Category: US Navy

Source: United States Navy (Medical)

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Nov. 24, 2024) – While transiting the Atlantic Ocean, emergency flight quarters is called aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1). Onboard USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), transiting approximately 20 nautical miles behind Wasp, a Sailor’s appendix has burst. Wasp’s flight deck is a flurry of movement as Sailors and Marines spring into action, preparing the “alert bird” for take-off. Despite heavy seas and strong winds, within the hour, the aircraft is en route Oak Hill to bring the Sailor back to Wasp for life-saving emergency care.

Since early June, Wasp has been on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations, to include the eastern Mediterranean Sea. During that time, the ship took on a mission that went beyond its primary role of power projection and deterrence. The incredible medical team, working closely with air department and the embarked Aviation Combat Element of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Special Operations Capable (SOC), provided U.S., Allies and partners operating in the area with emergency medical evacuations (MEDEVAC) to help Sailors and Marines in need of medical attention.

Long deployments often strain ships and crews, particularly when access to medical care is limited. Wasp is a role 2 medical care facility equipped with the En-Route Care System (ERCS) and staffed by the Fleet Surgical Team (FST) 4 and the 24th MEU (SOC) medical team. Between Wasp’s medical team, FST 4, and the 24th MEU (SOC), there are 40 officer and enlisted medical personnel aboard Wasp capable of providing medical care for everything from illness and minor injuries to emergency surgeries. This medical “team of teams” is also able to stabilize post-surgical cases for evacuation to role 3 or role 4 facilities if needed.

“[Onboard Wasp] it’s a combined effort between FST 4, the 24th MEU and Wasp’s organic medical assets in order to bring that role 2 capability to the ARG, and we’re happy to help any ships external to our ARG that need the extra support,” said Cmdr. Mark Cruz, Wasp’s senior medical officer.

One of the most visible examples of this cooperation occurred while at the pier in Limassol, Cyprus. The Italian Navy Frigate ITS Martinengo (F 596) reached out for help when one of its Sailors sustained an injury to his foot. Wasp’s medical team performed x-rays that confirmed a broken metatarsal.

While operating amid the rolling swells of the Mediterranean Sea in vicinity of the USS Bulkeley (DDG 84), an independent deployer positioned in the Eastern Mediterranean to help promote regional stability and deter aggression, Wasp was called to action again. When a Sailor aboard began showing signs of acute appendicitis, the Bulkeley called on the Wasp for help. In a coordinated effort with USS Cole (DDG 67), the patient was transported to the Wasp and the medical staff aboard were able to perform the surgery and ensure safe transfer of the patient to follow on care.

Equipped with the aegis weapons system designed for ballistic missile defense, Bulkeley, Cole and USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 75), had been positioned in the Eastern Mediterranean to help defend our Allies. Having Wasp in the region to assist with medical support allows these ships to stay on station to defend our Allies, preserve peace, freedom of navigation and lawful use of the sea.

“Logistically, they couldn’t get them to land-based care quickly,” said Cruz. “We were the best call for them; they just simply don’t have the capability that we have here,” said Cruz.

Visitors to the Wasp medical department could get lost among the various passageways leading to four surgical and four dental operating rooms, 38 inpatient ward beds, and both medical and dental x-ray rooms. Wasp’s medical team has treated 24 Sailors from other ships in the area for various needs such as: dental surgery, appendicitis surgery, x-rays, and mental health treatment. Every treatment they provide ensures that both other U.S. Navy ships, and our Allies can stay on station and remain mission-ready.

Wasp has been underway conducting operations in the Atlantic Ocean, North Sea and the Mediterranean since early April as the flagship of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group (WSP ARG)-24th MEU (SOC). The Amphibious Ready Group is concluding a scheduled deployment supporting U.S. Allied and partner interests, promoting regional stability and deterring aggression and is scheduled to return to Norfolk early December, 2024.

The 24th MEU (SOC) is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) providing strategic speed and agility, ensuring Marines are prepared to respond and protect U.S. national security interests around the globe. The MEU can respond rapidly from longer ranges with greater capabilities across the spectrum of military conflict.

You can follow USS Wasp’s adventures on Facebook and Instagram (@usswasp_lhd1).

