WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — The Nurse Honor Guard is an organization that pays tribute to nurses across the country, relieving nurses of their duties at the time of their death, but sometimes in life as well.

The Rhode Island Nurse Honor Guard held their first living tribute Wednesday, honoring 103-year-old Rosalee Malaby and four other nurses at the assisted living facility Halcyon at West Bay.

Malaby served as a registered nurse in the U.S. Army during World War II. She recalled the day she received a letter in the mail from the government.

The letter said “We have not drafted nurses yet,” but Malaby decided to volunteer her service, traveling to the Philippines and Japan.

“In the same mail, I had my grades that I made to certify me or license me. So, it all happened in one day,” she explained.

Malaby didn’t know what she was getting into when she enlisted.

“It was the first time I had been out of the country. I had never seen the ocean before… It was quite an experience,” she added.

Darlene Tetreault is a volunteer with the Rhode Island Nurse Honor Guard. She said being able to perform the tribute was a touching moment for the guard too.

“We are honored to do this living tribute for her today,” Tetreault said. “She’s an inspiration to our nursing profession.”

After the war, Malaby continued to work as a nurse and liked her work. “Enjoy the people you meet, and you do meet everybody because everybody becomes ill or injured at one time or another,” she noted.

“If I knew, I’d be selling it,” Malaby said with a laugh when asked about her secret to staying healthy and living a long life.

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