CON honors, remembers those lost

You just wanted to hug those kids.

Tommy, 10. A good boy, glowing, talking about his dad’s job, and jets. “Tommy can tell you about any plane around,” said his grandfather, Tom Blake.

Lily, 8. An angel (literally; she’d just danced in the Nutcracker) in a purple snow hat with hearts on it, and sparkly boots. When her brother blabbed about how she sometimes forgets names, she leaned in, stepped on his foot and gave him a look. That little-sister-to-big-brother look.

“She was born 19 days after our boy was killed,” her grandfather said.

The Blake kids, Tommy and Lily, pictured earlier in front of a display honoring their father, Navy Pilot Lt. Com. Thomas Blake, bottom left. In a coincidence, the other serviceman honored by the College of Nursing, Staff Sgt. Tricia Jameson, is in another of the photos, top left.

The Blake kids, Tommy and Lily, pictured at an earlier memorial display honoring their father, Navy Pilot Lt. Com. Thomas Blake, bottom left. In a coincidence, the other serviceman recently honored by the College of Nursing, Staff Sgt. Tricia Jameson, is also among these photos, top left.

“Your daddy helped make you before you were born,” her grandmother, Carole Blake, told her as she gave Lily a squeeze. “He and your mama picked out your name.”

Navy Pilot Lt. Com. Thomas Blake

Navy Pilot Lt. Com. Thomas Blake

Their mama is Jessica Blake, today a UNMC nursing student. On this morning, her Policy and Leadership class was different. The class – her class – was presenting her with an Honor and Remember flag.

Navy Pilot Lt. Com. Thomas Blake died in an S-3B Viking jet crash in Jacksonville, Fla., in 2005. He was 33. He left behind a wife, a son and a daughter he never got to meet.

The flags are a relatively new movement, started by a father who lost a son. The flags go to the families of U.S. servicemen who died “in the line of duty.” The flags have been officially adopted by 16 states, the charity’s website says, and have been “endorsed” by eight more (Nebraska is among those still being lobbied). They don’t come cheap. The UNMC College of Nursing Policy and Leadership class raised $700 for two.

The other went to Pat Jameson, a nurse, and the mother of Tricia Jameson, who had always wanted to be one.

While she applied to nursing school, Tricia, a staff sergeant, was serving as a full-time health care specialist for the Nebraska National Guard. She carried a medical bag in her car, in case she came across any accidents. She taught combat lifesaver training to Nebraska Guard troops. When an opportunity came up to deploy to Iraq herself, she jumped to the front of the line.

Today, Nick Hornig is a UNMC nursing student. In 2005, he was in the 313th Medical Company (Grounded Ambulance) in the Nebraska Guard, in Iraq, when Tricia showed up, a replacement. He helped her unload her bags.

Nebraska Guard medic Staff Sgt. Tricia Jameson

Nebraska Guard medic Staff Sgt. Tricia Jameson

She was the new kid; he barely knew her. She’d been with them for about three weeks when, out on the Humvee ambulance, she and her driver came across a convoy of Marines that had been hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) attack. There were casualties.

She was racing to the rescue when she was killed by another IED.

“It could have been any of us,” Nick said.

At that time it seemed like something like that was happening every day.

She was engaged to be married. She was 34.

When called to come up to accept her flag, Tricia’s mother took a breath and closed her eyes: steeling herself.

As she stood up there, Nick held his face, rubbed his hands and fought off the tears that welled in his eyes.

He’d barely known Tricia, but he knew this: he’d made it home to nursing school and she had not.

Tricia's mom, Pat, displays the flag presented her by UNMC nursing students with volunteer Cliff Leach.

Tricia’s mom, Pat, displays the flag presented her by UNMC nursing students with volunteer Cliff Leach.

When he heard about the flags, he’d asked his classmates if they could make this happen, for Tricia, and together, they had. Keyon Royster said that Jessica should get one, too. Kate Weidemann organized a bake sale.

With Tricia’s mom, Nick was tender. It could have been him.

It could have been any of them.

Those kids. Tommy, 10, and Lily, 8. Their faces said this was a good day. They got to hear about how great their dad had been. They beamed as they held up that flag.

But those other faces – those of Jessica, and Carole, and Tom, of Tricia’s mom, Pat – those were the ones that all but knocked you to your knees.

The audible sniffles in the auditorium said they were not alone in their tears.

These people had been wounded beyond endurance, and yet, somehow, they endured. There they were. Standing.

UNMC nursing student Jessica Blake, third from left, holds a flag that honors her husband, Thomas, a Navy pilot who died in the line of duty. With her are her husband's parents, Carole and Tom, and her children, Tommy and Lily.

UNMC nursing student Jessica Blake, third from left, holds a flag that honors her husband, Thomas, a Navy pilot who died in the line of duty. With her are her husband’s parents, Carole and Tom, and her children, Tommy and Lily.

And when it came time to click a picture, Jessica brushed the tears, lifted her head, looked right into the camera. And smiled.

Later, in the hallway, Jessica ran into Nick, her nursing school classmate, the guy who had the idea to do this to honor the fallen teammate he’d barely known.

She grabbed his arm. “Thank you,” she said. “That was really cool.”

She laughed at having made something for the bake sale, not yet knowing, at that point, one of the flags was to be for her.

And then, they were late. She was heading back into the classroom and Nick not far behind. They had a test to take. The flag ceremony was over. Quick as that, class was starting again.

Nursing school, much like life, keeps moving forward. And you remember, and smile bravely, and carry on the best you can.

9 comments

  1. Jill Dougherty says:

    What a remarkable tribute made real by remarkable students I’m so proud of them all. Tears and all. God Bless

  2. Dennis says:

    I served with Tricia in the Nebraska Guard and will always remember her. This is a great story about a great act by a bunch of great folks. Thanks for remembering these outstanding warriors and people.

  3. Lisa Houdesheldt says:

    We are so grateful for their service and courage. Thank you to all families of our injured and fallen military heroes. The flags are a beautiful gesture.

  4. Vicky Cerino says:

    A fantastic story that really captures what it was like to be there. Thanks, Kalani, what a gift to the families and the students who gave a most precious gift.

  5. Nicole Lindquist says:

    So wonderfully written. This brought tears to my eyes and those tears fell right onto my cheeks. So sad, yet so happy to see the good going on at UNMC. Thank you for doing this story the way only you can do, Kalani!

  6. Jessica Brummer says:

    Kalani…you are a poet with words. You brought me to tears. Thank you for telling this story so beautifully.

  7. Jeremy Hosein says:

    Thank you for sharing this story. We have some incredible students at UNMC.

  8. I think their faces said this was a good day. They got to hear about how great their dad had been. They beamed as they held up that flag.

  9. Mark W. Eidman says:

    Nice photos of everyone, and it is so nice to see people care. I know this is a late comment, but I still wanted to say how much I respected all of those who cared about the vets…with Ms. Weidemann and the bake sale and all the work.

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