A Century of Service: Connecting Past and Present
When a 100-year-old Veteran, who served in WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia, it was anticipated he would require special care. What wasn’t anticipated was the extraordinary connection that blossomed between him and a young Marine Veteran Nurse.
This unexpected friendship connected generations, sharing history and experiences beyond time and circumstances.
When Jesse McCrary, BSN, RN, was assigned to take care of Ernest Bowman, a Navy Veteran, he had no idea he was going to meet a trifecta war hero. Bowman enlisted in the Navy when he was 17 years old and fought in WWII and then left the Navy. He re-enlisted and dawned his Sailor uniform during the Korean War and then hung it up again. Then Vietnam kicked off and one more time, he re-enlisted to the Navy to fight and retired as a Master Chief.
Nurse McCrary, a fellow Veteran who served five years in the Marine Corps and deployed to Afghanistan, has been a registered nurse at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks (VHSO) for the past four years. Caring for Mr. Bowman, who is deaf, posed communication challenges. However, McCrary took the time to connect with his patient by writing on a whiteboard. Through these written exchanges, McCrary learned about his new shipmate’s military history and life experiences.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be able to give back even just a little to the generation who built this county,” said McCrary. “To be able to get first-hand accounts of some of the biggest war time events in history is something I get to keep forever.”
Bowman has received care at VHSO for the past 75 years. He said, “The VA has saved my life two times. I trust the VA.”
This resilient war hero has triumphed over his illness and is now back home. McCrary concluded by saying, "It's a rare and extraordinary privilege to meet and talk with a Veteran who has served in three wars and embodies a significant piece of our history. We thank Mr. Bowman, for his service, for sharing his remarkable story, and for placing his trust in the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks for his care."