Columbus, OH,
21
February
2017
|
14:00 PM
Europe/Amsterdam

Commissioning Ceremony Held on Riverside Methodist Helipad

“My dream is to be a flight nurse, so it was a no-brainer that it needed to be on a flight type venue.  Riverside was my start to a nursing career, so I wanted to do it here, and the helipad seemed to make it that much more perfect," said Riverside Nurse Emily Homes.

But to make Emily Homes' commissioning dream reality, she needed help.

She found it, in the person of OhioHealth senior vice president of central Ohio Operations, and Ohio Air National Guard Commander Steve Markovich.

“I said, Oh yes, we are doing this, we will make it happen for her to have it here. We have to do it and coordinate everything and make sure it was a very special day for her,” Dr. Markovich said.

And so the wheels were in motion. On a cold winter day last month, right where she wanted it to be, 2nd Lt. Emily Homes took her oath.

“It’s exciting, the start of my next adventure. I finally get to realize my dream of being in the U.S. Air Force Nurse Corp. I'm honored and humbled," Homes said.

For General Markovich, not the first he’s been there for someone like this, but each time it is special.

“To give her one of her first salutes is very special," Dr. Markovich said.

And not just for her. A day like this allows him to reflect on a decorated past, and a hopeful future.

“I think back, to 37 years ago, to when I was in her shoes. It’s amazing how time flies; it’s about young people, the work they do is tremendous,” Markovich said.

A bright future, with her family watching, and her OhioHealth Family excited to see what is next.

“This great community we work in, OhioHealth, has been so wonderful to me,” Homes said.