We often say, “Thank you for your service” to members of the military and veterans who have already served. Police officers often hear the same thing. And there are special ceremonies for members of those groups who have passed on.
But there’s one group also on the first line of defense between life and death that doesn’t get the same treatment.
Nurses. Wouldn’t it be nice to give them special recognition?
That’s why every state now has a Nurses Honor Guard made up of those who have served in a different way. And how they honor their colleagues is something you wouldn’t soon forget.
A New Standard of Recognition
Libby Davis is a retired nurse (and U.S. Marine veteran) who heads the Southwest Alabama Nurses Honor Guard. While volunteering for a local American Legion Post, she noted the beautiful ceremonies for veterans who have passed away. She had a “Why not us?” moment.
“I just got to thinking one day, we needed to do that, something similar for nurses,” she said.
She did some online research and discovered that a national organization was trying to form a Nurses Honor Guard to hold the Nightingale Tribute at nurses’ funerals. So Davis started calling her friends.
“I contacted a few nurses close to me and said, ‘Hey, are you interested in helping me start a Nurses Honor Guard?’” she said.
A group got together and started a local chapter in February 2024. They now have 60 members covering seven counties. By April 2026, the group had already honored 23 nurses at their funerals.
Their tributes are both personal and emotional. Dressed in striking blue capes with red lining and wearing vintage nursing caps, members of the Honor Guard file into the funeral service. After reading a poem, they talk about the nurse for a few minutes.
“If we have information from the family, we try to do a brief acknowledgment about the deceased person’s nursing history,” Davis said. “Maybe something funny or something they hated to do at work, or a little about their career when they started. To make it a little more personal.”
Next, nurses in attendance who are paying their respects are asked to stand for a responsive reading showing that the deceased was always available in every circumstance. A list of situations is mentioned with the response after each one.
“Let’s say her name was Nancy,” Davis said. “Everybody says, ‘Nancy was there.’ And it just goes into what nurses do. Some of it is kind of funny, and some of it is kind of solemn.”
The Honor Guard carries a white rose to either lay on the casket or present to the family.
“The white rose basically is symbolizing their nursing career, the purity of what that nurse did for her community, and the sacrifice that her family made,” Davis said.
Those in attendance get a little history lesson about the founder of modern nursing.
“We talk about Florence Nightingale and what she stood for,” Davis said. “We also carry in a lighted lamp, and at the very end, we talk about the lamp and what it stood for.”
Nurse Florence Nightingale was known as “the lady with the lamp” because she tended to soldiers at night while carrying a lamp. Today, the lamp symbolizes compassion and caring.
A Final Goodbye
Finally, the tribute ends with a unique goodbye.
“We do their final call of duty,” Davis said. “We say their name, we ring a bell or a triangle. We say their name again, ring the triangle. We call them three times and ring the triangle, and then when they don’t answer, we release them of their nursing duty. We thank the family for allowing us to be present, we blow the candle out, and we present the little lamp to the family.”
Davis said she often receives an emotional response after the tribute.
“The family contacts me afterward and they’re just in tears,” she said. “They’re so overwhelmed and so pleased. It makes them feel so happy that their family member was honored in that way.”
The traditional lamp shines a light on the often overlooked sacrifices made by nurses. Davis said she looks back on her career and what the profession meant to her.
“If you’ve ever been in the hospital, if it wasn’t for those nurses, you would not survive,” she said. “You see the doctor for a few seconds, or maybe a minute or two, but those nurses are the ones taking care of you, making sure that you remain healthy and well. And it just gives us great satisfaction within our hearts to do that.”
As for the Honor Guard, she said, the group’s mission is a simple one.
“It’s about comforting the family and making them understand how much their loved one was appreciated for being a nurse,” she said. “Our main mission is to honor fallen colleagues and comfort the families.
“And our vision, of course, is to present the Nightingale Tribute to every nurse who passes in our area.”
