War is one of the most unpleasant events to ever happen in the history of mankind. It is a traumatic experience for both those who are directly involved as well as the innocents, who are nowhere near willing to throw themselves into the conflict and complications of the armed attack. Left and right, destruction is everywhere that not even fire and water restoration are sufficient to fix the amount of damage war has done. To this day, countries like Palestine have been struggling to fight off the Israeli settlers who push through and through to claim the land illegally by force. It is a distressing situation for the Palestinians who have been enduring colonization since the year 1948. It is included in the international law that laying a finger on the medical personnel who handles health care is considered a war crime and falls under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. But it seems that the Israelis do not mind acting against the law and break another 27 laws including the attack on medical manpower.
Nurses deserve as much credit as doctors, and they need more appreciation for not only lending a hand in terms of medical etiquettes and services, but also providing emotional support for the patients. While the war enrages everything across the world, these nurses would go as far sacrificing their lives into treating the injured on the spot in the middle of flying bullets and explosions. To apply to recent situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the nurses today are in the same situation as the notable war nurses about to be mentioned below.
Here is the list of amazing war nurses we should not forget their sacrifices:
Rouzan al-Najjar
This is one of the most heartbreaking tragedy to ever occur involving a beautiful, young Palestinian nurse who aided injured Palestinian protesters. During the 2018 Gaza border protests, Al-Najjar was killed by gunshot from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) while volunteering as a medic. A bullet fired by an Israeli soldier has taken her life while she was attempting to assist in the evacuation of the injured near Israel’s border barrier with Gaza. Not only does she display an act of compassion as a nurse, but also proves to the world that women should not to be looked down upon and that women can face any dangers head-on. She has been an inspiration to both nurses and women in general since.
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale is a name that should not be forgotten in the nursing sector. She has made numerous contributions to the medical world over her career, most notably her approach to hygiene, sanitation, and patient care. Her innovative influence persists in practice today, despite her titles as statistician, designer, pioneer, educator, and founder of modern nursing. Back in March 1854 where hospitals were not in desirable condition compared to what we have now, Nightingale led a group of 38 volunteer nurses to help the injured soldiers by restoring the sanitary facilities and enhancing the ventilation. Since then, the death rate has decreased.
Edith Cavell
Served in the Red Cross during the deadly World War II, Edith Louisa was Belgium’s Nursing Pioneer & Nurse Hero. Her duty was to care for patients regardless of nationality, not whether they were from the Central or Allied Forces. However, her patriotism, which grew increasingly apparent as she carried out her duties, resulted in her apparent death. During her trial, Edith Cavell admitted to assisting 200 men who she believed were still capable of fighting for the Allies. The death of Nurse Edith Cavell sparked patriotism among Allied forces, doubling the recruitment of Allied forces in just two months.
Louisa May Alcott
If you’ve heard of Little Women, then you may be familiar with its author, who was a Civil War Nurse before she became a renowned writer and poet. Although her nursing services were short-lived due to her permanent health damage, her experiences as a nurse, which she wrote about in her book Hospital Sketches, which was released in 1863, helped her become highly popular. Despite her contributions not as highly regarded as other war nurses, Alcott rose to prominence as a writer who opened the story of nurses to the world.
Time is harsh to humanity – wars seem unavoidable until they end, food shortages leave children wailing with empty stomachs, homes are wrecked by bullets and bombs, and many other agonizing mortals are forced to suffer beneath the chaos, whether innocent or not. However, few people survived the calamitous ordeal, only to be recognized as a footnote in world history. To remember the nurses’ life contribution is to commemorate their services on every 12th of May, the International Nurses Day. With the raging virus causing the world pandemic, it is important to appreciate the frontliners which includes nurses to provide utmost support for them as we are quarantining in our respective homes.
