Category: Defence

Source: United States Navy (Medical)

Courtesy story by Rick Burke, Navy Office of Community Outreach

MILLINGTON, Tenn. – Petty Officer 2nd Class Ramon Castro, a native of Paterson, New Jersey, was recently named Sailor of the Year (SOY), for fiscal year 2024, serving with U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (USNMRTC) Guantanamo Bay at U.S. Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

SOY is an award given to an enlisted sailor in the Navy who is in the pay grade of E-6. The award recognizes sailors who demonstrate sustained superior performance, leadership and professionalism.

Castro, a 2015 graduate of Paterson Charter School For Science and Technology, joined the Navy eight years ago. Additionally, Castro graduated from George Washington University in 2022 with an associate’s degree in Health Sciences Laboratory Technology.

“I came to the United States as an immigrant from Costa Rica with my mother when I was two years old,” said Castro. “She sacrificed coming to a foreign country alone with no support to give me a chance at a better life. When the notification that I finally received my green card came to me at the age of 19, I knew three things; I had the opportunity to gain my citizenship, I had a chance to show my mother that the efforts she placed in raising me were going to pay off and I had to show my little sister that we could accomplish whatever we wanted to as long as we worked toward it. Following some words from my best friend I decided to visit the Navy recruiter the following day. I think to this day everything I wanted out of the Navy has been granted. I’ve become a citizen of the United States of America, I’ve managed to forge a promising career path for myself and I know I’ve made my mother and sister proud through my efforts and the challenges I’ve overcome.”

The skills and values needed to succeed are similar to those found in Paterson.

“Growing up, I always saw my mother working hard to provide for my sister and me,” said Castro. “When I got my first real job I always tried to emulate the work ethic she always showed. I started working 60 hours a week and learned the importance of perseverance when things felt tough. That resiliency has helped me tremendously in the Navy. It’s helped me be the person my peers see me as, the expert in my field that my leaders rely on, and even a pseudo-older brother figure to a lot of my friends. I think without my work ethic and the resiliency that I gained from my hometown, I would not be half the sailor I am now.”

Today, Castro serves as a hospital corpsman responsible for providing medical care to Navy and Marine Corps personnel and their families.

USNMRTC focuses on three critical mission priorities: warfighter readiness, medical force generation and supporting the delivery of high-quality health care at Naval Medical Center at Guantanamo Bay.

Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay provides health care to the U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay community, which consists of approximately 4,500 military members, federal employees, U.S. and foreign national contractors and their families. The hospital also operates the only overseas military home health care facility providing care to elderly special category residents who sought asylum on the installation during the Cuban Revolution.

With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.

Castro serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.

“We will earn and reinforce the trust and confidence of the American people every day,” said Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations. “Together we will deliver the Navy the nation needs.”

Castro has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.

“Professionally, I would have to say my proudest accomplishment would be working in the laboratory and being part of the team that helped save a mother’s life after she gave birth to her child in Guam,” said Castro. “As a Medical Laboratory Technician, I was able to do the work in our blood bank at Naval Hospital Guam that gave life-saving blood products to a mother in the Mother Baby Unit who had just given birth and was hemorrhaging. Thankfully, through the efforts of the doctors, nurses, hospital corpsmen, and lab techs, she was able to be stabilized. To this day the words of the nurse whom I spoke with after the situation was handled still replay in my mind, ‘That child is going to be able to grow up with their mother around because of the work that you did.’ As a new and young sailor those words filled me with pride in what role I serve in the Navy. Personally, I am proud of the friends I was able to help along the way. I’ve “adopted” a lot of my friends and tried my best to make sure they were always taken care of professionally and personally. We treat each other like family and they know I’m always willing to help them in whatever way I can. Seeing them grow in their careers and personal lives fills me with a sense of pride as if they were my own children, and some of them would tell you that they are my children by this point.”

Castro can take pride in serving America through military service.

“To me, serving in the Navy means growth and development,” said Castro. “I’ve had amazing mentors, teachers, peers and leaders along the way. It’s thanks to them that I can accomplish what I do now, including being Sailor of the Year. Every year I look back and see just how much I can change and grow, which undoubtedly will lead me to a better path as I go on in my life. The Navy is filled with some of the best people you’ll ever meet and some of the greatest experiences you can ever have. I’m thankful to have more than my fair share of both and I’m excited to see where my path crosses with theirs again.”

“I want to thank my mom, Leslie, and my sister, Victoria, for always being there for me and providing me with the reason I’m doing what I do now,” said Castro. “Their love and support are some of the most important things I have when times get tough. I’d like to thank my best friend Isaiah for convincing me to join the Navy, things would have been radically different if I had joined the Army like I originally wanted to. I owe him big time for that.”

