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JBSA News
NEWS | Feb. 3, 2017

Navy Surgeon General visits Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston

By Petty Officer 1st Class Jacquelyn D. Childs Navy Medicine Education, Training and Logistics Command Public Affairs

The Navy surgeon general and chief of Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, or BUMED, was at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Feb. 1 to visit the men and women responsible for supporting, developing and providing the basic and advanced training for the Navy’s Hospital Corps.

Vice Adm. Forrest Faison held “Admiral’s Calls” with the enlisted, officer and civilian staff from the JBSA-FSH based Navy Medicine Education, Training and Logistics Command, or NMETLC, and the Navy Medicine Training Support Center, or NMTSC.

Navy Medicine’s Force Master Chief Terry Prince accompanied Faison on his visit, which also included a visit to the Navy Hospital Corps student barracks, a tour of Brooke Army Medical Center and meeting with its senior leaders, as well as a luncheon with enlisted Sailors and junior officers from NMETLC, NMTSC and Naval Medical Research Unit-San Antonio, or NAMRU-SA.

During the two Admiral’s Calls, Faison’s discussion included Navy Medicine’s future and the significance of the enlisted medical education and training being conducted in San Antonio.

“Navy Medicine’s future is bright,” Faison said. “Medicine is passed on from generation to generation. The folks we train today will be the leaders of tomorrow, who in turn will ensure  those who follow them are trained and well prepared to support our nation and our Navy wherever and whenever needed.”

Faison also discussed Navy Medicine education and training’s support of the post-war Navy and Marine Corps team, many of whom remain deployed.

“As we come out of the nation’s longest war, the world remains a very unstable place,” Faison said. “There are many global commitments in which the Navy is engaged. Thirty-eight percent of the Navy is forward deployed at any given time and Navy Medicine is there to support them. A big part of that Navy Medicine support comes from the enlisted corpsmen who get their training, experience and initial start here in San Antonio.”

The first Admiral’s Call was for NMETLC, one of three Navy Medicine Echelon III commands. NMETLC is responsible for Navy Medicine’s officer and enlisted training programs and global logistical support.

The second was with NMTSC, an NMETLC Echelon IV command that serves as the Navy’s service component of the tri-service Medical Education and Training Campus, or METC, where Navy, Army and Air Force enlisted medical service members are trained.

Faison also used both Admiral’s Calls to share some of the major changes taking place within Navy Medicine, including the transition to a new electronic health record, hospital and medical treatment facility reforms, and a billet shift to ensure the optimum training experience for new hospital corpsmen. One large change he addressed, for which NMETLC personnel have prime responsibility, is a rework of the Hospital Corpsman ‘A’ school curriculum currently underway.

“As we look ahead toward our global commitments and potential future conflicts, we have to be prepared to go forward and save lives in any environment the Navy or Marine Corps operates,” he said. “A big part of that is ensuring we provide the most current training possible to our hospital corpsmen. They are the key to survival in any future conflict, and they are present in every operational platform. The Hospital Corpsmen’s responsibilities, their training, their experience will directly translate to saved lives in any future conflict or operational commitment.”

The surgeon general wrapped up his visit with words of encouragement and gratitude to the men and women working tirelessly to maintain top-notch education and training opportunities in Navy Medicine as well as a reminder of the long-term impact of their efforts.

“Navy Medicine represents a more than 240-year commitment to America’s sons and daughters of the best care our nation can offer,” he said. “We represent hope, care and passion to countless thousands around the world whose lives have been saved by Navy Medicine or who have benefited from our care. The men and women who are preparing the curriculum and the training and logistical support necessary will ensure that tradition continues. We are preparing for tomorrow.”