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NURSING INSTRUCTOR TOMAS SERNA, A VETERAN, GIVES BACK

Tomas Serna may have left active duty in October 2016, but his life remains anything but calm. Nowadays, the former lieutenant colonel is teaching, coaching, and mentoring the next generation of nursing leaders 鈥� what he claims was the best choice he could have made.

Serna initially joined the Army in 1983 because his business degree gave him few job prospects. When he briefly left the Army eight years later, he attended college at the University of Texas at El Paso and attained his bachelor鈥檚 in nursing. 鈥淚 chose nursing because it gave me better career opportunities,鈥� he says. Now he works as an employee for the federal government. 鈥淚 just changed uniforms and returned to work,鈥� says Serna. 鈥淢y military and my civilian life is pretty much interconnected. I would not change it. I would rather continue to serve than to work in a civilian hospital.鈥�

Tomas Serna鈥檚 strong will and dedication to lead others to survive and succeed has led him to support his fellow veterans in transferring to the civilian life, as well as encouraging his own children in following their educational dreams.

Photo: Aaron Ingrao

It wasn鈥檛 easy to transition to civilian life, however. 鈥淚 think the most difficult thing for me was losing control. As an Army officer, I had a lot of responsibility, but I also had a lot of respect. I could make things happen with a single order,鈥� Serna explains. Understandably, now it鈥檚 not so much the case, and Serna says a certain level of diplomacy must be mastered in order to get things done.

That doesn鈥檛 take away from his love of teaching. Serna teaches NUR 338 Introduction to Nursing Informatics and NUR听456 Leadership and Management in Nursing at Excelsior. 鈥淚 enjoy dedicated students. I can work with students who are committed to succeed in the course. I can help them become successful in the class. I look for those students who work hard,鈥� he says. It runs in the family, too. One of Serna鈥檚 greatest personal achievements is raising two nurses 鈥� his son and daughter. He says he 鈥減rovided effective teaching, coaching, and mentoring. I could not give the profession more than my own two children.鈥� One of Serna鈥檚 greatest military achievements is that in 2004, he took 450 soldiers to Iraq and brought them all back safely. Both accomplishments are a testament to Serna鈥檚 strong will and dedication to lead others to thrive and succeed.

Serna鈥檚 advice extends far beyond the paternal. He encourages veterans to take advantage of every possible program available to them; for instance, the VA has many programs, including job placement opportunities. 鈥淭he transition center can also help them [veterans] before they get out of the service,鈥� Serna explains. 鈥淭hey need to find a way to transfer their military experience, education, and training to the civilian job force. They need to dress to impress.鈥�

In addition to helping fellow veterans, Serna is a member of a variety of local community organizations. He is also a member of the Texas Nursing Association and the National Association of Hispanic Nurses. 鈥淲e conduct bi-yearly health fairs, seminars and educational activities within the community. The goal is to promote the profession within the community,鈥� he explains. As a former Army Nurse Corps officer, he is a member of the Army Nurse Corps Association. In this capacity, he helps mentor young officers. 鈥淔urther,鈥� continues Serna 鈥渁s a certified medical-surgical nurse, I听help our clinical nurse specialists develop and present in-services to help our young nurses attain medical-surgical certifications.鈥�- by Jenna Kerwin

SUSAN PIPER: USING DIGITAL STORYTELLING TO HELP VICTIMS OF PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder can happen to anyone. Military servicemembers and veterans most often experience PTSD due to the shocking and dangerous combat events they have witnessed during times of service. Susan Piper, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, knows firsthand the effects of PTSD since it took many years for her husband to admit he experienced symptoms of the disorder. Since then, Piper has been using digital storytelling to share his story with others in hopes that they might learn they aren鈥檛 alone and that help is available.

Piper, who hails from western Kentucky, comes from a large family of servicemembers. 鈥淚 chose to join the military, and answer that call, because my family is a military family. My dad served, my brothers served, uncles, and aunt; from the Air Force, to the Army, to the National Guard,鈥� says Piper. She has over 25 years of military service with most of that serving in the Army National Guard, and only moved into nursing eight years ago.

