lunes, 8 de mayo de 2017

Military Health System chief points to thousands of everyday heroes during DC dinner honoring military medicine | Health.mil

Military Health System chief points to thousands of everyday heroes during DC dinner honoring military medicine | Health.mil

Health.mil

Military Health System chief points to thousands of everyday heroes during DC dinner honoring military medicine

Dr. David Smith, currently performing the duties of the assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, speaks during the Heroes of Military Medicine dinner in Washington, D.C., May 4, 2017.

Dr. David Smith, currently performing the duties of the assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, speaks during the Heroes of Military Medicine dinner in Washington, D.C., May 4, 2017.



Dr. David Smith, currently performing the duties of the assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, speaks during the Heroes of Military Medicine dinner in Washington, D.C., May 4, 2017.
The event recognized members of the military who have distinguished themselves through excellence and selfless dedication to advancing military medicine and enhancing the lives and health of the nation’s wounded, ill, and injured service members, veterans, and civilians. Honorees represent their respective services as Heroes of Military Medicine. They include: Air Force Lt. Col Benjamin Mitchell, emergency medicine physician and flight surgeon with Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), 720th Operations Support Squadron – Operating Location Delta in Birmingham, Alabama; Army Col. John Oh, a trauma critical care surgeon at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland; and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Tatana Olson, the Operational Psychology Department Head at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute in Pensacola, Florida.
In addition, Medal of Honor recipient retired Army Staff Sgt. Ty Carter was presented the Ambassador Award, and Army Gen. Raymond Thomas, commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, received the Senior Leader Award (and was represented in person by his deputy commander, Marine Lt. Gen. Joseph Osterman).
While the awards honored a handful of individuals, Smith used the occasion to talk about the 165,000 members of the Military Health System, who, in their own ways, are heroes every day.
“In some cases, heroes risk their lives on the battlefield to preserve the lives of others,” said Smith. “In some cases a hero makes good on the heroism of those battlefield heroes by ensuring that our wounded service members, once evacuated from the battlefield, get the best care that trained hands and medical technology can offer.”
Smith added that a hero encourages others to seek help when dealing with the “searing experience of combat,” while heroes can also be leaders who create the culture that inspires every service member to look after and care for their fellow warfighter. He credited the Army, Navy, Air Force, Public Health Service, academic and research partners, and Department of Defense civilians for working together and building teams of medical professionals around the world.
“It takes all of us,” said Smith, adding that while people can’t tell what service a care provider represents in an operating room, they can tell how well-prepared those medical professionals are. “They are ready.  Ready to save a life, deliver a baby, reassure an anxious parent, or provide the mental health counseling that many of us need.” 

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