Journal 062614

Vol. 26 No. 25 www.cnic.navy.mil/bethesda/ June 26, 2014

By Mass CommunicationSpecialist 2nd Class

BrandonWilliams-Church

NSAB Public Affairsstaff writer

June 17 was a special dayfor a select few onboard NavalSupport Activity Bethesda.Members of the Duck Dy-

nasty television show, alongwith Washington Nationalsbaseball player Adam La-Roche, visited staff membersand wounded warriors at theUSO Warrior and Family Cen-ter, spending time chattingand taking pictures with theirguests.Duck Dynasty stars Willie

Robertson and wife Korie andJep Robertson and wife Jes-sica showed compassion andvigor in listening to storiesand engaging in personal con-versations.“I’ve always appreciated

the men and women that helpdefend our rights,” said Wil-lie. “Without them there is no[television] show and we can’tlive our lifestyle.”Korie echoed similar senti-

ments.“We are so excited to be

here and meet everybody. Wesupport the military and prayfor [them] all the time. We’reexcited to see everybody’sspirit and positivity. We loveour country and are happy tospread love to the troops.”For Willie and Korie, who

have family members whoserved in the military, com-ing to the USO to share somequality time with the guestswas more than just a simplemeet and greet but rather anopportunity to hear from thepeople who stepped on thefrontlines themselves.“My uncle Si was in the

Army for 24 and a half years,so I have a deep appreciation[for the military] and whatthey do for us,” said Willie.

“It’s fun with the platformthat we have now to go aroundand put smiles on some faces.We just love giving back.”Korie said both of her

grandfathers served in themilitary and from a youngage instilled in her a heavyrespect for the service mem-bers and what they do for thecountry. “They would be veryproud that we do this for the[troops],” she said.LaRoche spent his time

mingling with the guests, dis-cussing baseball and pettingthe service dog that was inattendance. To the surpriseof Army Sgt. Corey Collins, asLaRoche was leaving, he tookoff his special edition Indepen-dence Day jersey, autographed

it, and handed it to Collins.“It was really cool to meet

him,” said Collins. “He wasdown to earth and I even talk-ed the man out of his jerseyand he signed it! I said, ‘whatdo I have to do to get your jer-sey?’ He said, ‘actually I can’tgive it away because I’ve beengiving out too many jerseys,I’ll get in trouble,’ but beforehe left, he pulled it off, signedit and then gave it to me.”Army Sgt. Jodie Gomez said

meeting the crew from DuckDynasty and Adam LaRochewas a great time.“Meeting everybody was

awesome,” said Gomez. “I was

USO Tour Brings Duck Dynasty and Adam LaRoche to Bethesda

Navy Master-at-Arms 1st Class Raymond Herrera(left) take a picture with Washington Nationals base-ball player Adam LaRoche outside of the USO War-rior and Family Center.

Photos by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brandon Williams-Church

Duck Dynsaty star Willie Robertson (middle) poses for a picture with Army Sgt. Corey Collins and his wifeKatie at the USO Warrior and Family Center June 17.

See USO page 9

2 Thursday, June 26, 2014 The Journal

Stages of HealingStages of Healing at Walter Reed Bethesda

will host the following events:• today at noon in Clark Auditorium, the

musical “Soul on Fire.”• today at 5 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium,

a singer workshop.• tomorrow at noon in the America

Building, 4th floor (CAPS), musical theaterwriting workshop.• tomorrow at 6 p.m. in the Memorial

Auditorium, “Soul on Fire.”• Monday at noon in the America Building

lobby, singer and pianist Brendan James• Monday at 2:15 p.m. in the America

Building lobby, the Cuesta College.For more information about Stages of

Healing events, contact Lt. Cmdr. MicahSickel at 301-295-2492.

Leadership Forum, Town HallWalter Reed Bethesda Leadership Forum

will be Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. in the MemorialAuditorium. The medical center’s town hallswill be July 8 at 7 a.m., noon and 3:30 p.m.in the Memorial Auditorium. All Walter ReedBethesda staff members are encouraged toattend at least one of the town hall meetings.

