JBSA-FORT SAM HOUSTON –
An instructor with the Basic Medical Technician Corpsman Program at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston was selected Nov. 26 as the 2013 Navy Medicine Education and Training Command Sailor of the Year.
Petty Officer 1st Class Scott Lyons from the Navy Medicine Training Support Center was selected from among 23 NMETC commands, units and detachments across the U.S. for his professionalism and dedication to job accomplishment, consistently resulting in positive results, said Master Chief Petty Officer Shanon Best, NMTSC Command Master Chief.
"Lyons was selected from a stellar group of first class petty officers," said Best, who served on the selection board. "He has proven himself to be a top-notch leader and Sailor, and he constantly shows a genuine concern for his Sailors' professional growth."
Lyons will compete against other Navy Medicine echelon three and regional command entrants to become the Navy Medicine Sailor of the Year in early 2014.
The Wadsworth, Ohio, native reported to NMTSC in January 2012 from 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines in Camp Lejeune, N.C., which he said prepared him to teach the bi-service Navy and Air Force Basic Medical Technician Corpsman Program.
After his second deployment to Iraq in 2009, Lyons became the platoon sergeant of the battalion aid station in charge of 50 hospital corpsmen and their training, and he was selected to be a member of the battalion embedded training team.
He deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 and trained Afghan army medics in sick call procedures and trauma medicine, which he now teaches at METC.
"Working with the Marines is just something I always wanted to do," Lyons said. "I love their mentality. They are very disciplined and structured. I'm a very team-oriented person, and that's how the Marines operate."
Teamwork in Afghanistan also had a role in how Lyons received orders as an instructor.
"I was on a remote patrol base, on a radio with a corpsman, who was on another radio with our chief, who in turn was on a phone with the detailer," he described.
Lyons' team-oriented approach and the expertise gained with the Marines have found their way to the classroom, making him a role model for students, according to Air Force Airman 1st Class Sarah Loudon, one of Lyons' students. "He brings an invaluable breadth of experience into the classroom," she said. "He communicates to all levels of experience and knowledge. Some of us bring civilian medical experience to the table, and others have done nothing more than basic CPR. I think I can speak for all the students and say we all have a huge amount of respect for him and see him as a role model."
While his students see him as a role model, Lyons said his family and his mentors have been his role models and have had a profound impact on his life and his career, including his selection as NMETC Sailor of the Year.
"My wife is one of my biggest fans and biggest supporters," Lyons said. "She has been with me every step of my Navy career. And I've had a lot of great mentors since I've been here. I take a little advice from everyone and try to implement it in my day-to-day activities. We have a great teaching team, which allows me to take on different duties, including assistant Master Training Specialist coordinator."
Lyons added, "God has definitely put the right people in my life at exactly the right time. There have been a lot of people here who have invested a lot of time and mentorship in me and my career."
Lyons said two Navy chief petty officers who "pushed me out of my comfort zone were Thomas Kmetz and Amanda Bynum. They have been godsends. The amount of time and support that they have invested in me is immeasurable."
Now, Lyons' goal is to do the same - pass on an immeasurable investment to his students.
"This is a very special place to be," he said. "I felt that I owed it to the hospital corps to come here and help secure our legacy. It is an honor to represent this command."
NMTSC is an echelon four command reporting to the Navy Medicine Education and Training Command. It is part of the Navy Medicine team, a global health-care network of Navy medical professionals around the world who provide health care to eligible beneficiaries. Navy Medicine personnel deploy with Sailors and Marines worldwide, providing mission support aboard ships, in the air, under the sea and on the battlefield