Diana Mason's Editorial ("Anniversaries," May) did a wonderful job of explaining the role of the Navy Nurse Corps, as it celebrates its 100th anniversary, and of all nurses who serve our military and veterans.
Mason notes the challenges faced by wounded service members and those who care for them, particularly those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The traumas they are surviving-brain injury, amputation, and shrapnel wounds, among others-present new treatment challenges. Additionally, as more service members return to civilian life, their treatment poses a challenge to physicians and nurses in the United States who are even less prepared to deal with the complexity of these injuries and comorbid conditions, such as posttraumatic stress disorder.
As the coordinator of the Military-Veterans Initiative at the American Pain Foundation, I raise awareness of the issues faced by members of the military and veterans as they seek relief from pain, provide education and support for these people and their families, and promote research that examines new ways to treat pain caused by battlefield injuries. These are issues that will soon affect all nurses, not only those serving military and veteran populations, and we all need to participate in a discussion about ways to address them.
Brenda Murdough, MSN, RN-BC
Keene, NH
Section Description
AJN welcomes letters to the editor regarding recently published articles, although critiques of original research may be submitted at any time. Submissions must be typed, contain fewer than 300 words, and list the correspondent's name, address, and phone number or e-mail address; include no more than three references for any statistics or studies cited. Letters will be edited for length, clarity, and accuracy. Submission of a letter will constitute the author's permission to publish it, although it doesn't guarantee publication. Letters become the property of AJN and may be published in all media. Send letters to AJN Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 333 Seventh Avenue, 19th Floor New York, NY 10001 [email protected] (212) 886-1206 (fax)