TeamSTEPPS TrainingTeamSTEPPS (Team Strategies and Tools

to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety)will conduct a four-hour fundamentals courseJuly 14. There will also be a two-day train thetrainer course for TeamSTEPPS July 30 to31. TeamSTEPPS is designed to improve pa-tient outcomes by improving communicationand teamwork skills. Continuing educationunits are possible through Duke University.For registration, times and location, contactHospital Education and Training, Navy Lt.Asia Raheem at [email protected] call 301-400-2822, or Army Sgt. DerekAwantoh at [email protected] call 301-400-0707.

Bethesda Notebook

I want to begin this editionof Commandant’s Corner tocongratulate those who wererecognized this week by theSecretary of the Navy at anawards ceremony for distin-guishing themselves in ac-tions during and in responseto the tragic shooting at theNavy Yard on Sept. 16, 2013.I would also like to reassureeveryone that the awards pre-sented this week represent arelatively small number of the people whowill ultimately be recognized. In the firstceremony, those receiving the highest level ofaward were recognized, along with externalorganizations that made great contributionsto the recovery process. The common factoramong the awards presented in the first cer-emony was actual contact with the shooter.The fact that we have a great many awardeeswho remain to be recognized by either me orthe appropriate commanding officer shouldnot be thought to diminish the value of theachievement or respect that should be afford-ed to the recipient. The remaining awardswill be presented at a ceremony that will bescheduled very soon.

I want to let you know about a new pro-gram that will be a tremendous benefit tocivilian employees. The Department of theNavy (DON) has partnered with the Depart-ment of Health and Human Services FederalOccupational Health (FOH) to implement thenew DON Civilian Employee Assistance Pro-gram (DONCEAP).

DONCEAP now provides a free central-ized resource for more than 200,000 civilianemployees and family members to access avariety of work and life programs. These ser-vices include access to in-person counselors,incident and crisis response management,work/life specialists and general consultants.Employees may receive support from coun-selors on issues such as legal and financialconcerns, relationships, substance abuse,family concerns or any matter that may af-fect their work. Going far beyond counseling,the work and life specialists can provide em-

ployees and family memberswith information and resourcereferrals to child and elderlycare, adoption services, creditand debt tips, prenatal careand other services.

It is really designed to helpyou maintain a balance be-tween what you do here atNaval District Washington(NDW) as part of your normaljob responsibilities and thoseissues in your personal life

that impact your sense of well-being. I wantto help each and every one of you to be atyour best.

For more information on DONCEAP, visitthe website or call 1-844-DONCEAP, or emailthe DON Human Resources FAQ at [email protected]. Visitors will be asked to iden-tify their command and what service theywould like. This information does not iden-tify the actual visitor, only the command forregionalized referrals.

While we are discussing families, we justkicked off the annual “Feds Feed Families”food drive. This annual food drive is one ofthe largest annual charitable campaigns inthe nation with federal employees donatingfood in the summer months when need is atits highest for children out of school not re-ceiving subsidized meals. One single can, boxor bag of food means kids this summer willstill receive breakfast, lunch and dinner! Iencourage you to seek out the donation boxesat your installations and contribute to thisvery worthwhile cause.

Finally, on Monday, June 30 the Washing-ton Navy Yard Coalition of Sailors AgainstDestructive Decisions chapter and NDW/Na-val Support Activity Washington diversitycommittee will stage a pride walk in recog-nition of June as LBGT Pride Month begin-ning at Willard Park and concluding with a“burger burn” back at the park. I hope to seeyou there.

