United We Stand
America's Commitment to recovery reflected in nurses' response to crisis

By Beth Ulrich, Ed.D, RN, South Central Editor
September 13, 2001

How quickly life can change. What occurred in less than an hour Sept. 11 will affect our lives forever. No longer will we take peace and safety for granted. No longer will we feel invulnerable as a country.

We are all angered and outraged that anyone would dare to attack our country, killing innocent people and those who willingly went into the fray to help them. We grieve for all of the victims and their families. The deaths of so many firefighters, police officers and paramedics are particularly poignant to those of us who have worked so closely with them through the years.

The coming weeks, months and years will challenge us as we awaken from these surreal days of September. We each will have to find our own personal balance. The urge to hold close those we love must be balanced with the need to get on with life. The desire to protect our children must be balanced with the need to let them fly free, even in a world that has proved more dangerous. The need to protect our citizens must be balanced with the need to protect our freedom and democracy.

It is not unreasonable to believe that sacrifices will be required. We are moving toward an uncertain future, but we have proved our ability to persevere many times before. Galveston was destroyed by a killer hurricane in 1900, only to rebuild a better version of itself. Oklahoma City was devastated by a terrorist attack in 1995, only to now have its children sending teddy bears to children in New York because, as one child said, "It will give them hope."

Nurses have a proud history of stepping forward in times of crisis. When war occurs, nurses are there. From the days of Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War to World War II, Korea and Vietnam, nurses have served valiantly. In earthquakes, hurricanes, bombings and other disasters, nurses are on the front lines. Last week was no different. It was with great pride that we watched our nursing colleagues setting up triage stations, bravely digging through the rubble to search for survivors, staffing mobile surgery units and comforting the victims and their families. Our only regret was that we were not all there with them to back them up. Whatever comes next, there is little doubt that nurses will do their part.

Until then, nurses all over the country can play an important role in helping others deal with this crisis. Our education and experience have taught us how to be calm in disastrous circumstances and how to lead others in doing the same. We also know the importance of taking a holistic approach to any tragedy and making sure that all who are affected are cared for. Our most powerful and meaningful work often is done in the communities in which we live, and now is the time to expand that work.

Collectively, we mourn our loss of innocence, and yet we know that America will prevail. If the terrorists' aim was to get our attention, they have. If their mission was to make us suffer, they have done that, too. But if their aim was to divide us and frighten us into destroying the freedoms our ancestors fought to attain, they have failed. United we stand. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

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