A nurse who commands attention

WHEN DISASTER STRUCK: On March 23, 1994, Horoho was head nurse of the emergency room at Fort Bragg’s Womack Army Medical Center when a Code Yellow—a plan for mass casualties—was activated in response to an aircraft collision and a resulting explosion in an area called the Green Ramp, where some 500 paratroopers were conducting training exercises. In a commencement speech earlier this year, Horoho recalled, “Within 15 minutes, casualties were streaming through our hospital doors. Twenty-four soldiers lost their lives that day. Before the afternoon was over, we treated 134 severely burned young soldiers.”

EMERGENCY TRAINING: Horoho was uniquely equipped for handling the Green Ramp disaster. Two years earlier, she received a master’s degree (the first of two) in trauma nursing from the University of Pittsburg in Pennsylvania. Before she focused on trauma, she researched critical incident stress debriefing and treatments for severely burned patients, but she couldn’t complete the necessary studies on either topic. At the time, she wrote off her two stalled attempts at a thesis as a colossal waste of time and energy. But that day at Womack, she says, “it showed me that as a nurse, every challenge we have in life prepares us to assist others.”

A 9/11 HERO: On September 11, 2001, Horoho was Assistant Deputy for Healthcare Management Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) at the Pentagon. She was watching TV as the second plane slammed into the World Trade Center, and she remembers thinking, “We’re going to be next.” When she heard the loud booming noise and felt the building shake, she knew exactly what it was and joined the crowds calmly evacuating. Once outside, instead of moving away from the building, she headed for the impact site, stepping into the gaping hole that had been cut by the plane. Immediately she began setting up a triage area and improvising until aid kits arrived. She organized medical and nonmedical volunteers into teams, and coordinated with the various agencies that arrived on the scene. “Being a nurse led me to the impact site where I could make a difference, instead of in the other direction where it was safe,” she said. “Nursing is an art and a profession—not a job. It’s not something you go to and leave after your shift. You are on 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

CARE FOR THE CARETAKER: Horoho’s skillful treatment of the burned soldiers at Green Ramp and her leadership and expertise triaging victims after the terrorist attack on the Pentagon earned her many accolades and commendations. On a personal level, it made her acutely aware that trauma victims and those who care for them—including civilian nurses—often carry invisible wounds. “You need to be proactive about seeking help—you can’t wait for the symptoms of stress and compassion fatigue to show up,” she advises nurses. “I urge all of you to take care of yourself and your teammates. By doing that, we give our best to all of those entrusted to our care.”

THE GIFT OF LIFE: Recently, the general encountered a soldier whose face and arms were marred by burn scars. He told her that she had cared for him after the Green Ramp disaster, and he wanted her to know that he had married and had a daughter. Showing off pictures of his family, he pointed to his little girl and said, “You made her possible. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.” The general’s voice crackles with emotion as she recounts the story. Whenever the impact of your work can be measured on such a personal level, “your heart just melts,” says Horoho.