Thanks you, stay safe and keep charging!Rear Adm. Markham K. RichCommandant,Naval District Washington

Commandant’s Corner

Published by offset every Thurs-day by Comprint Military Publi-cations, 9030 Comprint Court,Gaithersburg, Md. 20877, a pri-vate firm in no way connectedwith the U.S. Navy, under ex-clusive written contract with theWalter Reed National MilitaryMedical Center, Bethesda, Md.This commercial enterprise news-paper is an authorized publication formembers of the military services. Contentsof The Journal are not necessarily the of-ficial views of, nor endorsed by, the U.S.Government, the Department of Defense,or the Department of Navy. The appearanceof advertising in this publication, includinginserts or supplements, does not constituteendorsement by the Department of De-fense or Comprint, Inc., of the products orservices advertised. Everything advertisedin this publication shall be made availablefor purchase, use or patronage without re-

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Naval Support Activity (NSA) BethesdaCommanding Officer: Capt. David A. BitontiActing Public Affairs Officer NSAB: John EppersonPublic Affairs Office NSAB: 301-400-2488

Journal StaffStaff Writers MC2Ashante Hammons

MC2 Christopher KruckeSarah MarshallKatrina SkinnerJulie SmithSharon Renee Taylor

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NSABethesdaFleet And Family Support Center 301-319-4087

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The Journal Thursday, June 26, 2014 3

By Bernard S. LittleWRNMMC Public Affairs

staff writer

“It was a simple twist offate, and luck, that Lt. Cmdr.Michael Melia happened to benearby the Washington NavyYard at the time of the shootingon Sept. 16, 2013,” said retiredCol. (Dr.) Edward B. Lucci, chiefof the Department of EmergencyMedicine at Walter Reed Na-tional Military Medical Center(WRNMMC).Lucci, Melia’s clinicial super-

visor at WRNMMC, explainedthe lieutenant commander, anemergency physician, was head-ing to Bolling Air Force Basein Southeast Washington, D.C.,that morning when he receivedword of the shooting at the NavyYard, also in the District’s south-east section.While Melia is assigned to

WRNMMC and works clini-cally in its emergency depart-ment, he also teaches emergencymedicine at his alma mater, theUniformed Services Universityof the Health Sciences (USU),and works emergency medicalservices (EMS) issues for theNaval District Washington andNational Capital Region.On the morning of Sept. 16

of last year while heading toBolling, Melia received a phonecall from Navy EMS informinghim of the shooting at theWash-ington Navy Yard. “[He] askeda Metropolitan Police Depart-ment officer for an escort out oftraffic to the Navy Yard,” Lucciexplained. “He managed to getonto the base and join the firstassault team as their primarymedical support. He carries hisown tactical gear in his car, andthe tactical team only allowedhim to join [them] because theyrecognized his name.”Melia carries and maintains

tactical gear and a medical trau-ma bag in his vehicle because heis the regional EMS medical di-rector and teaches tactical emer-gency medical services (TEMS)to multiple federal and state lawenforcement entities.“[He] wasn’t just a doctor

showing up at a shooting andsaying, ‘Hi, I’m a doctor andI’m here to help,’” Lucci added.“He is a very uniquely trainedindividual, schooled to operateseamlessly in the tactical EMSenvironment, and he did so bril-liantly.”On the scene of the shooting,

Melia coordinated with otherfirst responders to establish acasualty collection point. In ad-

dition, he joined an assault teamas they entered an unsecuredarea, where he helped evacuateand provide care to casualties.“He helped rescue many,

many office workers who wereterrified and sheltering inplace,” Lucci stated. “At greatpersonal sacrifice, he entereda very dangerous situation; hisactions were nothing short of he-roic,” Lucci added.For his heroism, Melia was

awarded the Navy and MarineCorps Medal by Secretary ofthe Navy Ray Mabus (SECNAV)and Chief of Naval Operations(CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenertduring a ceremony Monday atthe Washington Navy Yard. Thedecoration is one of the high-est non-combat decorations forheroism the U.S. Department ofthe Navy awards to Sailors andMarines.For his part, the low-key Me-

lia said, “I just wished that Icould have done more that day.I’m humbled and I appreciateeverything that the Navy hasdone.” The Navy physician ex-plained his prior training withthe Marine Corps as a tacticalmedical operator was instru-mental in his unwavering re-sponse during that tragic day.The citation accompanying

his award states Melia “distin-guished himself through acts ofselflessness, bravery and trueheroism during the shootingsand mass murders. Despite anobvious and immediate risk tohis own life, [he] assisted NavalCriminal Investigative Serviceand U.S. Park Police Tactical se-curity forces to locate and neu-

tralize the shooter while pro-viding medical care to woundedcasualties in an unsecured area.“Despite ongoing risks, Lt.

