FALLS CHURCH, Virginia –
Navy Medicine welcomed Command Master Chief PatrickPaul Mangaran as its new Force Master Chief and Director of the Hospital Corps in a ceremony at the Memorial Auditorium at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on Oct. 27, 2023.
Mangaran is the first second-generation hospital corpsman as well as the first Filipino-American to serve in these roles.
As Navy Medicine’s 17th Force Master Chief, the Pittsburg, California-native brings 26 years of experience as an advanced laboratory technician, four command master chief tours and a professional philosophy encapsulated in the acronym “REALLL” (Relevant, Engaged, Aligned, Listening, Learning and Leading).
“I want to ensure our Sailors are staying Relevant, Engaged, Aligned, and are Listening, Learning, and Leading throughout their careers,” Mangaran said. “This means that you have to have the technical and institutional competencies and are working to keep our medical teams in the fight.”
In his role as Navy Medicine’s most senior enlisted leader, Mangaran looks forward to working with — and serving as the voice of — more than 27,000 enlisted Sailors across the Enterprise to ensure they achieve their goals while meeting our mission to: “develop and deliver manned, trained, equipped, and certified medical forces.”
As ceremony presiding officer, Acting Surgeon General Rear Adm. Darin Via lauded Mangaran’s past accomplishments and noted his role as successor to the 16th Force Master Chief, Michael J. Roberts.
“I can think of no worthier—and no more capable successor— than Master Chief Mangaran,” Via said. “He is a leader with high expectations and a proven track record. He has earned a reputation for his leadership, staying engaged, [and] ensuring our enlisted force have the competencies to accomplish our mission.”
The Force Master Chief of the Navy Medical Department was one of 23 leadership positions established by Adm. Elmo Zumwalt on July 20, 1971, to ensure that the Navy’s enlisted communities had a voice and greater representation on vital issues affecting the service. Since 1994, all Navy Medicine Force Master Chiefs have also held the additional role as Director of the Hospital Corps.
Mangaran enlisted in the Navy on September 29, 1997 as a Medical Laboratory Technician. Following tours aboard the USS Constellation (CV 64) and USS Tarawa (LHA 1), he served as a Hospital Corps “A” School instructor at Hospital Corps School Great lakes, Illinois, and Chief Petty Officer with the 1st Marine Division (Reinforced) at Naval Medical Center San Diego, and aboard the USS San Diego (LPD 22).
As a Command Master Chief, he served onboard the USS Scout (MCM 8) and USS Rushmore (LSD 47), at the Navy and Medical Readiness Training Command (NMRTC)/Naval Medical Center San Diego, with 1st Marine Division (Fleet Marine Force), and as the 4th Director, Command Senior Enlisted Leadership (CSEL) Management Office.
Navy Medicine and military service has long held special meaning for Mangaran, even before his entry into naval service.
Mangaran’s family tree includes a maternal great grandfather who, while serving as an Army medic in World War II, was captured and later survived the Bataan Death March. His maternal grandfather helped train guerillas in the Philippines in the resistance against the Imperial Japanese invasion. His father, Hospital Corps Chief Petty Officer (HMC) (ret.) Paul Mangaran, enlisted in the U.S. Navy from the Philippines serving as an undesignated seaman before embarking on a 21-year career as a hospital corpsman.
Today, Mangaran credits his father, mother, and his wife (also a retired Hospital Corps Chief Petty Officer) for their sage guidance and serving as inspirations. He also acknowledges many of his father’s protegees who, early in his career, served as his mentors and imparted lessons of hard-work, taking responsibility and learning from mistakes — all of which have shaped his outlook.
“I learned through them how to navigate around a ship on my own,” Mangaran said. “As they say, sometimes the shortest way to find yourself is to get lost.”