Castro is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.

“I want to thank my mom, Leslie, and my sister, Victoria, for always being there for me and providing me with the reason I’m doing what I do now,” added Castro. “Their love and support are some of the most important things I have when times get tough. I’d like to thank my best friend, Isaiah, for convincing me to join the Navy, things would have been radically different if I had joined the Army like I originally wanted to. I owe him big time for that.”

Source: United States Navy (Medical)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. Sailors with the Bureau of Navy Medicine and Surgery joined the Navy Office of Community Outreach and 11 other commands for Navy Week Kansas City, Nov. 11-15.

Throughout the week, BUMED representatives met with directors and students from local universities, spoke at local high schools and volunteered with the Kansas City Leawood Rotary at Project C.U.R.E., a local community organization. The Dental Corps, Medical Corps, Medical Service Corps, Nurse Corps and Hospital Corps all represented BUMED at Navy Week Kansas City, providing a snapshot of Navy Medicine’s capabilities.

“We have a diverse team of Navy medicine professionals that are ready to meet and talk with the local Kansas City community,” explained Cmdr. Bryan Pyle, the medical service corps policy and practice officer. “Even if we are far from either ocean, we want to show Kansas City what Navy Medicine is all about.”

Southwest Missouri native Rear Adm. Walter Brafford, commander, Naval Medical Forces Development Command and chief of the Navy Dental Corps, graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry. Brafford kicked off the week by returning to his former campus to speak with deans and students about current Navy scholarship programs and medical career paths.

During a sit down with UMKC health recruitment leaders, BUMED and academic leadership discussed Navy partnerships and resources for students, such as the Health Professions Scholarship Program.

“The HSPS program provides monetary benefits, such as graduating from school debt-free, and after serving the amount of time they paid for, students have the opportunity to take advantage of getting into a residency, post-doctoral, or furthering education,” said Brafford. “We are here to let you know what we can do for your students to ensure they have access to the information.”

Navy Medicine staff visited several schools in the Kansas City area, including Oak Park High School, Staley High School and Shawnee Heights High School. BUMED guest speakers met and participated in Q&A sessions with 11th and 12th-grade students in the Kansas City College and Career Pathways Program.

“Engaging with high school is crucial for the Hospital Corps and Navy Medicine, as it helps to inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals,” added Master Chief Philip Jean-Gilles, command master chief, Naval Medical Research Command.

Bethany Kent, a teacher for the biomed strand and college medical interventions classes at Oak Park High School, expressed excitement at having a medical professional speak to her students.

“The speakers were so approachable and could guide the students to decide what they will do next,” Kent said. “I am so relieved that the speakers have been able to provide insight on what a career in health looks like and the different opportunities that students have.”

Students from Kent’s class asked questions about whether it would be better to go to college first or join the Navy, the benefits of joining the Navy and where people in the Navy travel to.

“I did not know that the Navy had doctors and nurses,” noted Kayla, an 11th grader in Kent’s medical interventions class. “Traveling around the world would be so cool, and I would like to go to new places.”

Capt. Shauna O’Sullivan, a board-certified internal medicine and rheumatology physician and the career planner and recruitment and retention lead for the Medical Corps, graduated in 2003 from Kansas City University’s University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine. She had the opportunity to speak to students and faculty at her alma mater during Navy Week.

“It was rewarding to return and witness the extensive changes on campus, along with the new programs and opportunities available for healthcare professionals,” said O’Sullivan. “I have cherished memories of the outstanding teachers who gave me an excellent education.

Kansas City University provides education and training to future providers, expanding their knowledge beyond the traditional classrooms.

After the tour of campus and facilities, BUMED representatives visited the university’s cutting-edge Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) lab, where there was an ongoing session on therapeutic techniques on the neck, giving students medicine hands on experience and a tool for their therapeutic toolkit.

“My medical training at KCU equipped me with the tools for success in my clinical rotations and ultimately helped me complete my residency and fellowship training,” O’Sullivan added.

Following the tours, BUMED visitors sat with the Students Association of Military Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons to answer questions on being an officer, Navy career tracks and whether they could remain clinicians as they advanced in rank.

“The interactions we have with students during events like Kansas City Navy Week not only benefit the students—they also enrich our own understanding of the upcoming generation’s perspectives and aspirations,” said Jean-Gilles. “It’s a mutually beneficial exchange that strengthens our connection to the community and helps cultivate future healthcare leaders.”

The KCU students were also interested in hearing the direct benefits of the Navy.