Cmdr. Melia made multiple en-tries into Building 197 in orderto carry casualties to a securedlocation where they could re-ceive medical care,” the cita-tion continues. “His swift and

heroic actions, in the face of animmediate risk to his own life,provided an invaluable benefitto both the security forces andthe innocent victims affected bythese events.”“I believe once he decided

he was going to the Navy Yard,there wasn’t much that was go-ing to stop him,” Lucci said. “Heis also very humble. I know hefelt like he just did his job anddid what anyone would havedone that day.”In addition to being a prior

enlisted Marine, Melia, a gradu-ate of USU, is married to Lt.Cmdr. Shannon Marchegiani,also a physician at WRNMMCand USU graduate. She attend-ed Monday’s solemn ceremonyalong with other members ofMelia’s family.While remembering the vic-

tims and saluting the respond-ers during ceremony, Greenertsaid the heroes of that Septem-ber day provided “a bright lighton a very tough day.“We’re a Navy of Sailors, ci-

vilians and families,” the admi-ral said. “We’re all shipmates.Last September, tragedy struck.Shipmates demonstrated cour-age. They are heroes among ustoday, and heroes who passedthat day for sure. Since that day,you have all embodied resiliency[and] the determination to con-tinue [on]. I’m proud of you.”Mabus added, “The memory

of those killed that day will al-ways burn bright.” He said al-though the wounds of that day,those seen and unseen, will last,“our men and women in uniformand our civilians, work together,serve together [and] overcometogether. We honor the men andwomen we lost, those who gavetheir lives for their country. Wealso honor the law enforcementofficers [and] first responderswho ran into danger to aid andprotect others.We honor the col-leagues, friends and strangerswho assisted each other awayfrom peril and comforted oneanother.”In addition to Melia, seven

other Sailors received the Navyand Marine Corps Medal. SEC-NAV also presented the 12 fallencivilians posthumously with theDistinguished Civilian ServiceMedal for Valor, and awardedthe same honor to 16 survivorsand first responders. He alsopresented the Navy’s Merit forGroup Achievement Award to 11organizations that responded tothe tragedy and assisted its vic-tims.

‘Acts of Selflessness, Bravery, and True Heroism’

Walter Reed Bethesda Physician Honored for Response to Navy Yard Shooting

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus congratulates Lt.Cmdr. (Dr.) Michael Melia after the emergency phy-sician from Walter Reed Bethesda was awarded theNavy and Marine Corps Medal on Monday for his he-roic efforts during the mass shooting at the Washing-ton Navy Yard.

Photos by Bernard S. Little

Navy Lt. Cmdr. (Dr.) Michael Melia is honored by the Navy, Monday for his ac-tions during the shooting at the Washington Navy Yard on Sept. 16, 2013.


By Julie SmithNSAB Public Affairs

staff writer

Professional develop-ment day for a group ofNaval Support ActivityBethesda (NSAB) Armyand Navy junior officers,cadets and midshipmenbegan June 17 with anearly morning van rideto Washington D.C.’s Rea-gan National Airport.They were there to wel-

come an Honor Flight ar-riving with 90 World WarII, Korean War and Viet-namWar veterans comingto the region for the dayto tour their respectivewar memorials.The Honor Flight Net-

work operates throughdonations and sponsor-ships to transport Amer-ica’s veterans to Wash-ington, D.C., to visit me-morials dedicated to pastU.S. military conflictsand the service memberswho fought in them. Vol-unteers greet the HonorFlights at local airports,

showing appreciation forthe veterans as they en-ter the terminal from theairplane. Honor Flightsare conducted at no costto veterans.NSAB Junior Officer

