outside of the Kabul airport as the US left Afghanistan in August, she couldn’t just let it go and move on.
It’s not that Amy didn’t have plenty on her mind and her plate. As a charge nurse in the emergency department at Logan Regional Hospital she sees plenty of drama during any given workday. It’s just that she has a lot of friends and family who have served in Afghanistan and some of them never came back.
“When this bombing happened, while we were getting out and we lost these guys, it just really hit home to me that we need to honor them, especially with how the country’s so torn, right now,” she says. “We’ve got people in our ED who are veterans. One of our providers that I work with all the time is a veteran and then a lot of our EMTs and our security officers are veterans. I just felt like it was important for them to know that we love them and support them, and especially the families of these 13 men.”
Logan Regional Hospital chipped in a sign and a friend lent out boots that belong to her son who is now serving abroad in the military. They became part of the temporary memorial Amy Jensen, RN, set up just outside the Emergency Department.
And so, with the help of her husband and Logan Regional Hospital, a small section of ground just outside of the Emergency Department became home to a temporary memorial that included 13 borrowed American flags and the personal boots of a man who Amy knows who is now serving. She even hooked up a small solar panel to some lights so the flags would be lit up at night.
The response has been very positive.
“I had people come over here with tears in their eyes and asked if they could take a picture and they just say, ‘thank you,” she says. “I really realized that our community loves our country.”
She hopes such reminders can help unite Americans.
“I feel it's important that we do stuff like this and honor the people who serve our country,” she says. “I want to make that flag less of a political statement and more of the symbol for freedom, and what that freedom is. We can honor these men and women and also appreciate the fact that you and I get to do what we want every day because of their sacrifices.”
"We love to see our caregivers engage with the community in meaningful ways," says Brandon McBride, Logan Regional Hospital administrator, "We appreciate Amy for bringing this idea to life and we’re grateful to have compassionate caregivers who help us remember the high price we pay for our freedoms.”