journal 062515

By SharonRenee Taylor

WRNMMC PublicAffairs Staff Writer

Men’s Health Aware-ness Month, celebratedevery June, is designed toheighten the awareness ofpreventable health prob-lems as well as encourageearly detection and treat-ment of disease amongmales. Five Walter ReedNational Military MedicalCenter (WRNMMC) pa-tients shared their storiesto encourage men to seekregular medical adviceand early treatment fordisease or injury.“You need to make

sure you stay up on yourhealth care,” retired Ma-rine Gunnery Sgt. DarrellAikens encouraged men.He said some men knowthey have symptoms andmedical issues, but put offseeking care because theyare afraid to find out thecause.“These are the same

people [who] were on thefront lines, some of themin Afghanistan, Iraq, Viet-nam, or any of those plac-es,” Aikens said. If theyhave the courage to fightand face someone witha gun, they should haveenough courage to face adoctor who may save theirlife, Aikens explained. Hislast minute decision tokeep a medical appoint-ment proved to be one ofthe most important of hislife.

Retired Marine Gun-nery Sgt. Darrell Aik-ens, 51 - LeukemiaAfter more than a year

of work in Afghanistan asa contractor, Aikens re-turned home to the states.After his stateside reunionwith loved ones March 1,2012, the retired Marinealmost nixed the examina-tion with his primary care

provider a week later—hefelt fine.Aikens weighed nearly

50 pounds less than whenhe began his overseas as-signment 14 months ear-lier. He waited patientlyat the Woodbridge HealthClinic for the results of aroutine blood test. Whilea “normal” absolute neu-trophil count (ANC) ofthe white blood cells thatfight against infectionnumbered 5,000 or more,Aikens count revealed analarming low of 230. Thenurse delivered his re-sults. “I could see it in hereyes,” Aikens recalled.He received a cryo-

transfusion, a transfusionof white blood cells, andadmission to WRNMMC.There he underwent abone marrow biopsy thatrevealed Acute Pyelomyl-eocytic Leukemia. Aikenscouldn’t believe it.

“I really didn’t under-stand the scope of what Iwas hearing until I cameto the cancer ward, 5-West,and they informed me thatI may have leukemia; thenI was shocked,” Aikenssaid. “I figured they hadmade a mistake or some-thing.”He began chemotherapy

and a series of other medi-cations and treatments.For the last two years,Aikens’ has remained inremission, and thinks dif-ferently about medical ex-aminations.“I used to believe and

say, ‘My annual physical iscoming up…if I make it, Imake it, if I don’t, I don’t,’because it was just basi-cally a formality,” he said.“After this experience, I’mgoing to make sure when Ischedule an appointmentthat it becomes a priority.“We make sacrifices for

our country, our family,our God, everybody, andleast of all, sometimes weknow we’re feeling bad youknow, go to the doctor,” Ai-kens urged. “We try to putoff or make excuses, ‘wellwe can do that later,’ butyou can never tell whenlater is going to be. It’svery important. A lot of uslook at going to the doctorand ‘complaining’ aboutsomething; we say we areweak [if we actually do],especially when we’re onactive duty. People jokewith you when you tellthem you’re going to medi-cal, but you need to takecare of your health. Youtake care of your body, andyour body will take care ofyou.”

Retired Air ForceCol. Rick Atchison, 75 –Prostate CancerRetired Air Force Col.

Rick Atchison was 71

when he was diagnosedwith prostate cancer. Hemonitored his PSA [Pros-tate-Specific Antigen] lev-el since 2004. With an el-evated PSA in June 2011,he returned to WRNMMClater that August, butelected to forego a biopsyuntil October, when hewas rushed from a camp-ing trip to a Fort Belvoir,Va., clinic at 3 a.m., inpain. Biopsies revealed avery aggressive form ofprostate cancer had movedoutside the prostate.“Looking back, I didn’t

act fast enough,” he said.“I would’ve saved myself alot of grief.”He recommends men

get screened and followtheir PSAs. “Avoid lettingit go,” Atchison said.

Active Duty MarineColonel, 49 – Heart Dis-easeIt started with chest

pain in May 2014. At 48years old, the Marine colo-nel, who wishes to remainanonymous, said the an-gina eventually led to thediscovery of an 80 percentblockage in one of the ar-teries of his heart.He said he mentioned

the chest pain to his phy-sician at a follow-up examduring his post-deploy-ment assessment for a dif-ferent issue.“I didn’t think anything

of it because it just seemedso unusual for someonemy age, in really goodhealth—it seemed like itmight’ve been related toasthma or some kind ofindigestion,” he said. TheMarine did not smoke,wasn’t a big drinker orobese, and he enjoyed ex-ercising. “There was noth-ing in my case that wouldpoint to heart disease.”He obtained an EKG

[electrocardiogram] fromhis primary care physi-cian, which came backnormal. “One of my take-a-ways from this is, a nor-mal EKG may not tell youthe full story of what’s go-ing on,” he said. The chestpain kept recurring and itwas coming with less andless exertion.He returned to his pri-

mary care physician andreceived another EKG;this time it was abnormal.His primary care man-ager immediately sched-uled him for a stress test,which showed he was hav-ing a blood flow issue.The Marine explained

he had a cardiology pro-cedure which involved afiber-optic cable shootingdye through his heart todetect a blockage. Cardiol-ogists placed a stent to re-lieve the 80 percent block-age in his left anterior de-scending (LAD) artery.

