Oehlert is currently a clinical operations manager at Cook Children’s and one of the more than 250 Cook Children’s employees who will be honored this Veterans Day.

Like many people in healthcare, Oehlert was inspired to pursue a job in nursing after a traumatic life experience. In her case, it was the brain aneurysm her mother suffered when she was 13 years old that set her on her path. For two and a half months, Oehlert learned tips from the nurses on how to help her mother recover while doctors worked to reduce the swelling in her skull. She received her LVN while still in high school and, like her father, enlisted in the Air National Guard at the age of 17.

“I was a health service technician, aka a field medic. We trained to take care of casualties either in the field or in a hospital setting,” said Oehlert.

Though most of her service was here in the United States, she was deployed overseas several times. She was sent to Saudi Arabia twice, but luckily never encountered combat.

A separate deployment to Landstuhl, Germany left one of the biggest impressions on her.

“Landstuhl was the first echelon of care that one would receive after being injured in the field,” she said. “I was working on the orthopedic floor during the time the Battle of Fallujah was happening. We were always full. The majority of the injuries were from IED (Improvised Explosive Device) blasts. We saw everything from amputations to broken appendages.”

While taking care of their physical wounds was her main objective, Oehlert also spent a lot of time talking to the service members who found themselves in Landstuhl. She said many didn’t know how to process what they had been through, so she would often sit with them and listen to their stories.

“It just kind of became natural because I’m the kind of person who always asking ‘how’s it going?’ and you could just see that some of them needed to talk about their experiences. It was part of the healing process and a way to make sure they weren’t closing themselves off,” Oehlert explained.

Another life-changing experience came when she was called on to help unload the body of a fallen service member from a rotator.

“I’ll never forget the first body I took off a plane. They’re still bloody and dirty from the battlefield. You’ll never forget those men,” she said in a somber tone. “You always have respect for putting on uniform, but you have even more respect when you see what the individuals down range have been through.”

After 26 years of service, Chief Master Sgt. Oehlert retired last year. She says she still struggles with considering herself a veteran, but is starting to grow into the role. In fact, she is one of the founding members of Cook Children’s newly formed Veterans Group, which aims to increase awareness and recognition for veteran and military families within Cook Children’s.

“I think it’s going to help not only our own employees realize how many military members are at Cook Children’s, but our patient families who may not even know how many of us are helping to take care of their children,” she said.

I suppose, being an ex-soldier and a father, I do have some experience; however, I am not a political analyst, a military history buff, nor a philosopher who dwells deeply on the meaning of such things. This being an oft politicized issue, it can be controversial for some.

So, before I begin, allow me to say these are solely my views expressed as an ex-soldier and a loving father.

In order for my children to truly understand, they must first learn to appreciate life and all of the comforts and freedoms they have. I must teach them to appreciate these things while also teaching them that not everyone in the world has as much. I must teach them fairness, honor, integrity, and the value of hard work.

I must teach them that life is not a race to obtain more than others; rather, it is a balance where your achievements should be measured internally, not outwardly. While this lesson is being learned, I must nurture a caring spirit within them. I must, by example, show them how to empathize and sympathize with others. In order for them to understand, they must also be able to empathize with the pain, suffering, hunger, of others.

Once my children are mature enough to begin to understand, I show them the freedoms we have in the United States of America. I give them examples of life goals they may wish to set for themselves and how they have the freedom to work hard to chase their dreams. Once I feel they truly appreciate everything they have while empathizing with those who do not, only then do I explain why men and women join the military, for only then can they truly appreciate the sacrifice people are willing to make in order to preserve our way of life.

The military is not for everyone and I know no soldier who harbors any disrespect for anyone who does not join. It is quite the opposite. Most soldiers join because they feel deep patriotism, they value the rights and freedoms we have in the United States of America, and they care deeply about preserving those rights and freedoms for everyone in this country.

As for Memorial Day, it is not about honoring soldiers; rather, it is about remembering and honoring those men and women who paid the ultimate price for our freedoms. They were mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, daughters and sons who gave their lives defending our rights and freedoms.

Some people might say that Memorial Day should not be an excuse to have a picnic with your family or to throw a barbecue. I don’t see it that way. While I think we should acknowledge those fallen soldiers who fought for our freedoms, I also think celebrating those freedoms, building bonds with family and friends, and rejoicing in the fact that those freedoms are still ever present is the best way to honor them.

With that, I bid you a Happy Memorial Day!

About the author

Jody S. Hawkins, Information Systems Security Officer, has been in technology for medical facilities since early 2000 and has been practicing for more than 20 years with his start in the United States Air Force. He is a part of Cook Children's Experts on Call Speakers Bureau. Hawkins specializes in privacy and technology safety and is a regular speaker at the National HIT/HIPAA Conference. He has been quoted and published in several national publications, including Health Information Management Magazine.

Hawkins' can speak on a variety of security topics facing our children & parents today, including:

• Social media
• Cyber bullying
• Sexting
• Safety online (Parents & Child)
• General home networking security
• Virtual Child (Parents)
• Internet Safety (Parents & Child)