CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL AWARD CEREMONY
LTC HORTENSE McKAY, UNITED STATES ARMY NURSE CORPS |
| |
 |
|
|
In a ceremony replete with color and community involvement, the late LTC Hortense McKay, a stalwart, innovative US Army Nurse Corps nurse on the front lines of WWII in the SW Pacific, including the famous Battle of Bataan, which bought America four months of recovery time after the simultaneous attacks at Pearl Harbor and in the Philippines, was honored by the award to her of the nation's highest Congressional recognition for distinguished service to the country, the Congressional Gold Medal.
The Ceremony was mastered by LTC John Hobot, Battalion Commander, 1st Battalion 194th Armor Regiment, Minnesota Army National Guard, originally from Brainerd. It included presentations by Superintendent Heidi Hahn, Brainerd Public Schools, Cadence Porisch, a senior at Brainerd High School, a keynote address by Captain Rachel Cochran, Battalion Physician Assistant, 1st Battalion, the Honorable Santiago Busa, former Consul General of the US Department of State, Major General Johanna Clyborne, Assistant Adjutant General, Minnesota Army National Guard, Colonel Hope Williamson-Younce, Interim Corps Chief, United States Army Nurse Corps and Patricia McKay Broback, family representative of the McKay family.
The Congressional Gold Medal, if ever awarded (it was first awarded to General George Washington some 250 years ago), is typically awarded in Washington, D.C., causing this Ceremony to be unique simply by way of offering access to the public for an event of high importance, impact, and beauty.
LTC McKay was significant in the annals of history, both here and abroad. As a graduate of Brainerd High School (1927), she was described in these words in her yearbook:
"Small and dark with
sparkling eyes,
In all her words and
deeds precise;
Then to this just add
her name,
You'll find she's Scotch
and not so tame."
14 years before her great service during two combat tours in the Philippines during WWII, her community recognized her as of great intelligence and commitment.
After her reluctant escape by submarine from the impending defeat of Allied forces in the Philippines, she remained in the combat zones of the SW Pacific despite having been offered to return home, serving until the war was virtually concluded.
The remainder of her Army career centered on leadership of nursing units in major Army hospitals in America and Europe, including first-of-its-kind instruction to Army nurses in treating battlefield casualties and managing diseases learned from her WWII experiences.
LTC McKay's Army rank was extraordinary for her time in service, when there were few of her rank and command of the Nurse Corps was by few officers with more senior rank. She is considered a prominent figure in the history of the US Army Nurse Corps, which is reflected in the presence of COL Hope Williamson-Younce, Interim Corps Chief, US Army Nurse Corps, present from Washington, D.C., and briefly presented at the Ceremony.
This special ceremony was a joint effort of the 194th Tank Battalion Regiment, a 501 c 3 entity, and Brainerd Public Schools Archives. Sponsorship for the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony is provided in great honor of Stewart C. Mills, Jr., who knew and respected LTC Hortense McKay.