Vol. 27 No. 25 www.cnic.navy.mil/bethesda/ June 25, 2015

Photo by Sharon Renee Taylor

Retired Marine Gunnery Sgt. Darrell Aikens’ last minute decision to keep a 2012 medicalappointment proved to be one of the most important of his life. He was diagnosed withleukemia, which remains in remission today. “After this experience, I’m going to makesure when I schedule an appointment that it becomes a priority,” he said.

Men’s Health Month: Don’t Take Chances with Your Health

See MEN page 10

2 Thursday, June 25, 2015 The Journal

Published by offset every Thurs-day by Comprint Military Publi-cations, 9030 Comprint Court,Gaithersburg, Md. 20877, aprivate firm in no way con-nected with the U.S. Navy,under exclusive written con-tract with Naval Support ActivityBethesda, Md. This commercialenterprise newspaper is an autho-rized publication for members of themilitary services. Contents of The Journalare not necessarily the official views of, norendorsed by, the U.S. Government, the De-partment of Defense, or the Department ofthe Navy. The appearance of advertising inthis publication, including inserts or supple-ments, does not constitute endorsement bythe Department of Defense or Comprint,Inc., of the products or services advertised.Everything advertised in this publicationshall be made available for purchase, useor patronage without regard to race, color,

religion, sex, national origin,age, marital status, physicalhandicap, political affiliationor any other non-merit fac-tor of the purchaser, user,or patron. Editorial contentis edited, prepared and pro-vided by the Public AffairsOffice, Naval Support Activ-

ity Bethesda, Md. News copyshould be submitted to the Pub-

lic Affairs Office, Building 17, first floor,across from PSD, by noon one week pre-ceding the desired publication date. Newsitems are welcomed from all installationsources. Inquiries about news copy will beanswered by calling 301-295-1803. Com-mercial advertising should be placed withthe publisher by calling 301-921-2800.Publisher’s advertising offices are locatedat 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Md.20877. Classified ads can be placed bycalling 301-670-1700.

Naval Support Activity (NSA) BethesdaCommanding Officer: Capt. David A. BitontiPublic Affairs Officer: Ronald D. InmanPublic Affairs Office: 301-295-1803

Journal StaffManaging Editor MC3 Hank GettysWRNMMC Editor Bernard Little

Staff Writers MC1 Christopher KruckeAndrew DamstedtSarah MarshallSharon Renee TaylorJoseph Nieves

NSABethesdaFleet And Family Support Center 301-319-4087

Walter Reed National Military Medical CenterOffice of Media Relations 301-295-5727

NSAB Emergency Information Line 301-295-6246NSAB OmbudsmanMichelle Herrera 240-370-5421

NSAB Chaplain’s Office 301-319-4443/4706

Sexual Assault ResponseCoordinator Hotline 301-442-2053

Visit us on Facebook:Naval Support Activity Bethesda page:https://www.facebook.com/NSABethesda

Walter Reed National Medical Center page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Walter-Reed-National-Military-Medical-Center/295857217111107

Uniformed Services University of the HealthSciences page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Uniformed-Services-University-of-the-Health-Sciences/96338890888?fref=ts

NCOER TrainingNon-Commissioned Offi-

cer Evaluation Report Train-ing will be held in the USOJuly 1 (2 to 4 p.m.), July 7 (8to 10 a.m., and 2 to 4 p.m.),July 8 (8 to 10 a.m.), July 21(8 to 10 a.m., and 2 to 4 p.m.),and July 22 (8 to 10 a.m. and2 to 4 p.m.). The training isrequired for all Soldiers E-4and above and other servicemembers if you are in anNCO’s rating chain. For moreinformation, contact ScottBurgamy at 301-319-7994.

Navy BystanderIntervention

Navy Bystander Interven-tion to the fleet training isheld every Friday throughAug. 21. The training is man-datory for Sailors to providethem with instruction to helprecognize potential negativesituations and how to safelyintervene. For times, loca-tions and more information,call HM1 William F. Davisat 301-319-4609, or [email protected].

NCR-MD Town HallRear Adm. Raquel C. Bono,

director of the National Capi-tal Region Medical Director-ate will host the NCR-MDquarterly town hall on July21 at 7 a.m. in the MemorialAuditorium. All Walter ReedNational Military MedicalCenter staff members are en-couraged to attend.

BethesdaNotebook

The Uniformed ServicesUniversity of the HealthSciences is a Departmentof Defense health sciencesinstitution at the forefrontof cutting edge health pro-fessional academics andresearch. There are manyexciting events at the Uni-formed Services Universitycampus over the summer.Along with the birds, bees,blooming flowers and col-orful trees, USU will bebustling with hundreds ofnew health professionalscholars, researchers, fac-ulty members and supportstaffs.

