Murfreesboro Mom, Scrub Tech Serving on NYC Navy Hospital Ship in Response to Pandemic

Soon after Jess Harmon crossed the stage at her 2003 high school graduation, the plucky Franklin County native joined the United States Navy. Her decision was inspired by the sobering events of September 11, 2001, as well as the recent death of her mother. The new grad’s journey began with boot camp and training as a hospital corpsman in Chicago, followed by on-the-job learning in the ICU at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia. Active duty for the next 14 years, Jess served deployments as an OR surgical tech in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Today, Jess lives with her husband and three kids in Murfreesboro. She loves her job as an OR surgical tech at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford and, though she misses many aspects of military service, she’s grateful to be present for the big and small moments in her children’s lives. Jess’s civilian routine was shaken upside-down by a text she received on March 23rd, 2020. Sent by her military chain of command, the text asked if Jess was willing to return to duty–this time, in order to serve New York as the city battled Covid-19. Jess texted back affirmatively and, within 48 hours, was aboard a Navy hospital ship.

Since docking in NYC on March 30, the USNS Comfort has served a steady caseload of patients with diverse health concerns. Jess is passionate about treating every patient “as if she were my own mother or grandmother.” Though the ship doesn’t offer all of the amenities of a traditional hospital, the USNS Comfort has been outfitted with a hard-working team of servicemen and women like Jess.
In the weeks since she’s returned to duty, Jess has missed the birthdays of two of her children. She celebrated with her family via FaceTime and snacked on “birthday cake” Oreos so that she could pretend she was there for the cake-cutting.

Jess learned a few days ago that, after nearly a month aboard the USNS Comfort, she will soon be sent home. The Navy has decided to convert the ship into a treatment facility that includes Covid-positive patients and, because of a chronic autoimmune issue, it wouldn’t be safe for Jess to continue serving. “It’s bittersweet,” said Jess, explaining, “When I start something, I like to finish it. I miss my family and I’m so excited to see them back home, but I wanted to do more. I wanted to help more. Still, I’m so grateful that I got to bring the ship in, dock it, see our first patients, and make it known that the Navy is here to fight for the community.”

Jess is currently awaiting instructions from the military about next steps, including a likely 14-day quarantine upon her return to Murfreesboro. Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford thanks Jess for her brave service and is honored to welcome her home.