To learn more about WSP ARG and 24th MEU (SOC) “Team of Teams,” visit their DVIDS feature page at https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/wasparg24thmeu.

Source: United States Navy (Medical)

In a powerful presentation at Naval Health Clinic Lemoore, Kenny Barrios, a Tachi Yokut Tribe cultural liaison, shared a captivating history and stories of ongoing resilience of the indigenous community in California’s Central Valley.

According to the Tachi Yokut Tribe website, the once thriving indigenous group lived around Lake Mahshi (Tulare Lake), formerly the largest body of freshwater west of the Mississippi, before it was drained for agriculture in the 19th century. The tribe’s livelihood revolved around the lake, which provided essential resources for their way of life, including water, food, materials for housing and tools.

The tribe faced near extinction during America’s westward expansion. Barrios detailed how its population was devastated and dropped to approximately 70 members due to systematic persecution and violence.

Barrios described the brutal tactics used against his ancestors. Despite this dark history, Barrios emphasized the tribe’s recovery and adaptation.

Today, the Tachi Yokut Tribe maintains their cultural practices while adapting to modern challenges. A turning point came with the establishment of a bingo hall, which later evolved into today’s Tachi Palace Casino Resort. This development brought resources to the community, including healthcare and improved living conditions.

“We have healthcare now and food for our kids,” Barrios said, remembering times during his childhood when his family and the tribe relied on government food assistance.

“What a powerful gift, this presentation by our guests from the Tachi Yokut Tribe for American Indian Heritage Month,” said Capt. Aaron Werbel, director of Naval Health Clinic Lemoore.

“It was an emotional and educational presentation reminding us of both the beauty and ugliness of our past: There are such important lessons in both. Their stories inspire us to embrace diversity, foster respect, and work together with compassion,” said Werbel.

To close out the event, Werbel presented Barrios and Tachi Yokut Tribe members with a personal commander’s coin as a symbol of gratitude for sharing their heritage with Sailors and civilians at the clinic.

Source: United States Navy (Medical)

Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command Bremerton Career Counselor office brought together Sailors and civil service staff members, many military veterans, with visiting Olympic College faculty and staff.

The fact filled – and collaborative opportunity – seminar, held November 26, 2024, provided an opportunity for interested Sailors and staff to pose candid questions about prerequisites, application deadlines, support services financial aid, scholarship opportunities and the pathways which can lead to such scholastic goals as obtaining a Registered Nurse license.

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Jessie James Luper, from Harrison, Arkansas, attended the event to gather information on expanding his career, saying, “It was beyond useful. The faculty were able to answer my questions and give me a plan and goal to create and pursue.”

Of prime interest to many in attendance was the Olympic College presentation on the Corpsman/Medic to Practical Nursing (CM-PN) program, which is specifically designed for Navy hospital corpsmen veterans and active duty to obtain their certificate of specialization by building upon their current career field.

The program is designed to prepare graduates to provide safe, direct patient care as Licensed Practical nurses [LPNs] in a variety of settings such as a military treatment facility, ambulatory clinic and residential/elder care setting.

Graduates of the CM-PN pathway will be eligible to take the NCLEX-PN [National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses] exam required to obtain an LPN credential in Washington State. Additionally, this academic preparation and credential is tailored to prepare a graduate for admission for a nursing pathway that leads to a Registered Nurse license.

Olympic College Dean of Nursing and Allied Health, Alicia Nye, hopes that building a program focused to veterans and active duty where they get credit for their experience in the military will help bridge and streamline them into more healthcare career opportunities.

“My husband is a retired Navy hospital corpsman. Through the years he would try to go to school or start a class and then get transferred to his next command, making it very hard for him to get the school credits that he deserved for all the experience he had in patient care,” said Nye.

Chief Hospital Corpsman Weldekiros Aregawi, from St. Paul, Minnesota, said he appreciated the opportunity to make suggestions on how Olympic College can tailor their programs, “As participants, we were able to give the Olympic College staff a few suggestions like opening courses in the evenings or weekend, which would give more opportunity for the active-duty staff to utilize the education services they are offering.”

Nye stressed how much she can sympathize with the busy schedules of those who serve in the military now and in the past.