This spring, 51 newDoctor of Nursing Prac-tice degree studentsbegan classes at theUniversity. Over thenext couple of months,more than 200 medicaland graduate students,along with a number ofsupport staff, faculty,and researchers will en-ter through the doors ofthe university to begintheir new and excitingcareers. For a number ofour health professionalscholars, particularlythe medical students,this summer marksthe beginning of manymilitary careers. Morethan 60% of the medicalstudents who will be en-tering through doors of USU had no priormilitary experience. The USU team wel-comes every scholar, researcher and staffinto the university, paying particular fo-

cus on diversity, unity, team-work and shared leadershipas natural and fundamentalcharacteristics of the institu-tion.

Another exciting upcomingevent pertains to the Enlistedto Medical Degree Prepara-tory Program (EMDP2). TheEMDP2 program was firstlaunched in 2014 to preparehighly motivated enlistedmembers to successfullyapply to medical school forcareers as military physi-cians, and last July, five U.S.Air Force and five U.S. Army

enlisted personnel begantheir two-year study atthe George Mason Uni-versity, Prince Williamcampus. This comingJuly, another ten enlistedpersonnel from the U.SArmy and U.S. Air Forcewill begin their two-yearjourney in the EMDP2program. The U.S. Ma-rine Corps recently re-leased a message an-nouncing the opening ofthe application processfor qualified U.S. MarineCorps enlisted to the pro-gram, and there may beseveral who join the pro-gram this year.

In an effort to makethis summer a monu-mental and successfultime for all, I challenge

everyone to make a positive contributionto teamwork and performance, sharedleadership, diversity and respect for hu-man dignity.

USUHS CMC’s Column

Command MasterChief Patrick Hyde

USUHS BrigadeSenior Enlisted Leader

“Over the nextcouple of months,

more than 200medical and

graduate students,along with a

number of supportstaff, faculty,

and researcherswill enter through

the doors of theuniversity to begin

their new andexciting careers.”

The Journal Thursday, June 25, 2015 3

By Sarah E. MarshallWRNMMC Public Affairs

staff writer

A new course at Walter ReedNational Military MedicalCenter (WRNMMC) is helpingmaintain readiness by provid-ing staff the skills they need tocontinue offering quality carefor critically ill and injured pe-diatric patients.

The Pediatric FundamentalCritical Care Support (PFCCS)course, held June 13-14 in theSimulation Center, is designedto better prepare providers andphysicians-in-training, whodo not routinely care for criti-cally ill and injured pediatricpatients, to treat such patients,said Lt. Cmdr. Chris Watson, acourse instructor. He addedthat the course helps enhancetheir skills should they beasked to provide this type ofcare, either while they’re de-ployed during combat or on ahumanitarian mission. Theymay also be required to providesuch care while waiting for aspecialist to arrive or whilewaiting for such a patient to betransported to a specialty area,he said.

“It’s a multi-professionalcourse, and it covers the wholegamut,” Watson said. He ex-plained the course targets awide audience, including para-medics, Intensive Care Unit(ICU) doctors, respiratorytherapists, corpsmen and med-ics, house staff, as well as resi-dents, and it covers the basic,but important, principles in theinitial care of critically ill andinjured pediatric patients.

“It’s designed to take careof kids in the first 24 hours,”said Watson, who is also medi-cal director of the PediatricIntensive Care Unit (PICU).Participants learned sedation,how to treat acute infections,and how to identify/respond tochanges in medically unstablepediatric patients who mayhave suffered trauma, or burninjuries. The course integratedlectures and hands-on skill sta-tions, where they responded toscenarios using the SimulationCenter’s high-fidelity, life-likepediatric “patients.”

Scenarios involved evaluat-ing “patients,” such as a pediat-ric oncology patient who devel-oped a severe infection. Theywere to evaluate and treat the“child,” and in other scenarios,were required to transport apatient. This tested their com-munication skills, as they hadto give a verbal hand-off to an-other team, Watson explained.

“Communication is one ofthe key principals,” he said.Practicing these skills can alsobe applied to multiple differentsettings and scenarios, as wellas continue to enhance theirday-to-day skill set, he added.

Watson said the course ischallenging, as participantshad to begin by studying largetextbooks and materials beforestarting the course, and thentake a pre-test on the first day.They completed 15 hours of lec-tures, skill stations and presen-tations, and were required topass a post-test, he added. Af-ter completing the course, par-ticipants earned 15-17 hours ofcontinuing medical educationcredits and a PFCCS certificateof completion.

Implementing the course atWRNMMC for the first timewas a success, Watson noted,and he hopes to offer it againin the fall. More than 30 staffmembers attended this itera-tion, including pediatric resi-dents, pediatric intensivistsand pulmonologists, respirato-ry therapists, as well as nursesfrom the PICU, Surgical Inten-sive Care Unit (SICU), MedicalIntensive Care Unit (MICU),and the Emergency Depart-ment. Additionally, nurses fromthe Canadian Forces attendedthe course, Watson said.

