Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston –
The
unveiling of a portrait of retired Maj. Gen. Kimberly Ann Siniscalchi took
place at an unlikely, but fitting venue, as the event was held at the Air Force
Nursing Practice Oversight Course held at a downtown San Antonio hotel, 12 Apr.
“To
have the opportunity to serve as Chief of the Air Force Nurse Corps and be part
of a longstanding tradition to have a portrait is a great honor, Siniscalchi said.
“The portraits are only done for the Surgeons General and the Chiefs of the
various Corps.”
Siniscalchi
was an Assistant Air Force Surgeon General, Medical
Force Development, and Assistant Air Force Surgeon General, Nursing Services,
Office of the Surgeon General, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Falls Church, Va.
Siniscalchi
said portraits of the Air Force Nurse Corps chiefs were originally hung where
medical training began for Airmen – at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.
The
portraits were hung at that location until 2005, when the Base Closure
and Realignment Commission relocated
training to the Medical Education Training Campus at Joint Base San
Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.
The
decision not to move the portraits JBSA-Fort Sam Houston museum was made because
all the portraits could not be hung together.
It
was decided to move the Dental Corps photos to the Wilford Hall Ambulatory
Surgical Center, while the hospital administrator’s photos would be hung at
METC and the other corps, biomedical science, nurse corps and surgeon general photos
would be relocated to the 711th Human Performance Wing at Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base, Ohio.
“The
meaning of having a portrait displayed first dawned on me was when I walked the
hallways at the 882nd Training Group at Sheppard Air Force Base,” Siniscalchi said.
“As I learned a little about the journey of each member in the portrait, I
realized to have my portrait there would be a great honor.”