“Overall, the key advantages of serving in Navy Medicine include autonomy in clinical practice, universal patient access, free health and dental care, retirement plans, the ability to transfer educational benefits to family members, paid vacation, maternal and paternal leave policies and equitable pay,” stated O’Sullivan.

On the final day of Navy Week, Navy Medicine joined the rotary club of 13 volunteers at Project C.U.R.E., a distributor of donated medical supplies, equipment, and services to doctors and nurses in more than 135 developing countries.

Navy Medicine volunteers to sort and prepare donated healthcare equipment to be shipped to hospitals and clinics in source-limited countries.

“As Navy service members, we are not only giving support through our time and efforts, but we are also gaining understanding and experiences of the problems facing the rest of the U.S. and the rest of the world,” said Pyle.

The volunteer event took place at the Kansas City Warehouse located in Hunt Midwest Sub Tropolis, BUMED helped prepare a shipment of medical supply and equipment to medical facilities in Ethiopia.

“Outreach programs in cities like Kansas City are vital for fostering community connections and increasing awareness of Navy Medicine’s contributions to the community,” Jean-Gilles concluded. “These initiatives allow us to showcase the valuable services we provide while emphasizing the Navy’s commitment to serving communities nationwide.”

Since 2005, America’s Navy has come home to up to 15 cities across the country every year. The Navy Week program has served as the Navy’s principal outreach effort into areas of the nation without a significant Navy presence, with over 300 Navy Weeks held in 95 different U.S. cities.

Navy Medicine, represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals, provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea and ashore.

Source: United States Navy (Medical)

Courtesy story by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Isaiah M. Williams, Navy Office of Community Outreach

Millington, Tenn. – Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew McDowell, a native of Brooklyn, New York, serves the U.S. Navy and is assigned to U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command, Guantanamo Bay.

McDowell graduated from Nansemond River High School in 2003.

The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Brooklyn.

“The most important thing I learned from my family that stayed with me during my time in the Navy is to treat everyone with respect,” said McDowell. “Respect is not about being liked, it’s about being valued.”

McDowell joined the Navy 20 years ago. Today, McDowell serves as a hospital corpsman.

“I joined the Navy to provide a better life for myself and family. I didn’t have the drive to go to college at the time, but I wanted to do something meaningful with my life,” said McDowell. “I decided to follow my older brother and sister’s pathway and join the Navy.”

With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.

McDowell serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.

“We will earn and reinforce the trust and confidence of the American people every day,” said Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations. “Together we will deliver the Navy the nation needs.”

McDowell has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.

“Winning Sailor of the Year has been a tremendous achievement and one of my proudest accomplishments in the Navy thus far,” said McDowell. “This award not only recognized my individual efforts but also reflects the hard work and dedication of my entire directorate. I am also proud of the Sailors who looked up to me as their mentor and asked for guidance prosper in achieving their goals.”

McDowell can take pride in serving America through military service.

“Serving in the Navy represents a journey of self-discovery, resilience, and growth. I have developed valuable skills, forged unbreakable bonds, and become a stronger more confident individual,” said McDowell.

McDowell is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.

“I want to thank God, family, friends, and my peers for all their love and support throughout my highs and lows during my time in the military. Without their support I wouldn’t be where I am today,” added McDowell.

Source: United States Navy (Medical)

Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms rang in the New Year with a joyous milestone as Staff Sgt. Tyson Goolsby and his wife, Nicole, welcomed their son, Elijah, into the world. Born at 1:35 p.m. on Jan. 2, Elijah holds the honor of being the first baby delivered at the hospital in 2025.

Weighing a healthy 7.8 pounds, Elijah is the newest member of the Goolsby family. Staff Sgt. Goolsby, stationed at the Marine Corps Communications-Electronics School on the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC), stood proudly by his wife’s side as they celebrated the birth of their son.

The family was presented with a “First Baby of 2025” gift basket by the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, filled with baby essentials to support their new journey. Lt. Affeya Jackson, a nurse from the hospital’s Labor and Delivery team, personally delivered the thoughtful gift to the grateful parents.

In 2024, Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms delivered 259 babies, averaging approximately 22 births per month. The hospital’s Women’s Health team, consisting of OB/GYN doctors, certified nurse midwives, lactation consultants, registered nurses, and specialized corpsmen, is dedicated to providing comprehensive, patient-centered care for military families.

As a vital military treatment facility supporting the MCAGCC, Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms ensures the health and readiness of active-duty service members, their families, and veterans. It also serves as a key training platform for military medical professionals.

The birth of Elijah Goolsby kicks off 2025 with a celebration of life, possibly symbolizing the hope and joy that the New Year brings for the Twentynine Palms military community.