Among the participants,Maj. Stephanie Smith with theCanadian Forces said she foundthe collaboratively trainingwith fellow military members“extremely beneficial.”

“All of the instructors andmany of the students had aunique understanding of theintricate realities of providing

care in operational theater ofwar and in disasters,” she said.“The instructors demonstratedexceptional instructional tech-niques, and seamlessly taughtcomplex conditions … through-out the course.”

Smith is an Emergency De-partment nurse in the OfficerCommanding Treatment Com-pany at 1 Canadian Field Hos-pital, in a position similar tothat of a nurse manager. She’sresponsible for maintainingher personnel’s clinical com-petency, for which she said shefrequently provides trainingthrough clinical simulation.

“This [training] is essentialas a military medical profes-sional, as we are frequentlyare employed in austere envi-ronments with limited person-nel and resources,” Smith said.“This course adds the extrapiece required to safely treatcritically injured pediatric pa-tients.”

She treated many such pa-tients, she said, while deployedto Afghanistan in 2007 and2009, as well as with the Di-saster Response Team in theRepublic of the Philippines in2013. She encourages othersto take the course, which takesyou out of your comfort zonewith challenging and complexscenarios.

“Read the book and bringyour expertise and knowledgeto the course, which adds to theexperience of others,” she said.“The course offers a variety ofskills stations and opportuni-ties to lead practical scenarios,developing confidence in allparticipants.”

A registered nurse in the

Adult ICU at WRNMMC, AirForce Capt. Lisa McFarlan alsotook the course. She deployed toAfghanistan in support of Op-eration Enduring Freedom andsaid she had to quickly learnhow to care for this unique pop-ulation in a combat zone. Untilher deployment, she had lim-ited experience with criticallyill/injured pediatric patients inher 20 years of nursing. She issoon changing duty stations, towork in the PICU at San An-tonio Military Medical Center,and the course has given herconfidence in performing ini-tial assessments in such pa-tients, as well as recognizingthe appropriate interventions,either in a combat zone, until apediatric specialist could be at-tained, or the patient could betransferred to a higher level ofcare, she said.

McFarlan, who is also a re-source nurse/Code Blue Teammember, said she most enjoyedthe hands-on experience in theSimulation Center, where shecould put her newly-obtainedknowledge to use, and see howthe Pediatric Critical Careteam works together to provide“excellent and comprehensivemedical care to these uniqueindividuals.”

She hopes to continue herpediatric education, as well astrain to become a Critical CareAir Transport Team and Aero-vac nurse. While doing so, shewill be able to share what shegained from the PFCCS train-ing and stress to others in thefuture, “the importance of pur-suing this training, not only tohelp them in their stateside as-signment but to prepare them

for when they do deploy,” shesaid.

Smith encourages others tosign up for the course, especial-ly as service members who willlikely deploy or PCS at somepoint in their career to some-where they may be required tocare for such pediatric patients,she said.

Navy Lt. Helene Pinches,pediatric intern, also partici-pated in the course, and would“highly recommend” it to oth-ers as an important step in be-coming competent in caring forcritically ill children. The greattakeaway for her, she said, waslearning to recognize a criti-cally ill child, and how to be-gin integrating the physiologicconcepts into seamless patientcare.

“In that vein, the parts of thecourse that I most enjoyed werethe breakout sessions where wewere able to gain hands-on ex-perience running patient carefor simulated cases,” Pinchessaid. “The resources availableto us in the Simulation Centerare fantastic in that the ‘pa-tients’ can respond in real timeto your interventions, and theability to get directed feedbackfrom course instructors andpeers regarding your perfor-mance was invaluable.”

Pinches added her goal inher career is to provide “thor-ough, excellent care to everypatient I encounter, whateverthe setting.”

Air Force Col. Dan Bruzzini,of Wright-Patterson Air ForceBase in Dayton, Ohio, wasamong those who helped devel-op the PFCCS course in 2008,and also taught the coursethis month at WRNMMC. Henoted the course is now offeredthroughout the U.S., as well asin 20 countries worldwide, and“is the way to transform howwe care best for children in ex-tremis.”

“This will not just save thelives of critically ill/injuredchildren, but also improve theinteroperability between U.S.-Canadian medical systems.This has never been donebefore and is quite a greatachievement for WRNMMC,”Bruzzini said. “The impactof the WRNMMC PediatricFundamentals of Critical CareSupport course is tremendous,and worldwide, because it willprepare its students for thegreatest gift God gives a family– their child.”

For more information, or tosign up for the PFCCS course,contact Lt. Cmdr. Chris Wat-son, at [email protected].

Pediatric Critical Care Course Enhances Preparedness

Courtesy photo

Pediatric residents, Dimas Espinola, center, and Claire Daniels, right, receivehands-on training during the Pediatric Fundamentals of Critical Care Supportcourse at Walter Reed Bethesda, June 13-14.

1051396


Photos by Linsey Pizzulo

Six undergraduate students interested inpursuing creative arts therapy graduatestudies met with Melissa Walker, NationalIntrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) arttherapist, at the first NICoE Art TherapyStudent Workshop, June 19. Participantsdiscussed education, career paths and par-ticipated in a mask-making activity. TheNICoE hosts two student workshops peryear as a commitment to supporting futureart therapists who are interested in workingwith the military population.

