Lauren’s Story, Part 8: What’s in a name?

Written by: Lauren – Guest Blogger sharing her perspective as a VA employee and patient during her second pregnancy.

All is going well with the baby and me. We are about to embark on a nice summer vacation, where not only will I get to spend time with my family, but we are also making many stops in our road trip to see some of our Navy friends in Jacksonville, Florida. I am very excited.

In other good news, we also picked out a name: Hunter Wayne. Hunter just kind of came to us while we were looking at lists and it just seemed to fit. Wayne is a meaningful name, as it belonged to my husband’s grandfather. He was a United States Marine who served in the Korean War, and even made it to the cover of the Navy’s All Hands magazine in November of 1955.

When my husband and I got married, Wayne accepted me into the family without question and was truly the family patriarch. He also did so much for the Korean War Veterans in his community, including helping to establish a Korean War Veterans memorial in Washington County, Maryland.

Wayne passed away last August, and we miss him every day. We always remember the man he was and how much family meant to him.

People use the phrase, “What’s in a name?” but for my family and me, there is a lot in the name Wayne—including love, pride and strength.

About Lauren

 Lauren is a Navy Veteran and current Public Affairs Specialist at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center in West Virginia. Throughout her second pregnancy, she will be sharing her thoughts and experiences as a patient at VA. We are all excited to follow her on this healthcare journey!