AVANA / Association of Veterans Affairs Nurse Anesthetists

08/09/2025

FORT STEWART, Ga. — The Secretary of the Army recognized Winn Army Community Hospital staff members Thursday, Aug. 7, during a ceremony at the hospital.

07/30/2025

07/16/2025

𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐑𝐍𝐀 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡

U.S. Navy Captain Winnie Gibson DeWitt was the 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐍𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 — 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐂𝐑𝐍𝐀 — 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐍𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐬. Overall, she was the second person EVER to serve in that role.

CPT Gibson was an anesthetist and operating room supervisor at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. She also served during World War II and the Korean War. Joining the U.S. Navy in 1930 and retiring from active duty on 1954, CPT Gibson passed away in Texas in July 2000.

Today, we remember CAPT Gibson and and all Armed Forces CRNAs for their service and sacrifices for our country 🇺🇸 Happy Armed Forces CRNA Appreciation Month!

07/15/2025

Congratulations to the U.S. Army’s Nurse of the year Col. Wendy Woodall!

Col. Woodall, Walter Reed’s Director for Nursing Services and Chief Nursing Officer received the Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee Outstanding Army Nurse of the Year Award for her exceptional contributions to military nursing.

Full story: https://www.dvidshub.net/news/542129/walter-reed-nursing-director-named-army-nurse-year

Army Medicine | | Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

07/09/2025

𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐑𝐍𝐀 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡.

Circa 1991

This month, we show our appreciation to our Desert Storm CRNA Veterans and all Armed Forces CRNAs for their service and sacrifices for our country 🇺🇸 Happy Armed Forces CRNA Appreciation Month!

06/17/2025

06/06/2025

05/26/2025

On this Memorial Day, we remember the only known Armed Forces CRNAs to have lost their lives while serving.

After volunteering for two weeks to heroically help with massive casualties at the 71st Evacuation Hospital (Pleiku, VT) during the Vietnam War, both U.S. Army First Lieutenants Jerome “Jerry” Olmsted (pictured top) and Kenneth R. Shoemaker (pictured bottom) were returning back to their assigned hospital (67th Evacuation Hospital) at Qui Nhon. Sadly, on November 30, 1967, the C-47 transport plane they were both riding on crashed mountainside. Both CRNAs were posthumously awarded Bronze Stars for “heroic or meritorious achievement or service.”

Today, you can leave a virtual remembrance for either on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s website:

• https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/38665/JEROME-E-OLMSTED/

• https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/47249/KENNETH-R-SHOEMAKER-JR/

Armed Forces CRNA Appreciation Month remember 1LTs Jerome Olmsted and Kenneth R. Shoemaker and express our tremendous gratitude to all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country 🫡🇺🇸

05/26/2025

Sharing this beautiful poem written by William E. McCallum in collaboration with 2LT Nancy (Haines) Spears who was an active duty nurse serving with the 3rd Surgical Unit near CanTho in the Mekong Delta from Nov 1968 to August 1970. Bill was with the 1/28th Inf Reg 1st Infantry Div in Lai Khe Vietnam. It is called Eight Names Etched on the Wall.
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