NICoE Student Art Show

By Lt. Cmdr.Christine Burns

PerioperativeNurse Educator

Typically, when onehears the phrase “timeout,” it infers a break orpause while in the midstof an activity. In theoperating room (OR), atime out occurs beforesurgery can commence.The operating room staffat Walter Reed NationalMilitary Medical Center(WRNMMC) reaffirmedtheir commitment to ex-ceptional safe patientcare by pledging to doa time out for every pa-tient, every time.

National Time OutDay was June 10, andcelebrated June 11 atWRNMMC so as not toimpede safe patient care.

The OR is a busy place

and the time out occursimmediately prior toan incision being made,similar to a pilot goingthrough their checklistbefore each take off. TheOR staff does a time outfor each patient beforeeach procedure, everytime. All activity ceasesso that all team memberssole focus is on communi-cating about the patientthey are about to operateon. During a time out thefollowing is discussed bythe surgical team:

• Patient name• Patient date of birth• Reading out loud the

surgical consent formsigned by the patient

• Kind of surgery to beperformed

• Location and sideof the patient where thesurgery will be performed

Taking a Time Out for Safety

Courtesy GraphicSee TIMEOUT page 10

1051310


By Cynthia HilsingerNMPDC Public

Affairs

Twenty dental residentsand two dental internsfrom the Naval Postgradu-ate Dental School (NPDS),a directorate of the NavyMedicine Professional De-velopment Center (NMP-DC), received their diplo-mas during a graduationceremony in the MemorialAuditorium in Walter ReedNational Military MedicalCenter June 12.

The President of Uni-formed Services Univer-sity of Health Sciences Dr.Charles Rice presentedmaster’s degrees to the 20residents. The Chief of Na-val Operation’s,Director forMedical Resources, Plans,and Policy Division andChief of the Navy DentalCorps Rear Adm. StephenPachuta gave the com-mencement speech, recall-ing his own graduation day,the journey and milestonesof professionalism.

“Pay attention, it may beyou up here in 20 years,”said Pachuta.

The Dean of NPDSCapt. Glenn Munro an-nounced the awards forCivism, Faculty, and Resi-dents Awards. Mr. MiguelCruz received the Civismaward. The Faculty Awardfor teaching excellencewent to Lt. Cmdr. SusanHinman.

The Research Awardsare for residents who havesignificantly advanced thescience of dentistry andthey went to Lt. Cmdr.Teresita Alston (1st place),Lt. James Hawkins (2ndplace) and Lt. James Link-ous (3rd place).

The Dean’s Award forAcademic Excellence wentto Lt Marina Hernandez.The Chief of Navy Den-tal Corps Award for theresident who excelled as amilitary officer and healthcare professional went toLt. Michael Andersen.

Family and friendslooked on with pride asresidents received their

degrees, and interns theircertificates. The Class of2015 turned and was pre-sented as graduates.

NPDS, under the NMP-DC command umbrella,is the only DOD-central-ized site for postgradu-

ate dental education, andconducts dental specialtytraining in its clinics lo-cated on Naval SupportActivity Bethesda. All spe-cialty training programsat NPDS are fully accred-ited by the Commission on

Dental Accreditation, andgraduate between 20-25dental officers per yearwith specialty board eli-gible training in endodon-tics, periodontics, prosth-odontics, orofacial pain,oral and maxillofacial

pathology, dental publichealth, and comprehen-sive dentistry.

For more informa-tion about NMPDC, visit:http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmpdc/Pages/index.aspx.

NMPDC’s NPDS Honors Graduates

Photo by HM1 Johnathan Garnes

The Class of 2015 Dental Residents and Interns from the Naval Postgraduate Dental School(NPDS) stand to accept recognition from the Dean of Naval Postgraduate Dental Schooland the President of Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences for the academiccompletion of their studies June 12.


By Bernard S. LittleWRNMMC Public

Affairs staff writer

Service membersfrom all branches,as well as civilians,contractors and vol-unteers at WalterReed National Mili-tary Medical Center(WRNMMC) gatheredin front of the historicTower on Naval Sup-port Activity Bethesdato celebrate the 117thBirthday of the NavyHospital Corps aftermorning colors June18.WRNMMC Com-

mand Master ChiefTyrone Willis, beganthe ceremony welcom-ing his fellow hospitalcorpsmen, past andpresent, to the event.He added the affairwas about celebratingone of the most distin-guished groups in theU.S. military.“From the annals of

history, corpsmen havedone incredible thingsat incredible times,”Willis said. He encour-aged today’s corps-men to follow suit and“leave something be-hind that is incredibleso people will knowyou were here. Leavethat footprint in thesand wherever it may

be, [and] know thatyour footstep has a leg-acy left behind whichpeople will remember.”Guest speaker at

the ceremony, Hos-pital Corpsman 1stClass Mark Brown,WRNMMC’s 2014 Se-nior Sailor of the Year,said the hospital corps-man is the only en-listed corps in the U.S.Navy.“[We] serve in a va-

riety of billets, provid-ing care to the sick,ill or injured servicemen and women. Weserve at shore estab-lishments as well asin harm’s way at seaor downrange. We dothis with no regard forour own personal safe-ty. We do this becauseit has to be done. Wehave often been calledloblolly boy, nurse, bay-man, surgeon steward,apothecary, and evendoc. There’s a certainease and feel of cama-raderie when you knowthe person next to youwill be there no mat-ter what, and has of-tentimes been throughyour worst nightmareand is willing to gothrough it again justto ease your pain.”Navy Capt. Sarah