Council President 1st Lt.Regine Faucher said thegoal for the professionaldevelopment day was toshow respect to veteranswho have paved the wayfor today’s service mem-bers and make a connec-

tion to the past.“It’s just so fun. It

brings the past to thepresent. The veterans areso happy, they cry,” Fau-cher said. “It’s a really re-warding experience. You’dhope someone would dothe same for you.”As each veteran de-

parted the Honor Flight,cheers and applauseerupted throughout theterminal with NSAB ser-vice members forming a

passageway for the vet-erans to walk through,while others were trans-ported in wheelchairs.Other volunteers wavedsmall American flags.The U.S. Army Brass

Quintet from Fort Myer,Va., played patriotic mu-sic as the veterans movedthrough the airport.World War II and Kore-

anWar veteran Bruce Bli-etz arrived on the Honor

Flight from Wisconsin tosee the National WorldWar II Memorial and theKorean War VeteransMemorial. He said he was

Junior Officers Welcome Vets, Tour Museum

Navy Lt. Koa Thomas (front) and Junior Of-ficer Council President Army 1st Lt. RegineFaucher (back) light candles June 17 at theUnited States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Photos by Julie Smith

NSAB Junior Officer Council members welcome World War II andKorean War vet Bruce Blietz at Reagan National Airport June 17as he departs an Honor Flight.

See VETS page 9

1036557

1041971


Photo Story by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ashante Hammons

Staff members and wounded warriors get treated to a barbecue lunch provided by the Montgomery Inn from Ohio June 19.

1036559


By Bernard S. LittleWRNMMC Public Affairs

staff writer

Should health care be pro-vided preferentially? Whoshould decide which medicineor research is good to use orconsider, and how should thosedecisions be made? Do the ben-efits of newborn screening out-weigh the sacrifices? What arethe ethical challenges in palli-ative medicine? How does warimpact the delivery of healthcare and what are the ethicsinvolved in military medicine?

These issues, among others,were discussed by nearly 300attendees at the two-day ThirdAnnual Healthcare EthicsSymposium (AHES) hosted byWalter Reed National MilitaryMedical Center (WRNMMC)June 4 to 5.

Focusing on an array oftopics related to this year’ssymposium theme, “EthicalChallenges in Medicine,” pre-senters included military andcivilian physicians, psychia-trists, chaplains, bioethicistsand other health care pro-viders and specialists fromWRNMMC, Uniformed Ser-vices University of the HealthSciences (USU), GeorgetownUniversity (GU), East Caroli-na University (ECU), MedStarWashington Hospital Center(WHC), and the Food and DrugAdministration (FDA).

In addition to WRNMMCstaff members, other attend-ees at the symposium includedthose from the U.S. Customsand Border Protection, De-partment of Veterans Affairs(VA), Virginia Military Insti-tute, Defense Health Agency,U.S. Department of State, U.S.Department of Homeland Se-curity, Pentagon, National In-stitutes of Health (NIH) andU.S. Navy Bureau of Medicineand Surgery.

Army Chaplain (Maj.) Ste-phen Pratel Sr., a bioethicistin the Department of PastoralCare at WRNMMC, one of thelead organizers for the event,explained the symposium ispart of a “long-standing tradi-tion of ethical reflection andinstruction” started by the for-mer Walter Reed Army Medi-cal Center (WRAMC) and for-mer National Naval MedicalCenter (NNMC) before theyintegrated to form WRNMMCin the fall of 2011. The sympo-sium has continued since theintegration.

“For over 23 years, theWalter Reed Bethesda EthicsCommittee and Departmentof Pastoral Care have broughtworld-class ethics educationand training to the militarymedical community,” Pratelsaid.

Dr. Kevin FitzGerald, a re-search associate professor inthe Division of Biochemistryand Pharmacology of the De-partment of Oncology and theDr. David P. Lauler Chair forCatholic Health Care Ethicsat Georgetown, began the pre-sentations with a discussion ofethics and genetic medicine. AJesuit priest, FitzGerald hasinvestigated abnormal generegulation in cancer and ethi-cal issues in human genetics,including the ethical and so-cial ramifications of moleculargenetics research.