“We want to build a program that allows currently military and veterans to attend college in a shorter time and come out with a certificate or degree in nursing and adding to the healthcare worker population,” she explained.

The positions that Sailors and veterans hold at NMRTC Bremerton help them collect years of experience in their chosen career. Adding to that by achieving higher education in healthcare will allow them to continue delivering the highest standard of care to active duty, retired service members, and their families, in whatever setting they choose.

Source: United States Navy (Medical)

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – With only 18 months in existence, the Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune’s Healthcare and Bioskills Simulation Center is wasting no time in surpassing goals and transforming the landscape of medical training for military treatment facility staff.

In October, the SIM Center received provisional accreditation though the Society of Simulation and Healthcare. To receive accreditation, the SIM Center met 76 standards for a simulation center including documentation, staffing, and standard operating procedures. Next, the center will prepare for pursuance of full accreditation in 2025.

“[Provisional accreditation] is important because it brings in an outside entity who are experts in best practices for simulation, education, and training,” said Lt. Cmdr. Dana Flieger, department head for the SIM Center and Winsted, Connecticut native. “This is a team verifying that you’re following best practices for national certification and that you will have best outcomes for your learners.”

The SIM Center, established in July 2023, offers training solutions through high-quality simulation, equipping doctors, nurses, and corpsmen to provide care at home and abroad.

Personnel utilizing the SIM Center are able to train on lifelike manikins that emulate human anatomy and functions, ensuring a safe environment for practicing and closing gaps in knowledge before performing care in a real-life scenario.

Accomplishments this past year for the SIM Center include the implementation of the Tier 3 Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) course. The Tier 3 TCCC class is a more complex training for enlisted medical care providers. Hospital Corpsman Second Class C. Wallace is the TCCC program administrator at the SIM Center.

“The course used to be three days, but now it is 10-days, and we are testing each student on 84 skills as there is an increased demand for more advanced learning and deeper knowledge for combat medicine such as use of blood products,” said Wallace, a native of Charlotte, Michigan. “Traditionally, that’s something you’d mainly see when you got to a combat support hospital; now, it is becoming something being given on the frontline.”

According to Wallace, the SIM Center is pivotal in ensuring Navy Medicine personnel are ready for potential conflict whenever it may arise.

“I can’t necessarily take a corpsman to the Emergency Department and teach them how to do a chest tube right there on a living, breathing person, but in combat, that could happen,” said Wallace. “With the SIM Center, now we can take those corpsmen and put them into some of these situations that are as close to real-life as possible, so they know what interventions, clinical decisions to make.”

One of the main components of training with a simulated setting is communication. The NMCCL SIM Center affords that space for growth and questioning. For Flieger, the impact is most noticeable in the confidence of medical personnel completing SIM Center instruction.

“If it’s your first time going through a code or trauma alert, it can be really challenging if you’re not used to it. Simulating that, giving you a little adrenaline boost but letting you do that in a safe place, is really beneficial. There is clearer communication; you learn how to work better together and talk to each other–communication is one of the most important things you can learn from SIM that you can’t stop and practice during actual patient care.”

In addition to preparing for full accreditation review next summer, the SIM Center team will be supporting advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma (ASSET) courses and multiple training evolutions for Expeditionary Medical Facility Kilo with Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Camp Lejeune and 2nd Medical Battalion at Camp Lejeune.

Source: United States Navy (Medical)

Lt. Cmdr. Nicholas M. Suddath, a Navy Chaplain hailing from Hogansville, Georgia, joined Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms on Nov. 1 as the newest member of the Religious Ministry Team. With a deep commitment to spiritual care and a uniquely relatable approach to ministry, Suddath is ready to support the hospital’s staff, patients, and their families through their spiritual journeys.

Chaplains serve a vital role in the Navy, offering spiritual guidance and counseling while respecting the diverse beliefs of service members. For Suddath, the path to the chaplaincy was shaped by personal experiences and a profound sense of calling.

“I wanted to join the military from an early age,” he shared, noting the influence of his grandfathers, both of whom served in the Navy.

Initially aiming for a career in law as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer, Suddath’s life took a different turn during college.

“Around my sophomore year, some of my friends came back from war, and I could see the effects it had on them. At the same time, I was starting to reconnect with my faith. This combination of factors led me to look into the military chaplaincy,” Suddath explained.