鈥淭he things that influenced me to become a nurse go way back,鈥� Piper recalls. Her older sister was a nurse and after being a 鈥渃lassic, traditional鈥� college student, she decided on nursing, too. 鈥淚t was an overwhelming urge to want to help, to make a difference,鈥� says Piper, who visited Excelsior in February.

What influenced her to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner stems back to her military family. 鈥淲hat drove me to specialize in that particular area falls back to my passion related to my service as a military member myself, having a family that is full of servicemembers. I have watched, over the years, so many soldiers go to war, and then return home, and talk of the things they experienced,鈥� she explains.

Susan Piper, an instructional faculty member听for the School of Nursing, shares her experience with recognizing PTSD and teaching veteran students during a presentation at Excelsior College in February 2018.

Photo: Danny Santandrea

Her husband was one of these soldiers. In fact, Piper had been a nurse for 12 years when her husband finally admitted he had a problem. 鈥淚 was a nurse in the military, I was a soldier, and was standing right beside him, and even though I saw these things happening, it even took me a little bit of time to say there was a problem,鈥� she says.

As a nurse educator at Hopkinsville Community College, about 10 miles from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Piper was used to teaching students who had served in the military or are currently still serving in the military, or who are military dependents. That鈥檚 when she had an idea to use her husband鈥檚 PTSD as a learning tool while teaching for Excelsior in 2016. Piper听decided to create a video to further enhance material in the bachelor鈥檚 degree in nursing鈥檚 community health curriculum. The video was funded by the Veterans鈥� Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing grant. 鈥淚 decided to use the fact that my husband has PTSD in my digital story, and sharing that with my students, because I think it is important to make connections. When you make connections, learning occurs,鈥� she says. Piper has taught NUR 212 Health Differences Across the Life Span 2, NUR 211 Health Differences Across the Life Span 1, and NUR 105 Essentials of Nursing Care Health Differences for Excelsior.

Piper describes digital storytelling as a method of using multimedia, such as photographs, music, videos, text, and sometimes even the spoken word, to share information鈥攁 story, an idea, or a thought. 鈥淒igital storytelling is a wonderful method to provide reflective thought, and that is important for all of us to do in some way,鈥� she adds, explaining the process of reflective thought as being a method of analyzing a situation and then developing a course of action. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a method of problem solving, if you will.鈥�

For example, she says, 鈥淚f I want to better myself, then I鈥檓 going to take a minute, every day, and reflect upon the day, and anything that may have caused me a problem. Or maybe it was something new that I鈥檇 been exposed to, then I鈥檓 going to think about that, and analyze how that impacted me. What have I gained from it? And then develop that plan, or course of action, or what am I going to do with this now that I鈥檝e been exposed, or experienced it.鈥�

There were several things Piper wanted people to take away from her digital story. 鈥淭he first was related to the struggles that came with PTSD. The second was 鈥� that they鈥檙e not alone, that someone else has experienced this. I wanted my students, specifically my nursing students, to understand,鈥� says Piper. 鈥淪o, many things that I want[ed] for them to take away from my husband鈥檚 story of PTSD, and how I handled it, and the things that I went through 鈥� . And I guess one thing that, maybe as I spoke about it, a lot of times the military family is kind of forgotten about, and that would probably be one of the other things that I wanted to make sure that they took away. The soldier, the veteran, suffers, but the family suffers also. And the struggle touches many,鈥� she adds. 鈥淏ut I also wanted them to know, related to that, they鈥檙e not alone, that there鈥檚 someone that could stand with them. That there鈥檚 help available.鈥�

Digital storytelling is not only beneficial in the classroom, but it can be used therapeutically, also. That鈥檚 what Piper and her husband came away with 鈥� like a 鈥渨eight had been lifted off their shoulders,鈥� she says. Piper says, 鈥淚 was very excited when he [her husband] was anxious to then share that himself. His friends, my friends, said it best. They said, 鈥榮he鈥檚 not just telling your story, she鈥檚 telling our story.鈥� So that was exactly the response. That鈥檚 what I wanted. I wanted that connection.鈥�

Piper has not assigned digital storytelling to any of her students, but she believes it can surely be utilized in the teaching process. She explains that any course that promotes critical thinking and problem solving (reflective thought) would be ideal for this sort of teaching. She is interested in using it in Hopkinsville鈥檚 mental health track. 鈥淚 have recently taken on the responsibilities of our behavioral health nursing course, back at Hopkinsville Community College, and I think that as I make it my own, this is one of the things that I鈥檓 going to utilize 鈥� I鈥檓 hoping to use it in my mental health course. I听think that I can embed it there, in some way. I听believe that it will be very beneficial to these students.鈥�

She also hopes to go back to her story to revise it. 鈥淎t the end of that digital story, I talk about how I鈥檓 finishing my post-master鈥檚, and starting my DNP. And now I鈥檓 looking at my two-year anniversary of being a certified mental health nurse practitioner, and in May I graduate with my DNP.鈥� Piper鈥檚 capstone project focused on veterans, particularly access to mental health related to the veterans at Hopkinsville. It is her dream to make a greater difference at the government level, but for now she is happy she has made a difference with her digital story. 鈥淚 said, well, even if I just impact one person, that鈥檚 one person 鈥� I can walk away OK. But I can鈥檛 walk away, no, I鈥檝e got to do more,鈥� she says.

Piper says personal connections and being aware are the most important things in understanding, but also in learning. They are building blocks for developing trust. She says, 鈥淎wareness is key, whether it鈥檚 awareness of issues, awareness of signs and symptoms, awareness of what you can actually then do to help or compensate, or awareness of resources that may be available in your area. So, to me, that [awareness] is key. That鈥檚 how we best can make a difference.鈥� – by Jenna Kerwin

WHAT鈥橲 IN A NAME? LAWRENCE SELLS FORD HATFIELD FINDS OUT

Lawrence 鈥淟arry鈥� Sells Hatfield, the eldest of a large family in Indiana, was headed to college for engineering when he requested a copy of his birth certificate. When it arrived, the teenager learned an unexpected truth: the father listed on his birth certificate was a complete stranger. Larry was not a Hatfield; he was a Ford. The man he鈥檇 called 鈥渇ather鈥� his whole life was a step-father and his many siblings were only half-siblings. His biological father died of the Spanish flu in boot camp in 1917. His widowed mother, with infant Larry, remarried soon after.

Larry was furious that his mother had lied to him his entire life. In a rage, he threw away a full scholarship and broke all ties with the man he knew as his father. Larry married, served in World War II, raised four children, and found a career on the floor of an Indiana factory.

Larry鈥檚 anger is not unusual, but he may have made better decisions had his family handled the information differently. The reveal of his true identity shattered his trust, but did that need to be the case?

Today, genealogists know we have four kinds of family: a genetic family (where DNA contributions from certain ancestors eventually disappear); a genealogical family (everyone who is your ancestor); a social family (including anyone you welcome into your life); and, finally, a legal family (defined by law, as in adoption or disinheritance). There is now a fifth kind of family for people who have organ transplants and share the donor鈥檚 DNA. For example, a sister who receives her brother鈥檚 kidney will now test as both female and male, so this leads to a new definition of self.

Identity is defined and embraced by the individual. Is it ethical to conceal the truth as in Larry鈥檚 case? Do fostered or adopted children have the right to know their origins?

MIRIAM PERLSTEIN LOWY, SABINOV HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR, SHARES HER PAST

Miriam Perlstein Lowy survived the Holocaust and told her story to her son only once when he was 18. He wrote it out in Hebrew and never forgot. Forty years later, an elderly Miriam was plagued by dementia and began living her life backward. Knowing her history, he understood why his mother mistook him for his father, then later hated him as an SS officer trying to imprison her. Ultimately, she cried about her older sister, torn from the family and sent to entertain the troops, never to return.

His reluctant retelling of the story captured the attention of a screenwriter. But was it true? As important as never forgetting is not perpetuating a fraud. Could the incredible facts be proven and documented?

Years later the answer is a resounding 鈥淵es!鈥� Genealogical research reveals extraordinary evidence. Survivors from the 100 Jewish families of Sabinov, Slovakia, were few but fierce. At least nine made it to New York City by the late 1950s. Six of the nine made recorded testimonies about their experiences. Each Holocaust witness was instructed to tell only their own story, yet details in their testimonies helped corroborate information in Miriam鈥檚 story.

