Retirees Honor Dedicated Nurse

Photo By Christina Clarke | Wylie Miller, president of the Retiree Association of Southern Italy, presented Carron Kras with a plaque in recognition of her service to the retiree community.  

NAPLES, ITALY

11.20.2018

Story by Christina Clarke 

U.S. Naval Hospital Naples

Carron Kras has been a nurse for 15 years working across almost every modality. When she and her active duty husband arrived to Italy with their children in 2016, she was thrilled to return to the duty station they had been at nine years prior.

“Naples holds a special place in my family; our daughter went here for elementary school during our first tour and graduated from high school here last spring,” says Kras. “When we were here from 2004 to 2007, I volunteered with the American Red Cross as a nurse on the multi-service ward. When a nursing position opened at the hospital this tour, I knew I had to apply and give back to the community that has offered us so much. I work amongst some of the best providers, nurses, Corpsmen, and local national staff; they are committed to quality patient care.”

In addition to delivering care to active duty service members and their families, Kras made a point to give retirees the healthcare they deserve as well. It was her service and commitment to the retiree community that made Wylie Miller, the president of the U.S. Military Retiree Association of Southern Italy, pay particular attention.

“When I first met nurse Kras, I sat down with her and I said, ‘You know, dealing with the retiree community is different than any other community. It’s hard for a retiree to fit in a box that’s out there with the active duty.’ And she [Kras] said, ‘Well don’t worry about it, we can re-draw the box,’” Miller reflected.

Kras and her family will soon depart Naples, much to the dismay of the retiree community. On November 15, Miller, along with other members of the Retiree Association, presented Kras with a token of their appreciation for her empathetic delivery of healthcare. Kras gives each retiree a personal healthcare experience from start to finish, even giving up her office space at times for retirees to discuss difficult end-of-life decisions.

“Every once in a while, I get a call from a retiree who asks, ‘Who in the heck is that nurse up there? She is something else!’ Well when you get these personal experiences and you get multiple calls like this, you realize this is a special person,” said Miller.

The unconditional care that Kras provided to the Naples retiree community has made a lasting impact that will not soon be forgotten. As Miller presented Kras with a plague from the Retiree Association, he made note of the gold key affixed to its surface, “The golden key represents how nurse Kras found the golden key to take care of the retirees. That was the only way to express a thank you.”

The appreciation goes both ways, “It has been an honor to work so closely with the retiree population as a way to say ‘thank you’ for their commitment and sacrifice to our country. They may have given me a golden key, but each of them holds a key to my heart. I will miss them dearly,” said Kras.

• Date Taken: 11.20.2018
• Date Posted: 11.21.2018 04:09
• Story ID: 300825
• Location: NAPLES, IT