Suddath’s decision to join the Navy was informed by both personal and professional factors. Having served in the Army National Guard, he found the opportunity to serve Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen appealing. A practical reminder from his recruiter also helped seal the deal.

“He pointed out that the Navy has better locations for their bases,” he laughed, likening his experience of switching military branches as entering the “transfer portal in college football.”

At Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms, Suddath joins a team dedicated to providing spiritual care through the four core competencies of the Chaplain Corps: provide, facilitate, care, and advise. Together with Religious Program Specialist 3rd Class (RP3) Diego Escalante and Fr. Mike McCullough, the Religious Ministry Team ensures that the spiritual needs of the community are met.

“We provide religious services and sacraments, facilitate the religious needs of other faith groups, care for patients and staff through counseling and group discussions, and advise leaders on ethics, spiritual fitness, resiliency, and morale,” Suddath said.

A hallmark of the chaplaincy is its commitment to confidentiality, a principle Suddath values deeply.

“Chaplains are unique in that we are the only people who have 100% confidentiality,” he emphasized. “This is crucial because it helps facilitate open communication.”

Suddath brings a variety of experience to his new role, having previously served as chaplain for 2nd Recruit Training Battalion at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, aboard the USS PORT ROYAL (CG 73), and with 1st Supply Battalion. A yearlong residency at Naval Medical Center San Diego proved especially formative.

“Last year at San Diego prepared me the most for my current assignment. We completed four educational units that helped us better understand ourselves and how we do ministry,” he said. “Essentially, the entire last year was in preparation for my position here.”

As he steps into his role at Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms, Suddath is mindful of the unique challenges that come with serving a hospital population.

“The first thing that is universal for chaplains is to be present. This is more than just being here — it means being fully committed to hearing people and providing the right support based on their needs,” he explained.

Whether addressing the stressors faced by hospital staff or offering solace to patients and their families, Suddath aims to meet people where they are.

“Everyone reacts to situations differently,” Suddath expressed. “Therefore, I need to be able to adapt to their needs.”

In a diverse military environment, Suddath embraces the opportunity to support service members of all faiths and beliefs.

“This is the bread and butter of the Chaplain Corps,” he said. “My goal is to help people grow in their faith. I want them to be strengthened in what they believe, not necessarily what I believe.”

Suddath’s commitment to fostering religious freedom is central to his work.

“Facilitation, as one of our core competencies, allows us to be the chaplain for all our people, regardless of their faith group,” explained Suddath.

Suddath’s personal journey has deeply informed his unique approach to chaplaincy.

“I want my community here to know that I did not step into a chaplain role because I am a ‘good person,’” he candidly shared. “I became a chaplain because I was beat down from life, making huge mistakes, and facing many hardships along the way — all of which I would share with anyone who wants to talk about it. I needed something more than myself to pull me out of it.”

Suddath explains that his overall relatability is key to his success as a chaplain

“I am a normal person who loves to run — even though I’m slow, watches college football and mixed-martial arts (MMA), and laughs at the same memes you probably do. I also play video games a lot with my kids. The reason I say this is because I want people to know that if they ever want to talk about anything they will find a real person on the other end. They will find someone who will be honest, and most importantly, someone who is very relatable,” expressed Suddath.

Reflecting on his own spiritual journey, Suddath emphasizes the importance of individual exploration and growth in matters of faith.

“I would consider myself solid in my personal faith and very open minded in hearing the views of others. I encourage everyone to find faith for themselves. I left the church for ten years myself. When I came back it was a personal journey and I found something meaningful,” explained Suddath. “I will sit down with anyone and show them the utmost respect to help them discover their own spirituality — in whatever way that looks for them. I have learned that this promotes growth and helps bring unity to those who have different beliefs.”

For the service members, staff, and families at Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms, Suddath plans to offer not just spiritual guidance but a genuine connection and supporting hand.

“What I enjoy most is seeing people grow in their faith,” he reflected. “A close second would be people overcoming adversity. Nothing beats getting to talk to people one-on-one and building a connection of support for that person.”

With his compassionate approach and dedication to his calling, Chaplain Suddath is eager to address the unique spiritual needs of the Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms community.