Irmgard Ann Nunn: Veteran of the Month | October 2020
Irmgard Ann Nunn
Veteran | U.S. Army 1967 – 1968
Irmgard Nunn was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1946 as the youngest of two children. After WWII, her parents divorced, and her mother decided to move Irmgard to the U.S. at the age of 5. Her brother, who was 14, chose to stay in Germany with their father. Once in the U.S., Irmgard started going by the name of Ann since most found it difficult to pronounce her name. Due to a stepfather in the Air Force, Ann lived all over the United States and loved having the opportunity to live in a wide variety of places. Her proudest moment was when she received her citizenship in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1959, which was the same year Alaska became a state. Ann was the first foreigner & non-Inuit (then referred to as “non-Eskimo”) to become a U.S. citizen in Alaska, earning her the nickname “Skimo.” As she fondly reminisced, Ann stated, “I thoroughly enjoyed the 5 years I spent in Alaska, it’s home for me in this country.”
Ann attended all four years of high school at the now-closed Air Force base in Bitburg, Germany. She spoke about being in Germany as the Berlin Wall went up and how her oldest son was stationed at Bitburg, Germany, when the wall came down 28 years later. Ann enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967 in hopes of going off to Vietnam, but without any formal medical training, she was kept in the states. During Vietnam, 90% of women’s roles were held by nurses, while the other 10% were volunteers. She proclaimed, “I wanted to see the world” but she said the Army had other plans.
Stationed at Fort McClellan in Anniston, AL, Ann completed basic training. Her Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) was drill marching. She exclaimed, “I taught the girls how to march to make sure they didn’t get lost in the woods.” Drill is a powerful and efficient method that has been used since ancient times to move troops while keeping units together. It teaches precision and is considered the foundation of discipline in battle.
After being honorably discharged as a Private E1, Ann moved to Greensborough, NC, where she married a fellow Army Veteran. They had two sons together but lost their little girl in a miscarriage. Married life was anything but pleasant, and when Ann’s husband died three years later from pancreatic cancer, she knew she never wanted to be married again.
Over the years, Ann raised her two boys, battled cancer, and fights daily against the enduring effects of a stroke from 1995. “I’m a survivor!” Ann stated proudly. Sadly, all of Ann’s military photos were disposed of by her stepfather years ago. She doesn’t typically discuss her days in the military but said her tendency to march while walking often gave it away. When asked what she learned from her time in the military, Ann quickly declared, “I learned to improvise and to always be prepared.” Then she laughed as she stated, “that’s why my purse has a little bit of everything in it! You never know what you might need!”
Currently living in Florida, Ann spends time working on puzzles and building with Legos to strengthen hand dexterity. Four grandchildren and one son live in the area, while her other son recently moved to the Northeast. Ann has always been an outdoors girl and loved spending time swimming or golfing when she was able. Today when she’s not out shopping or having fun adventures with her favorite caregiver, Brittany, she is home spoiling her 14-year-old cat, Gizmo.
Touching Hearts at Home is proud to have Irmgard featured as VCC’s October 2020 Veteran of the Month. Irmgard was quite flattered to have been chosen.
We at Touching Hearts at Home, are always looking for ways to help our clients find benefits to help them stay in their homes and be able to live independently. Veterans Care Coordination is a wonderful resource in providing that service for our Veterans.
Veterans Care Coordination is proud to recognize Irmgard Ann Nunn for her service to our country. We are privileged to have the opportunity to share the stories of our nation’s heroes.
—
If you are Partner Provider or client and you have a story you’d like us to share, we’d love to hear about it! Give us a call at 855-380-4400 or send us an email at vom@vcchc.com.
