From Where I Stand
A Nursing student takes an unusual career step
Friday, September 11, 2009
Durham, NC -- Friends and family, classmates and professors, strangers on the street— everyone asks me why, after earning a bachelor’s degree from the Duke University School of Nursing in December, I’m joining the U.S. Army Nurse Corps.
“Muscles in uniform,” I say with a coy smile. That’s the only answer I’m willing to give to most people. But I tell my fellow nursing students that it’s a great work environment, and the Army will repay my loans. They’ll certainly understand that.
But the answer that I’ve never given, my true answer, is that I’m a patriot. Not only do I believe serving my country is my duty, I think it’s everyone’s.
Do I think that every man, woman, and child in the United States should join the Army? No. But I don’t believe that our patriotic duty as Americans ends with a trip to the mall or even by paying our taxes on time. This is why I believe that when they turn 18, everyone should spend two years in some form of public service.
In our land of democracy, only 64 percent of people who were eligible to vote actually cast ballots in the 2004 presidential election. Voting is one of our most basic rights and responsibilities as American citizens, but not everyone participates in presidential elections—and even fewer participate in congressional, state, and local elections. I think many people don’t vote because they have little personally invested in the system, the nation, and the common good.
But perhaps the young man who spends two years cleaning up a Florida estuary will champion water conservation and sustainable land stewardship when he’s 40. Perhaps the young woman who teaches in an inner city school or staffs a rural primary health clinic will help reform the crumbling education and health care systems. Perhaps as a young person, a future president will experience firsthand the horror of war and fight passionately for peace during his or her tenure in office.
But enough idealism—let me answer some more of the questions I get from my fellow students.
Aren’t you afraid you’ll get sent to Iraq? Anyone who joins the armed services now should be prepared for deployment overseas. If and when my time comes, I hope I can serve my country (and yours) to the best of my ability.
I didn’t think “your type” joined the Army. By “my type” she meant an upper middle-class born, New England-raised, prep school-educated, liberal Democrat, as if all soldiers are poor, uneducated Republicans with nothing better to do with their time. I’ve done nothing but benefit from my U.S. citizenship, and I feel I should repay that debt.
What do your parents think about this? My parents told me when I was growing up that parents can give their children only two things—an education and morals—and that I could be anything as long as I was contributing to society in some way. I’m sure they thought that meant becoming a scientist like my father or protesting the Vietnam War like my mother, but they’ve paid for my education, given me my morals, so now it’s my turn to give back. Don’t think I imagine my life will be all heroics and fancy marching or that I believe the Army is a perfect institution; I have read about the poorly maintained facilities at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the country’s overwhelmed mental health system. But I never thought imperfection was a valid excuse for sitting at home and doing nothing at all.
Oh, and ladies—remember all those beautiful muscles you’ll see in uniform!
In December 2008, Rebecca Tom was pinned along with her ABSN classmates. In the photo, at left, she wears the purple cord signifying membership in Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Following the pinning ceremony, Tom’s twin brother, Andrew Tom, a U.S. Navy Ensign, commissioned her as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. She reported to Officer Basic and Leadership Course on March 22nd at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. There she plans to “overcome her Girl Scout-inspired aversion to camping, learn about Army culture, and acclimate herself to the Army health care system. Following training she will report to her first duty station, Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C.
