Recently, OSF Home Care Services had the distinct privilege to bring into our ranks a very experienced and excellent advanced practice nurse.
Aimee Terhark, in addition to her new work in OSF Home Care, has worked as a flight nurse, a critical care unit nurse, an advanced practice nurse (APN) in a cardiovascular intensive care unit, and remains active in the United States Army Reserves, where she is a Captain and the Officer in Charge of Detachment 1, Company A 801st Combat Support Hospital, in Bartonville, Illinois. During her service, Aimee has managed the medical services of an internment facility for detainees in Iraq for nine months.
Many might come home from that kind of service and have little left to give to others. For Aimee, it has merely fueled her appetite for service, compassion and understanding. She knows we each fight our own wars, win and lose our own battles, and carry scars both on the outside, and sometimes, even deeper ones on the inside.
This Sunday, November 11, 2012 is Veterans Day in the USA. With Aimee’s permission, I wanted to pass along her email from this morning to some friends. I thought this would be a nice way to introduce her to you and remind you of the many US men and women veterans who continue to deserve our gratitude and support.
Aimee’s Email
“Good morning friends,
This week, I have had the distinct pleasure of meeting some absolutely amazing Korean, World War II and Vietnam veterans. I met them, because I was seeing them through our OSF Hospice program. I had no idea how I would be affected by their stories and their pictures hanging quietly on the wall. Though I didn’t get to spend much time with them, in the name of productivity, I wanted to remind my friends that they are out there and should be celebrated this Sunday.
I am humbled by their sacrifice and their natural stoic nature every time I meet them. For some of them, it would have been easier to be celebrated on Memorial Day than to live with their experiences and celebrate Veteran’s Day every year. Please keep our veterans in your thoughts and prayers this weekend.
“A soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” – G.K. Chesterton”
Aimee J. Terhark, APN, FNP-BC
We will keep our veterans in our thoughts and prayers this weekend. Thank you, and welcome, Aimee!
Last Updated: February 9, 2022