Martin, WRNMMCchief of staff, calledhospital corpsmen “the

backbone of what wedo at this facility, thebackbone of what hap-pens in the field, andthe backbone of whatneeds to happen inthe fleet because youguys keep the rest ofthe force ready to goand without you theywouldn’t be able to dowhat they need to do.It’s an honor to servewith you and thankyou for what you do.”In a letter read at

the ceremony, NavyMedicine Force MasterChief Sherman Bossalso praised hospitalcorpsmen.

“From our begin-nings in 1898 to today’spresent force of 26,594active, 4,984 FTS [FullTime Support] and re-serve, hospital corps-men have served incountless battles andoperations throughoutthe globe. Performingcourageously on thefront lines and withindesignated medicaltreatment facilities,I can say without adoubt corpsmen are aformidable naval as-set.”Boss called hospital

corpsmen “an excep-tional group of Sailors,whose dedication toduty and willingnessto put others beforeself is evident not only

through [a]rich his-tory but also through[corpsmen’s] presentday accomplishments.“Whether you are

providing health carein port, underway, ina hospital, or savinglives on the battlefield,you continue to be avital part of our Navyand Marine Corpsfighting team. Whatthe Hospital Corpshas done in the pastmade a difference andwhat each of you dotoday matters. We arecharged with one of theNavy’s most importantmissions; caring forour nation’s sons anddaughters. This cannothappen without you.”Vice Adm. Matthew

L. Nathan, the 37thsurgeon general ofthe Navy and chief ofthe Navy’s Bureau ofMedicine and Surgery,expressed similar sen-timents in his letter,also read at the cer-emony.“President William

McKinley signed anact of Congress in 1898establishing the Hos-pital Corps. Since thefirst 25 apothecarieswere appointed by thesecretary of the Navy,the Hospital Corpshas grown immeasur-ably in size and scope.Today, we honor their

bravery, brilliance andsacrifice while serv-ing in harm’s way toprotect the lives of ourSailors and Marines.From the Revolution-ary War to currentoverseas operations,corpsmen have servedheroically and gallant-ly.“It’s evident that

corpsmen are selflesslydedicated to caring forpatients worldwide.Because of their ex-ceptional and compre-hensive training, weare experiencing thelowest battle mortalityand non-battle injuryrates in the history ofwar,” Nathan contin-ued.He added the Navy

Hospital Corps is thelargest and most deco-rated rate in the Navy.Twenty-two corpsmenhave received Medalsof Honor. Additionally,20 naval ships havebeen named in honor ofcorpsmen worldwide.Since the end of WorldWar I, 178 corpsmenhave been awardedthe Navy Cross. Dur-ing the Vietnam Waralone, corpsmen wereawarded four Medals ofHonor, 31 Navy Cross-es, 179 Silver Stars,and 292 Bronze Starsfor heroism while un-der fire.

“This recognition isa humbling testamentto the quality of char-acter and integrity ofthe men and womenproudly wearing thecaduceus and answer-ing to ‘doc,’” Nathanstated.“To the more than

30,000 active duty andreserve corpsmen glob-ally, thank you for yoursteadfast and fearlessservice at home andoverseas. Happy birth-day Hospital Corps,”the Navy surgeon gen-eral concluded.The ceremony con-

cluded with hospitalcorpsmen taking theHospital Corpsman’sPledge, vowing to “holdthe care of the sick andinjured to be a privi-lege and a sacred trustand [assisting] themedical officer withloyalty and honesty.”Three cakes cel-

ebrating the occasionwere then cut by Wil-lis and HospitalmanSara Russell, the old-est and youngest hos-pital corpsmen at theevent respectively,along with retired Hos-pital Corpsman MasterChief Joseph Pelot.

Hospital Corpsmen Celebrate 117th Birthday

Photo by Bernard S. Little

Hospital Corpsmen recite the Hospital Corpsman’s Pledge, vowing to “hold the care of the sick and injured to be a privilege and a sacredtrust and [assisting] the medical officer with loyalty and honesty,” for a celebration of the 117th Birthday of the Navy Hospital Corpsmanafter morning colors June 18 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC).