In providing ethical reflec-tions on genetic medicine,FitzGerald said, “We need tounderstand better what wemean when we talk about us-ing genomics and genetics to‘type’ people and ‘bring themback to health’ because around

the world people are different.We are not going to have thesame health for everybody,”he added. “We have differentsusceptibility to different dis-eases, and a treatment whichis good for one person may notbe good for another person.”

FitzGerald also discussedthe ethical issues involved inpatient consent and privacyin genomics and genetics re-search protocol. “If I find outsomething about you, I’m go-ing to know something aboutyour siblings, and your par-ents, and your nieces andnephews, and your grandkids,and pretty much your wholefamily, so can I just ask youfor your consent?” That is anethical dilemma in genetic re-search, he explained.

Following FitzGerald, re-tired Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) JasonHigginson spoke about thepromise and peril of newbornscreening (NBS), discussingthe legal and ethical concernsarising from NBS programs.He explained while all statesrequire newborn screening forevery infant, the number of

conditions on a state’s screen-ing panel varies from stateto state. Each state’s publichealth department decidesboth the number and types ofconditions on its panel.

The director of neonatol-ogy and medical director ofthe ECU Neonatal IntensiveCare Unit, Higginson posedthe question, “Should parentalconsent be a requirement fornewborn screening?” In somestates, parents can only refuseto have their child screened ifthe screening conflicts witha parent’s religious tenets orpractices.

He added while newbornscreening is beneficial to en-sure babies are tested forcertain serious conditions atbirth to allow treatment ear-ly, screening for research andstorage can raise ethical con-cerns. Higginson also posedthe question if it is ethicalor not for parents to base thefate of their newborns on theresults of screening.

Another neonatologist, Lt.Cmdr. (Dr.) Theo Stokes, fol-lowed Higginson’s presenta-

tion and discussed the chal-lenge of communication inpatient care.

The associate program di-rector for the National Capi-tal Consortium PediatricsResidency and an assistantprofessor in the Departmentof Pediatrics at USU, Stokesexplained communicationtraining for many clinicians isinadequate resulting in lack ofempathy for patients and theirfamilies in challenging situa-tions. He shared two quotesfrom patients to emphasizethis point.

One patient stated, “… youwant to say ‘help me’ [but theclinicians] just come, give in-formation and leave.”

The other patient stated,“We don’t expect the physicianto make the decision for us,but we need to feel that, well,that the physician…treats usmore humanely…not like a cli-ent.”

Stokes explained “empathydemonstrates care and buildstrust.” He added patients feel

Symposium Focuses on Ethical Challenges in Medicine

Photo by Bernard S. Little

From left, retired Army Col. (Dr.) Michael Roy, retired Army Col. (Dr.) Brian Cuneo and Army Lt. Col. (Dr.)Ramey Wilson discuss the ethical challenges in military medicine during the second day of the two-day ThirdAnnual Healthcare Ethics Symposium at Walter Reed Bethesda June 5.

See MEDICINE page 10


By Sharon Renee TaylorWRNMMC Public Affairs

staff writer

Wearing his dress blue Armyuniform, a Bronze Star hungfrom a burgundy ribbon aroundCol. (Dr.) Michael H. Mitchell’sneck. An assortment of ribbonsand medals covered the chestof his uniform — the CombatMedical Badge, the Legion ofMerit and the Order of MilitaryMedical Merit.The 75-year-old colonel, re-

tiring after 38 years in theArmy, tried to count how manytimes he has seen his uniformchange: five times roughly, de-pending on how you put themtogether, he guessed.“My favorite practice uni-

form for day-to-day was thekhakis. I wish we would goback to that,” Mitchell said, asa smile emerged.Life in the Army has been

excellent, according to the phy-sician, who for nearly four de-cades in uniform, treated chil-dren and adults with epilepsy,headaches or brain tumors, aswell as congenital or learningdisorders before his retirementin April. He recalled what he’ll

remember most as a militaryphysician.“Many, many patients, some

of whom I took care of for over30 years, and the people Itrained, including the current[pediatric neurology] program

director, I’ve trained 30 childneurologists. And the manyother staff I interacted with —I value their friendship,” Mitch-ell said.Were they surprised that he

was still in uniform?“Oh yes, many,” he answered.

