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The North Carolina Nurse Honor Guard brings tradition and tribute together by honoring nurses who have passed with the Nightingale Tribute. When Linda Thompson learned about the work they do, she immediately seized the opportunity to join.

Thompson, the Iredell Home Health director, knew she wanted to be a nurse in eighth grade. While on vacation, her friend’s father cut his toe open and Thompson jumped in, cleaning and bandaging the wound. This sparked her passion for nursing.

“From then on, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I looked for every nurse I could find to talk to,” explained Thompson.

She graduated from UNC Charlotte in 1990 with her BSN and began her nursing career in the emergency department at Iredell Memorial Hospital and never looked back, working in multiple nursing positions in Iredell and Wilkes counties throughout her 34-year career. She earned her MSN at East Carolina University. Since 2019, she has been the director of Iredell Home Health.

Thompson treats nursing as a duty and a privilege, showing respect to all those who serve in the field. That is why a particular video caught her eye while scrolling through social media.

“I came across this video of nurses in traditional uniforms with a cape and a cap. They were lining the hallway of a hospital for an honor walk for a nurse who had recently passed. My husband and I have coffee every morning and I was telling him about it. It was the coolest thing. I told him if they had something like that in North Carolina, I would do it,” she said.

What happened next solidified her decision.

“I came to work after talking to my husband and a co-worker started telling me about an amazing funeral she had gone to that weekend for a young nurse. She said there was a group there called the North Carolina Nurse Honor Guard, and I’m like ‘That’s a God wink. That’s what I call that.’”

Thompson got in contact with the NC Nurse Honor Guard Piedmont, led by Lora Renegar. She started the chapter in 2021 with seven members. Today, they are 79 members strong.

“Our mission is to recognize men and women who have dedicated their professional lives to nursing and to pay respect to fellow nurses at the end of life’s journey for the devotion and commitment they demonstrated in caring for the vulnerable,” Renegar said.

When a family requests a tribute, available members gather at the memorial service for the nurse that has passed.

“You can do it with one. It would not have as great of an impact, but typically we average five at a service,” said Thompson. “It’s completely voluntary, so we never know how many are going to make the ceremony.”

The Honor Guard will light a symbolic lamp and say a few words about the nurse’s career, followed by the Florence Nightingale tribute, including the elegy, “She Was There,” written by Duane Jaeger:

When a calming, quiet presence was all that was needed,
She was there.
In the excitement and miracle of birth or in the mystery and loss of life,
She was there.
When a silent glance could uplift a patient, family member or friend,
She was there.
At those times when the unexplainable needed to be explained,
She was there.
When the situation demanded a swift foot and sharp mind,
She was there.
When a gentle touch, a firm push, or an encouraging word was needed,
She was there.
In choosing the best one from a family’s “Thank You” box of chocolates,
She was there.
To witness humanity—its beauty, in good times and bad, without judgment,
She was there.
To embrace the woes of the world, willingly, and offer hope,
She was there
And now, that it is time to be at the Greater One’s side,
She is there.

Any nurses in attendance are encouraged to participate in this call and response.

Florence Nightingale, commonly known as “The Lady with the Lamp,” was a British nurse accredited as the founder of modern nursing. She cared for patients during the Crimean War by lamplight, and dramatically reduced death and infection rates. She then went on to establish St. Thomas’ Hospital in 1860, housing the Nightingale Training School for Nurses.

“After the Nightingale Tribute, we say the decedent’s full name three times and chime a triangle after each time,” explained Thompson.

Afterwards, they place a white rose in memory of the decedent and extinguish the lamp, relieving the nurse of her earthly duties. The lamp is given to the family as a token of appreciation.

Thompson remembers special stories from services where the Honor Guard attended, including one who created a free clinic for the homeless in Raleigh, and one who was so passionate about nursing that she was buried with her nursing license in her shoe. She has participated in five tributes since joining the Honor Guard in February.

“These are just normal, everyday nurses, but you could write a book on everything they’ve done. This is a way to honor their sacrifices,” she said.

Last month, Thompson participated in a pinning ceremony alongside 22 other new members. It was especially important to Thompson to don the white dress, cap, and traditional nursing cape.

“At UNC Charlotte, we didn’t do pinnings, so this was my first one. It was really neat.”

Part of what drew Thompson to participate in Honor Guard were the stories shared by career-long nurses.

“When you talk to an “old school” diploma nurse or a retired nurse, they’ll tell you where they ‘took their training.’ That’s how they’ll phrase it. When you get the opportunity to talk to them, they’ll tell you the best stories,” she said.

Thompson and Renegar both compare the impact of nursing to that of other first responders.

“Firefighters take care of their own. They do a really good job. Soldiers, police, EMS — they have always done a good job of honoring those that pass away. Why not nurses? We certainly make our own sacrifices to serve the community. You spend a lot of time away from your family working weekends and holidays,” said Thompson.

“I started this guard after seeing how beautiful the service is. I come from a family of service workers: military, fire, EMS, police, and nurses. When you receive a flag or dedication, it means something. It means those days that mom or dad were away at work, they were doing something important. Nursing deserves to be recognized. The Nightingale Tribute and Final Roll Call does that,” Renegar said.

Nursing is not for the faint of heart. Thompson uses Florence Nightingale’s life to describe this sentiment.

“Florence Nightingale had a pretty cushy, upper-class life, but she chose to work on the battlefield. The origins of it were not easy. It’s just who you are. It defines you. You can’t put it aside. The Honor Guard is a way for me to pay back. That’s the way I look at it,” she said.

Both Thompson and Renegar are just getting started when it comes to Honor Guard.

“During every service, I hear stories of nurses that went before us. They had struggles and challenges to go through. Their accomplishments are incredible,” explained Renegar. “Nursing doesn’t end when you stop working. It comes out in other ways. The greatest part of the NC Nurse Honor Guard Piedmont are the members. No one is here for money or recognition. We are all here because we love nursing, and we want to be there for each other. Nurses standing up for nurses.”

The North Carolina Nurse Honor Guard covers nearly the entire state with 10 chapters. NC Nurse Honor Guard Piedmont serves Surry, Stokes, Rockingham, Caswell, Yadkin, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph, Iredell, Davie, Davidson, Rowan, Lincoln, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Stanly, Montgomery, Union, and Anson counties.

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For more information, contact NHGPiedmontNC@yahoo.com.