By Bernard S. LittleWRNMMC Public

Affairs staff writer

The spicy aroma ofCaribbean foods filledthe America Buildinglobby while spiritedsteelpan music playedas the Walter Reed Na-tional Military Medi-cal Center communitycelebrated Caribbean-American HeritageMonth with a programJune 17 in the medicalcenter.Master Chief Sha-

ron M. Tavares, seniorenlisted leader of theDirectorate for Admin-istration at WRNMMC,served as guest speak-er for the celebration.A native of Jamaica,

Tavares said the peo-ple of the Caribbean“will always rememberthe sixth month, of thesixth year of the 21stCentury as a momen-tous occasion.“On 5 June, 2006,

the president of theUnited States of Amer-ica, George W. Bush,officially proclaimedJune [to be] Caribbe-an-American HeritageMonth,” she said.Bush’s proclamation

came as a result of theU.S. House of Repre-sentatives unanimous-ly adopting a resolu-tion (H. Con. Res. 71)in June 2005 sponsoredby CongresswomanBarbara Lee, recogniz-ing “the significance ofCaribbean people andtheir descendants inthe history and cultureof the United States.”On Feb. 14, 2006, the

U.S. Senate passed theresolution. Dr. ClaireNelson, founder andpresident of the In-stitute of CaribbeanStudies, spearheadedthe effort for the rec-ognition of NationalCaribbean-AmericanHeritage Month.“For centuries, the

United States has ben-efitted from the contri-butions of the sons anddaughters of the Ca-ribbean,” Tavares saidin her presentation atWRNMMC last week.She added Caribbean-American HeritageMonth not only cel-ebrates the contribu-

tions of those individu-als in helping to shapethis country, but therecognition also paystribute to “the bonds offriendship uniting theUnited States and Ca-ribbean countries,” shesaid.“Our nation has

strived as a countryof immigrants, andwe are more vibrantand hopeful because ofthe talents, faith andvalues of Caribbean-Americans,” Tavarescontinued.As leaders in gov-

ernment, sports, en-tertainment, arts andother fields, Caribbe-an-Americans haveenriched and strength-ened the United States,Tavares said. She citedcontributions of Carib-bean immigrants anddescendants, includingU.S. founding fatherAlexander Hamilton,jazz and classical pia-nist and singer HazelScott, actor and Am-bassador Sir SidneyPoitier, former U.S.Attorney General EricHolder, former Secre-tary of State and Army

Gen. Colin Powell, ac-tor Kelsey Grammer,writer and editor Su-san Taylor, actor HarryBelafonte, actress Cic-ely Tyson, singer/ac-tress Rihanna, and thelate congresswoman,the Hon. Shirley Ch-isholm, among others.Tavares also noted

the leading role theU.S. military hasplayed in integrationand diversity.“A p p r o x i m a t e l y

65,000 immigrantsare currently servingin the armed forces,with the Navy havingthe highest number offoreign-born person-nel. Latin America andthe Caribbean haveaccounted for the larg-est percentage of thisgroup since July 2002,”Tavares added.The master chief ex-

plained that diversityof personal experienc-es, perspectives and vi-sions within the ranksof the U.S. military, “al-low for creative think-ing, and help strivetoward innovation andingenuity.”“This is definitely

a time of celebrationfor the people of theCaribbean, and in sodoing, let us not forgetthe potential for great-er benefits from suchan observance,” Tava-res concluded.Percussionist Ron-

ald C. Emrit played avariety of songs on thesteelpan at the cel-ebration.Born in Trinidad,

Emrit explained thesteelpan, or steeldrum, was invent-ed there during the1940s. “There’s a greatmarriage between theAmerican military and[the instrument],” hesaid. He added thatduring World War II,there was a U.S. Navybase in Trinidad at Ch-aguaramas. From thediscarded 55-gallon oil

barrels from the base,the locals made thesteelpans because thelarger areas of the bar-rels enabled pan play-ers to produce morenotes, he explained.Since 2006, the

White House has is-sued an annual proc-lamation recognizingJune as Caribbean-American HeritageMonth. In his procla-mation for this year’sobservance, PresidentBarack Obama stated,“For centuries, Ameri-cans have been unitedwith our Caribbeanneighbors not just byfriendship and eco-nomic cooperation,but also by our com-mon values and ties ofkin. From a region ofextraordinary beauty,generations of immi-

grants have broughttheir enormous spirit,unique talents, andvibrant culture to theUnited States. Theircontributions have en-riched our nation andstrengthened the deepbonds between ourpeoples.

“As partners, our na-tions have reached forprogress together, andin our diverse culturesand complex histories,we see a common tra-jectory toward a morefree, equal, and pros-perous community,”the president added.The WRNMMC

Multi-Cultural Com-mittee sponsored theevent, one of manythey host at the medi-cal center to raise andenrich cultural aware-ness on the base.

Food, Music Highlight Caribbean-American Heritage Month Celebration


Members of the Multi-Cultural Committee at Walter Reed Nation-al Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) serve foods with Caribbeaninfluence to staff and visitors at WRNMMC during the Caribbean-American Heritage Month celebration at WRNMMC hosted by thecommittee June 17.


Percussionist Ronald C. Emrit plays thesteelpan during the Caribbean-Ameri-can Heritage Month celebration at Wal-ter Reed National Military Medical Center(WRNMMC) June 17.

