Sam Boshers found meaning in life by serving his country in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2006-2009. Now, as a Licensed Practical Nurse at The Lantern Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence in Spring Hill, Tennessee, he continues to enjoy serving with purpose and personal fulfillment.
After training on Parris Island, South Carolina, Sam did a tour in Iraq as a machine gunner.
“I was mostly patrolling,” Sam shared. “We were outside the wire every day.”
Sam’s unit transported supplies and officers, though he did see some combat.
After three years in the Marines, Sam discharged. He started his civilian life working as an armed security guard, then spent four years doing tech support over the phone. But that was not how he wanted to spend the rest of his life.
“I needed a career and followed in the footsteps of my mom, who is a nurse,” Sam explained. “Nursing is fulfilling in ways my other jobs weren’t.”
He went to nursing school and started out working in skilled nursing care, or nursing homes. He met his wife, Brittany, working at the skilled nursing facility. They have been together for five years and have two children, ages 2 and 3.
Brittany now works in home health, and Sam applied at The Lantern. He started at the memory care center in September 2021.
“People need caring caregivers to help them with their daily lives, and it’s nice to get to know different people and their families,” Sam shared. “At the end of the day, you can go home and feel like you’ve done some real good.”
Sam especially remembers a resident who was a fellow veteran, who served in the Army. On Memorial Day, a group was watching a TV special, and Sam sat with him for a while.
“He was my buddy,” Sam said. “When they played the Army song, he got up and stood at attention. It was very moving.”
The Lantern has become something of a second family to Sam. He works weekend nights, and that allows him to be a stay-at-home dad to his kids during the week, another role he has embraced.
“All of the things we go through in life bring us to where we are,” Sam shared. “I wouldn’t change anything.”
