A Heart for Service: Lander Lecturer’s Military Career Helps to Shape Education of Nurses

Lori Stone has built her career on service, both in uniform and in the classroom.

Before guiding future nurses at Lander University through the complexities of patient care, Stoneserved in the U.S. Army, where dedication, discipline and compassion were not just values but daily practice.

As Lander recognizes the contributions of military members on Veterans Day, Stone’s story highlights the lasting impact of military service on leadership, teaching and the commitment to care for others.

Stone, who joined the faculty of the Lander’s College of Nursing, Human Performance and Health Sciences as a visiting lecturer in 2021, grew up in a military household. Her father, Loring P. “Stoney” Stone, served in the Marines as an air traffic controller. The family moved frequently and lived on bases in Viriginia, Japan and Hawaii, but always felt at home in Beaufort, the location of the Marine Corps Air Station and the Parris Island recruit training program.

The opportunity to serve her country and receive educational benefits for a career in health care seemed like a great plan for Stone as she approached her last year in high school. Her family thought otherwise, believing that military life – and certainly basic training – might be too much for the petite, nonathletic student.

Stone was convinced that she could prove them wrong, and she enlisted. “Honestly, my family did not expect me to survive the military,” she said.

Realizing his daughter’s determination, Stone’s father gave her some coping mechanisms to survive the rigors of training. “He reminded me over and over that the point of training is not to break you, but to build you as a soldier. They want to make you the best version of yourself possible.”

The Making of an Army Soldier

At the time of her enlistment in 1982, Stone was living in Hawaii. She admits to some culture shock in making the transition to Fort Dix, New Jersey, for her basic training, where she not only survived but thrived. “I found a purpose and a lifestyle that worked for me. I came out much stronger than when I went in,” she said.

Her next assignment was Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, where she began job training as a lab technician for her military career. “I had a very good recruiter who listened to my long-term goals and helped me find a path that would give me the skills I needed for nursing.”

The military sent her to Europe for an assignment in Stuttgart, Germany. It was during the period of the Cold War, a time of hostilities between the United States and the Soviet Union. Germany was divided into East and West, with the Berlin Wall dividing the two countries. Stone was stationed there for the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which was a symbolic end to the Cold War.

During this time, she earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing. It was timely. By September 1990, tensions in the Middle East found Stone being transferred to Fort Hood, Texas, to train for casualties from the Gulf War. Afterward, she served in Saudi Arabia, “where women have little say and few rights,” she said. “When we left the (military) compound, we had to be accompanied by a male to serve as our protector. It was an eye-opening experience.”

And although women were not allowed to drive, Stone found herself in the position of having to drive a 20-passenger bus when she was the only person who could drive a stick-shift vehicle. “That proved to be kind of fun,” she said.

From Military Service to Nursing Education

Stone also earned a master’s degree in nursing education from the University of Memphis during her service.

She left the military in 1999, ending a career “that made me believe in myself and made me believe in something bigger than myself,” Stone said. “I have a sense of pride in my nation and the people who serve. I get teary-eyed when the national anthem is played, and I wept uncontrollably at Arlington National Cemetery when I watched the changing of the guard.”

Stone believes her service strengthened her abilities to be a nurse and to become a nursing educator.

“I think my military experience had made me be more patient. I remember that I was a slow bloomer,and I need to give people the opportunity to blossom in their own time,” she said.

“We are a package, and you don’t have to excel at every task, but you have to never give up,” she said, noting that navigational skills are not her strong suit. “I absolutely fail at land navigation – going into the woods with a compass and a map and getting from point A to point B without getting lost. But I never let it defeat my endeavors.”

For those considering a career in the military, “I would encourage them to find what they love and find their place,” she said. “There is a fit for everyone in each branch of the military.”

Lander: A Record of Military Support

Brent Delgado, director of veteran and military services at Lander, said the University is proud to foster a culture that values military service.

“We’re deeply committed to supporting veterans and their families — through hiring veterans across campus and offering dedicated services via our Office of Veteran and Military Services. Our goal is to create a welcoming and supportive environment for those who have served,” he said.