Nurses, medical technicians honored Published May 7, 2015 By Ryan Stark Nucleus writer KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Several members of Kirtland's medical community were honored Monday. Col. Lance Kawane, 377th Air Base Wing vice commander, visited the 377th Medical Group to sign an official proclamation recognizing the base's nurses and medical technicians. The signing was timed to coincide with the American Nurses Association's nationwide observance of National Nurses Week. Maj. Jeffrey Marsh, a nurse and family practice element chief for the 377 MDG, and Lt. Col. Courtney Finkbeiner, chief nurse, put the event together. Marsh said work done by nurses and medical techs at Kirtland reaches into every part of life on the base. "Everybody is going to get sick at some point and everybody's going to need care. It's these nurses and techs who provide that care," he said. Medical group workers also coordinate off-base care with civilian medical facilities. Kawane said these caregivers were an important part of his support network when he had knee surgery several years ago. "The doctor did the surgery, but it was the nurses and the techs who gave a lot of the care and listened to my whining," Kawane said. Kawane's wife, Grace, is also a nurse, he said, so he knows these Airmen touch many lives.