Alexia Nattrass

892 words

Joe Duran pays tribute to everybody inside St. Anthony North Health Campus, as he shows up

day after day to wave the flag in front of the hospital.

The 70-year-old Vietnam veteran made the decision to show his support to medical workers on

April 7, 2020. The monumental act was influenced by a sign left in front of the hospital at the

beginning of the pandemic that reads “heroes work here.”

Duran has a special relation to victims of the Covid-19 virus. While stationed in the Vietnamese

Demilitarized Zone and Central Highlands in Vietnam, Duran was diagnosed with Malaria; a

mosquito-borne disease-causing flu like symptoms. However, “flu-like” doesn’t begin to cover

Duran’s experience, as Agent Orange could have also been a factor.

“…I was in the hospital for ten days. I was very sick. I had a hundred [and] four temperature,

vomiting, body aches, delirious, peeing blood, diarrhea, severe headache, wet sweating…”

Amidst the pandemic, Duran felt a need to act and provide a sense of hope to the people who

save lives every day. A brown patch in the grass marks the spot where Duran has been standing

for a little over two months now. Each day consists of two “shifts”, the first one being from

10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and the second from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Duran’s tributes are influenced by his great grandmother, who is of Spanish descent. At the end

of his first “shift”, he walks from the corner of West 144 th Avenue and Delaware Street to the

flags in front of the hospital. This walkaround represents solidarity with the living and the dead;

those who are alive, and those who are possibly dying. Duran believes this walk gives patients a

strength for life.

These actions touch more people than doctors, nurses, and patients. Sergeant Kerry Barels,

security supervisor for the hospital, has formed a bond with Duran in his time outside. “I feel

the tribute even though I’m not medical staff, we work side by side,” says Barels.

Pride, honor, integrity, value and a little bit of patriotism are the words used by Barels to

describe Duran and his actions. The love reaches around the hospital as a security member on

the other end of the building, Juan Alvidrez, says that he has “a lot of respect for Joe… he’s very

dedicated.”

The dedication Alvidrez brings up runs deep. Duran has stood in the same spot with the same

flag through a blizzard, rain, hail, 55 mph winds, intense heat, etc. The flag has a solid metal

eagle on top, adding more weight to the load. Duran has also covered his car in flags and

memorabilia from the war, along with a handwritten note that signs off “Thank you nurses and

doctors, because this is a war…”

Duran credits the doctors in Vietnam for saving his life. His treatment included saline for

dehydration, pumping blood back into him as he was bleeding out, oxygen and the Malaria

drug; which provides a similarity to the current Covid-19 pandemic.

During the Vietnam War, Malaria took more soldiers out of commission than bullets did. There

were over 40,000 cases of Malaria reported in the U.S Army alone between 1965 and 1970;

0.19% of those cases resulted in death. Since the pandemic was announced in March, there are

currently 2,438,879 cases in the U.S alone, with 5% resulting in deaths as of June 24, 2020.

Similarities between the diseases are what caught Duran’s attention.

Inspired by 1776 Betsy Ross and her creation/meaning of the flag, Duran says his “flag, which is

dirty but not tattered, sort of symbolizes America in this situation.” Being outside has given him

a lot of time to think, and Duran has found a deeper meaning in what he’s been doing. The

current situation has made him realize that in America, people are pulling at each other at

times, and that it is up to each individual to decide where they want to be and how to respond.

Learning from experience, Duran looks at each person as an individual, and each individual as a

human being. He’s also learned that the root of everything starts in one’s heart. For example, if

one’s heart is full of anger and rage, then that’s what they will put into the world. Duran see’s

people like this every day he’s outside the hospital; some flip him off or cuss at him when they

drive by, and in a rare case someone took it as far as flashing a gun.
However, there is enough good in the world to drown out the bad. 12 hospital employees have

joined Duran on the sidewalk. Honks from passing drivers serve as a thank you, along with fist

bumps and prayer hands. Duran’s presence holds such an impact that one employee started

crying when she saw him out there.

Being so close to death gives a new meaning to life. Duran says that “time is what you make of

it,” and goes by the motto manifested from experience: “Live life one minute at a time, one day

at a time.”

How long he will be out there is something Duran has thought long and hard about. “I think of

Forrest Gump, because he was running and running and then just stopped, and said that’s all,

so that’s sort of how I feel about when I stop.”