Florence Reimer was Miriam鈥檚 best friend after the war. In her testimony, Reimer tells that she was born in America and recounts her father鈥檚 fateful decision to return to Slovakia in the 1930s to be with his parents. Her father, mother, and teenaged brother were killed, but she was exempt from the March 1942 鈥渢ransport鈥� of young, unmarried Jewish women because the government did not dare mistreat an American.

Miriam Perlstein (center top) stands with her parents, Anna Landesmann and Kolomon Perlstein, and three of her five siblings, about 1926 at Sabinov. Her youngest sister, Rozalie, was killed in a drug test at Auschwitz. This photo, by an unknown Sabinov photographer, was hidden by friends in Sabinov and is owned by Miriam鈥檚 son.

Dr. Eugene Schnitzer and his wife Serena survived the war in Sabinov with an 鈥渆xception鈥� that he was a doctor. They kept his niece and his in-laws in a large armoire in the living room under the noses of the authorities. He once took niece Vera out for a walk, but never again. The townspeople, once so friendly, knew Vera was not supposed to be there and their stares were hostile.

Lt. Joseph Schnitzer and his wife were transported in May 1942. Joseph鈥檚 relative bribed many people and chased the train for 15 miles before catching it. The car doors were opened and Schnitzer was called to come out. He refused to leave because he felt everyone should be allowed to go home. At the Polish border, Schnitzer fed hundreds of people during a wait for a new train to the concentration camp Sobibor. He fired up an abandoned bakery and scrounged supplies. Schnitzer鈥檚 Bakery on the show 鈥淪einfeld鈥� was a real place owned by the real Joseph Schnitzer.

Every detail in Miriam鈥檚 story鈥攆rom jumping from the train headed to Auschwitz, eluding capture for almost two years, escaping death when the camp was liberated as she faced execution, hiding in the snowy Tatra Mountains, and hating the people of Sabinov who stole her family home and shunned her when she returned鈥攃an be documented. Research into independent testimonies such as those above, the log books of Auschwitz, a census of Sabinov, and the tattered photos hidden for decades say it is so. As a result, her story meets the genealogical proof standard of truth and will soon be told through a book, a screenplay, and eventually a film.

A NEW LOOK AT AN OLD CASE: JANE DOE NH 1971

A young hunter found Jane Doe NH 1971, as she came to be called, a long time too late. He stirred the woodpile with his rifle and ran to the police station when her sightless eyes met his. Since New Hampshire did not have a medical examiner in 1971, the go-to doctor came from Massachusetts to preside over the recovery in the chilly October rain.

Dr. George Katsas said Jane Doe was 16 to 35 in age, probably in the older range. He wrote down no cause of death in the first autopsy, and inexplicably took home her mandible and maxilla. She had no ID, so the police placed an ad in the local newspaper. Many people came forward, searching for their lost daughters, sisters, or wives. Those missing women were eventually found, but no one claimed Jane Doe NH 1971.

Decades later, the technology exists to date her age to within six months. This requires counting rings of cementum formed around her teeth, but that part of her skull is not with her remains. Height and weight estimates for Americans have also been updated from the long-used Depression-era figures, but people reading Jane Doe鈥檚 description still envision a young runaway or prostitute. She was almost certainly a housewife in her 30s, robbed of her future. Two reconstruction artists created what her face may have looked like, based on her skull, but the renderings could not be more different.

Jane Doe 2006 reconstruction by Mary Fish (left) and Jane Doe reconstruction circa 1995 by an unidentified artist.Photos courtesy of the New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit

When all else fails, genetic genealogy can lead to a definitive answer. DNA is not just for exclusion any more. With basic skills, a researcher can use autosomal DNA to name the remains of soldiers missing in action or killed in action by matching the primary next of kin. It can and will also name Jane Doe NH 1971 and the tens of thousands of unknown dead who await the return of their identities. A non-disclosure ends the story here, for now. More than five of these cases have been solved in the last few years and all road signs point to genetic genealogy becoming a necessary step in cold case identifications in the future.