UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As Penn State celebrates Military Appreciation Week by honoring 100 years of women officially serving in the U.S. armed forces, Kelly Wolgast, assistant dean for online education and outreach in the College of Nursing and a Penn State alumna, shares her experiences as an Army nurse and her path back to the University after retiring from the military.
Originally from Rochester, New York, Wolgast is a 1985 graduate from Penn State’s nursing and Army ROTC programs. During her 26-year military career, Wolgast earned the Bronze Star Medal for heroic or meritorious achievements with combat experience as deputy commander and chief nurse in Afghanistan; served as a hospital deputy commander for relief operations following Hurricane Katrina; and was senior nurse executive of the U.S. Army Medical Command. Along the way, she went back to school and earned two master’s degrees and a doctorate in nursing practice, executive nurse leadership.
Q: Where did your 26-year career in the U.S Army take you?
Wolgast: I was commissioned as second lieutenant in the U.S. Army the same weekend I graduated from Penn State. I’ve been all over the world and served in a variety of clinical and leadership positions. My first tour of duty was in Germany, where I spent three years as a clinical nurse. I served in installations around the country and overseas and have combat and humanitarian experiences in Afghanistan. As I rose in rank and my scope of influence broadened, I became a deputy commander and eventually a commander of a hospital, which was fantastic. My last role was as chief nurse executive of the U.S. Army Medical Command, which was a very broad role where I was able to influence the Army’s nursing practices at a global level. It was a tremendous honor.
Q: Why did you make the decision to pursue a career in nursing?
The “why” is easy — it’s in the family! My mom and aunt are nurses and they were my role models, so I always knew I wanted to take care of people like them, and nursing seemed like a great fit.
Q: Was there also a person in your life that inspired you to join the military?
The military legacy is a little different. I never grew up thinking I’d go into the military, however, when I was in high school, my brother earned a naval ROTC scholarship to go to college. At the time, I thought, “Well I could do that! I’m as smart as he is, so why not?” Much of what I learned in Army ROTC at Penn State set me up for success in my entire military career. It was and still is an amazing program.
Q: Do you have a memory that stands out from your time as an ROTC cadet?
One of the great things that my Army ROTC leaders did for me — since they knew I was the only nurse in the program at the time — was invite the then-chief of the Army Nurse Corps, Brig. Gen. Hazel Johnson, to visit Penn State. I got to have lunch with her and I will never, ever forget that. I had never met anyone of that stature in the military before, let alone a female nurse. It was a wonderful thing for my Penn State mentors to do for me. It truly impacted my life.
Q: What was it like being a woman in a male-dominated field when you were coming up?
There were times when it was challenging, but you just have to press through and tackle issues straight on. Nowadays there are a lot more opportunities for women, but when I came in there were very defined roles. Many of the barriers for women in the military have come down and there are more role models for women to aspire to. Today, we can say, “She did it. I can, too.”
I’m appreciative that Penn State has chosen to honor 100 years of women officially in the military this year. Though, women have been affiliated with the military a lot longer than 100 years and nurses have been on the battlefield since the beginning of battle — it’s true that Florence Nightingale walked the Crimean War battlefields with a lamp and her impact on military nursing resonates today. Recognizing and honoring our military veterans and service members on an annual basis is very important, and something that I think we do well year-round at Penn State. Those stories are worth remembering.
Q: What was the most fulfilling thing about being a nurse in the Army?
It’s an honor to wear the cloth of our nation and the American flag on my uniform and to represent America around the world. It’s so rewarding to know that you’ve made a difference in people’s lives from a patient-care perspective. I’ll never forget families and children who came up to me to thank me for caring for a family member in the hospital. At the same time, taking care of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines and their families is very much an honor. We have an amazing military filled with men and women who choose to do this when they don’t have to make that sacrifice. Being able to help them when things are hard and not necessarily all that safe is extraordinarily rewarding.
Q: It sounds like you moved around a lot. Is there a role that stands out?
I moved around about every year or two, and one of the best experiences was helping to influence the health care system in Afghanistan. I spent a year there and we were able to get out into the community and help develop nurses, doctors and their health care logistics system to help them better care for their own people. That was very gratifying under very difficult circumstances.