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Armed Forces Eagles dedicate Cancer Bell at Pardee

Armed Forces Eagles Club members joining the dedication ceremony of a Cancer Survivor’s Bell at UNC Health Pardee Cancer Center were Deane Schubert, Sandy Hastie, Gary Gresh, Will Rodriguez, Robert Wirt, Ed Knapp and William Stanley.

By Lightning Reports, Published: May 16, 2025

When Pardee Hospital Foundation began searching for a Cancer Bell — a powerful, symbolic way to honor the moment a patient completes treatment — no one anticipated how meaningful that journey would become.

What began as a simple request soon unfolded into a story of inspiration, service and deep personal connection.

Now installed at UNC Health Pardee Cancer Center, the bell stands as a poignant marker of triumph. For cancer patients, the act of ringing it signals far more than the end of treatment—it represents resilience, courage and a hard-won victory. It is a sound that brings hope to those still fighting and closure to those stepping into life after cancer.

“This bell will serve as a powerful symbol of hope and inspiration,” said Amy Treece, executive director of Pardee Hospital Foundation. “For many cancer patients, ringing the bell marks the end of a long and hard-fought battle. It provides a goal to aspire to—especially on the toughest days, when continuing the fight feels overwhelming.”

The bell was unveiled during a recent dedication ceremony at Pardee Cancer Center.

The bell’s arrival at Pardee was made possible by the Armed Forces Eagles Club of Henderson County, a distinguished group of retired military officers achieved the rank of U.S. Navy captain or U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine colonel and higher. The request came to the attention of retired Army Col. Gary Gresh, a member of the Eagles and former deputy chief of staff under Rear Admiral Irve Le Moyne, the physician who began the bell-ringing tradition at MD Anderson Radiation Treatment Center in Houston in 1996.

“The donation of the bell was not only a request I was very familiar with, but also very personal to me,” Gresh said. “Admiral Le Moyne was an exceptional man and an even better leader. Being one of America’s first Navy SEALs, he chose a Navy bell as his symbol, a sound that carries meaning across ships, barracks and naval units.”

The now-widespread tradition is believed to have begun when Admiral Le Moyne, then a patient with head and neck cancer, installed a brass bell at MD Anderson Radiation Treatment Center to mark the end of treatment. Gresh, who had served under Le Moyne at the Joint Special Operations Command in Florida in 1993, described how Le Moyne even composed a poem to commemorate his successful remission.

The original poem that Admiral Le Moyne penned is on a plaque underneath the new bell at Pardee Cancer Center. It reads:

“Ring this bell three times well, its toll to clearly say, ‘My treatment's done, this course is run, and I am on my way!’” — Irve Le Moyne

Patients who complete treatment at MD Anderson’s Proton Therapy Center mark the occasion with the sound of the gong, symbolizing restored balance, harmony and life energy. Gresh observed that, at Pardee, the newly forged bell will continue that legacy in a deeply local and meaningful way.

When Gresh brought the idea for a bell at Pardee Cancer Center to his fellow Eagles, they responded enthusiastically.

“Rather than approach other organizations for support, they volunteered to handle it all ourselves,” he said. “Because of our ties with the sheriff and fire departments here in Henderson County, I had great contacts to help identify the best forged bells—ones that would be solid, lasting and sound true when rung.”

Once the bell was cast, the group selected a durable plaque to inscribe the poem and included a final line of dedication: “Dedicated to all those fighting cancers in its many forms by the Armed Forces Eagles Club of Hendersonville.”

“The group uses a double meaning in that phrase,” Gresh explained. “As military officers, we have fought cancer in its literal form, but also symbolically — resisting terrorism, tyranny and anything that threatens peace-loving people.”

“We in the Eagles hope that the bell will symbolize victory to all the patients who ring it,” he added. “And that it gives them hope they will remain cancer-free. Just hearing it ring by those finishing their treatments will also inspire others still undergoing care—the reminder that they will get to ring the bell one day.”

Thanks to the vision of Pardee Hospital Foundation and the generosity of The Eagles of Henderson County, the Cancer Bell now hangs as a beacon of hope. Its sound — a triumphant toll of perseverance and possibility — will echo in the hearts of patients, families and staff for years to come.