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WARREN -- Members of the Nurse Honor Guard of Eastern Ohio paid tribute to those nurses who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country during times of war.
The program "Hands of Healing in a Time of War" was attended by more than 50 people at the Warren Heritage Center Kinsman House.
A display of photos of nurse veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who served during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom was set up on a table.
The honor guard honored the nurses lost during war as part of the traveling memorial set up for American soldiers who died fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
More than 40 members of the Nurse Honor Guard of Eastern Ohio took part in the ceremony. As the names of the nurses who died during the wars were read, the honor guard nurses rang a bell and laid white roses near their photos.
Lorie Prokup, co-founder of the Nurse Honor Guard of Eastern Ohio, said the Florence Nightingale ceremony honors and remembers the fallen with local nurses in outfits with capes while holding candles.
Prokup said the nurses -- like soldiers and others who serve during times of war -- sacrifice so that others are safe and have their freedoms.
Prokup said the Nurse Honor Guard travels anywhere to memorialize any nurse who has died, not just those who served in the military.
Prokup said there is a new display inside the Kinsman House of local nurses who served at the local hospitals.
Dr. John Dawson, an assistant battalion surgeon who served during wartime, said he served in Iraq.
He said he remembered the story of two young servicemen in the Marines who gave their own lives to protect many others.
Dawson said on April 22, 2008, Marine Corporal Jonathan Yale, 21, of Virginia and Lance Corporal Jordan Harvey, 19, of New York were standing guard at an entrance gate to a security station in Iraq when a tanker truck unexpectedly accelerated and hit the two young men mortally wounding them.
They had fired at the vehicle while protecting 150 people and protecting other police guards.
Dawson said the two were honored for their bravery with the Navy Cross, which is the highest honor the Navy can present and second to the Medal of Honor.
"Freedom not only requires bravery but also demands integrity. Those of us not in uniform need to honor the sacrifice of those who gave their lives to protect others. We all need to stand tall and proudly as we honor them," Dawson said.
Jennifer Allen, a nurse who served aboard the U.S. Comforter, said she joined the Navy at age 39 in 1989.
"I had worked as an ICU nurse and had the desire to serve my country. I loved serving my country in the military, she said.
Allen said in August 1990 the U,S. Comforter was headed to the Persian Gulf because of the start of the Gulf War.
"We knew we could not save everyone, but as nurses we did what we could to save as many as we could," Allen said.
She said she remembered when a boiler exploded on a ship and four servicemen were severely burned and could not be saved.
"We as nurses did what we could to help others during these difficult times," Allen said.