{"id":12455,"date":"2026-06-30T10:41:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/?p=12455"},"modified":"2026-06-30T10:41:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:41:30","slug":"georgia-southern-nursing-alumna-honors-colleagues-with-nursing-honor-guard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/2026\/06\/30\/georgia-southern-nursing-alumna-honors-colleagues-with-nursing-honor-guard\/","title":{"rendered":"Georgia Southern Nursing Alumna Honors Colleagues with Nursing Honor Guard"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

Nursing instructor Jennifer Heyer (\u201994) was looking for a way to honor her fellow nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had several fellow nurses pass away during the pandemic,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I knew I had to do something that would commemorate their nursing legacy. So I started researching.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s how she discovered the National Nursing Honor Guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was very intrigued,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd of course, I don\u2019t do anything halfway, so I jumped in headfirst. I contacted the national president for a consultation. Before I knew it, we had our very own Georgia chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Honor Guard is a volunteer organization of nurses who attend the memorial services of nursing colleagues who have died, and perform tributes named after Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe read the Nightingale Tribute, we light the Nightingale lamp and we do the final call of duty, where we call the nurse\u2019s name three times,\u201d she said. \u201cThat releases them from their nursing duties.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heyer says the guard\u2019s main duty is to provide comfort to the families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an honor to recognize the nurse for their nursing service,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I stand up there in my all whites, with cape and cap, it makes me stand up a little bit taller.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heyer has served as the state coordinator for the Honor Guard since 2024. Since then, the organization has grown from five chapters to 18 spread across the state. In 2025, Gov. Brian Kemp issued a special commendation designating May 12 as Georgia Nurse Honor Guard Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were 90 of us who went to the state capitol to receive the commendation,\u201d she said. \u201cI never expected to get anything in return out of this; it\u2019s just been an amazing blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heyer\u2019s own nursing career began more than 30 years ago. She started as an emergency room nurse in Albany, Georgia, shortly after receiving a bachelor\u2019s in nursing from Georgia Southern University in 1994.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt takes a special kind of person to thrive in the chaos of a hospital,\u201d Heyer said with a laugh. \u201cI worked there for about 10 years and then became the assistant nurse manager and the educator for the department.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This led her back to school at Darton College (now Albany State) to pursue a master\u2019s in nursing, which turned into a full-time position as a nursing educator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI started teaching emergency nursing and critical care courses for the associates program,\u201d said Heyer. \u201cI loved the emergency room, but I was pregnant at the time and knew I wanted to have a schedule that would allow me to enjoy the little moments of my son\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her son has since left home to pursue his own undergraduate degree at Georgia Southern. Things are a little quieter around the house these days, and Heyer often finds herself reflecting on the memories she\u2019s made with nurses throughout her career. When she found the Honor Guard, she found more than a sense of duty \u2014 she found herself as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Honor Guard has brought me back to life,\u201d she said. \u201cI see so many memories of my colleagues when I look into these nurses\u2019 families\u2019 eyes. More than anything, it just makes me so proud to be a nurse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Bradley Mullis<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nursing instructor Jennifer Heyer (\u201994) was looking for a way to honor her fellow nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. \u201cI had several fellow nurses pass away during the pandemic,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I knew I had to do something that would commemorate their nursing legacy. So I started researching.\u201d That\u2019s how she discovered the National […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":12457,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[91,92],"class_list":["post-12455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","tag-fall-2025","tag-spring-2026"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t