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Naval Support Activity Bethesda’s (NSAB) Police Departmentparticipated in the City of Bethesda’s ‘Imagination Bethesda,’ achildren’s street festival celebrating the arts, June 6. Departmentpersonnel welcomed hundreds of kids and their families to sit in apatrol unit, try out the siren and lights, take pictures, and providedNSAB Police Department souvenirs . The patrol unit turned out tobe one of the most popular attractions at the festival.

NSAB Police Display Proves Popularat ‘Imagination Bethesda’ Event

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• Correct position of the patient forthe procedure• Drug allergies• Antibiotics given• Proper equipment and implants

are present

• Anticipation by the surgical teamof any possible critical eventsMultidisciplinary support elicits

collaboration and communication bysurgical teams on information perti-nent to the patient.Perioperative nurses are committed

to patient safety and are patient advo-cates for the time out to help reducesurgical error and improve optimalpatient outcomes.

TIMEOUTContinued from pg. 4

Will he continue to get routine ex-ams, now? “Absolutely,” the colonel re-plied. His advice and encouragementfor other men: “Don’t be too proud toget something checked out. I would say,once everything was done, I had moreanxiety not knowing for sure what wasgoing on; once I knew what it was, Iwas really okay with everything,” theMarine said. He has returned to ev-erything he loved doing before: cycling,running, and weightlifting. It has notslowed him down, he added.

Retired Public Health ServiceCol. Ethan Shevach, 71 – CoronaryArtery DiseaseIt was a routine virtual colonoscopy

both he and his wife each had five yearsearlier. The CT (Computed Tomogra-phy) scan technique that builds a 3-Dworld of a patient’s colon to identify can-cer would be the second for Dr. EthanShevach, a retired Public Health Ser-vice captain working as a researcher atthe National Institutes of Health (NIH).The routine test showed no cancer, butrevealed something else instead.“On the CT they detected some cal-

cifications in my coronary arteries,”Shevach said. The calcifications causedsevere coronary artery disease (CAD),with all three coronary arteries blocked,he explained. A stress test and cardio-angiogram confirmed it. Army Lt. Col.Todd Villines, a WRNMMC cardiologistwho serves as the cardiology consul-tant to the Army Surgeon General per-formed a coronary artery bypass graft(CABG) surgery on then 69-year-oldShevach.In retrospect, Shevach said he really

didn’t have any symptoms, although hewas being treated for high blood pres-sure and elevated cholesterol in theInternal Medicine Clinic, “but I reallyhadn’t had any heart symptoms.” Hehad a family history of high blood pres-sure, but not CAD.What would’ve happened if that in-

cidental finding hadn’t been made? Hewould’ve been at a higher risk for aheart attack, heart failure or cardiovas-cular death, Villines said. The cardiolo-gist explained the probability of othermale patients like Shevach having thiscondition.“Cardiovascular disease represents

the most common cause of death in theUnited States. Coronary artery dis-ease is exceptionally present and maybe prevented in many cases with earlylifestyle modifications (diet, exercise,smoking cessation, weight manage-ment),” Villines said.

Active Duty Army Col. JamesPadgett, 52 – Prostate CancerHis doctors had monitored his PSA

with routine screening for years duringhis regular physicals. The now retiredArmy Col. James Padgett with 30 yearsof military service said he didn’t knowwhat his PSA was until age 52, whendoctors at Rader Clinic at Fort Myer,Va., were performing his retirementphysical.In 1994, his medical history recorded

a PSA of .4, but in 2001, his PSA hadincreased to 4.0. A month later, anotherprostate cancer screening revealed aPSA of 4.2, and Padgett was referredfor further testing.A subsequent needlebiopsy indicated prostate cancer with aGleason score of 6, which is based onhow much the cancer looks like healthytissue when viewed under a microscope,according to the American Society ofClinical Oncology.The lowest score usedis 6, which is a low-grade cancer.“It’s one of those things you tend

to ignore,” Padgett said. He displayedno symptoms. Without the PSA hewouldn’t have known otherwise, he ex-plained.He decided to have a radical pros-

tectomy, a removal of part or all of theprostate gland as well as some of thetissue around it.Aside from non-melanoma skin can-

cer, prostate cancer is the most com-mon cancer among men in the UnitedStates, according to the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention (CDC).The CDC also calls prostate cancer oneof the leading causes of cancer deathamong men of all races and Hispanicorigin populations.Padgett volunteers with the Center

for Prostate Disease Research (CPDR)at WRNMMC, counseling newly diag-nosed patients. He urges men as youngas 40 to, “Know your PSA...it’s criticalinformation.” Men should make pros-tate screening a part of their regularcheck-up, he said.Today, Padgett said he is very

healthy. He’s encouraged his five sons,ages 24 to 36, to get screened for pros-tate cancer at the appropriate age, sincethey have a family history of the dis-ease. Padgett’s father also had prostatecancer.Early detection is important, the re-

tired colonel said. He tells men to gettested. Padgett said even though theymay be afraid to know, “More knowl-edge is better.”

MENContinued from pg. 1

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