“Many of my fellows have re-tired … I’m working with peo-ple who are on staff here asretirees that I knew as internsand medical students,” he said.Mitchell joined the faculty

of Uniformed Service Univer-sity of Health Sciences (USU)in 1979, a year after the schoolfirst opened. He will continue toserve as professor in neurologyand pediatrics at the university.He added he has had a hand intraining virtually all pediatricneurologists in uniform since1983 – Army, Navy, Air Forceand Public Health Service. “Al-most all of them,” he continued.It’s a long legacy. “It’s one I’mreally happy about.”His career in pediatric neu-

rology has been fulfilling, heexplained. “Trying to help kidswith neurological problems,when you’re successful, it’svery rewarding,” he said.Early on, Mitchell looked to

a career in medicine. “I hadhoped to be a doctor, sinceabout 12 years old — that’swhat I wanted to do,” he said.Born to a nurse and an

Army test pilot in California,Mitchell’s father, Maj. HewittF. Mitchell, was killed dur-ing World War II in 1943. “Hehad said many times that hadhe had the opportunity hewould’ve been a physician, andI think that was influential,”the doctor said of his father.Mitchell completed his un-

dergraduate and medicalschool education at StanfordUniversity, married his wife(the now retired Army Lt. Col.Madeline Mitchell) two weeksbefore he left for Vietnam whenhe was drafted to serve as abattalion surgeon, and earnedthe Bronze Star and CombatMedical Badge. Staying in themilitary for a few more years atthe Field Service School of Epi-demiology, he also served as aninstructor before returning tocivilian life for nearly 10 years.Mitchell then returned to ac-

tive duty and served at the for-mer Letterman Medical Centerin California, while his wifeattended medical school before

she joined the Army as a pa-thologist. In February 1983, hepinned on the rank of colonel.Eventually, he moved the

family, which now included sonGregory and daughter Elisa-beth, to Potomac, Md. Amonghis many positions, Mitchellwas chief of pediatrics andworked as a neurology con-sultant at the former WalterReed Army Medical Center(WRAMC).Due to retire in 2006,

Mitchell was recalled to activeduty and continued to serveat WRAMC, then moved toWalter Reed Bethesda whenWRAMC integrated with theformer National Naval MedicalCenter (NNMC) in the fall of2011 to form Walter Reed Na-tional Military Medical Center(WRNMMC) Bethesda.He explained, as a retiree re-

call with more than 30 years ofservice, he did not have to takethe Army’s physical training(PT) test, did not get an OfficerEvaluation Report and was notpromotable. “Three things thatwere just perfect for me,” helaughed.But the septuagenarian in-

75-Year-Old Soldiers Hangs Up Uniform

Photo by Sharon Renee Taylor

After nearly 40 years inuniform, Army Col. (Dr.)Michael H. Mitchell re-cently retired. Scheduledto retired in 2006, Mitch-ell was recalled to activeduty until his retirementlast month at WalterReed Bethesda.

By Sarah MarshallWRNMMC Public Affairs

staff writer

While deployed to Afghani-stan, Army Sgt. Chris Hemwallworked alongside medics whotaught him basic life supporttechniques and even providedhim a tourniquet, which hewould use to save his own lifeduring an ambush in March2011.The deployment also helped

spark Hemwall’s interest inearning an emergency medi-cal technician (EMT) certifi-cation that he received thismonth from the EMT train-ing course at Walter Reed Na-tional Military Medical Center(WRNMMC), making him thefirst wounded warrior to com-plete the course at the nation’smedical center.The Army cavalry scout lost

his right leg after the ambush

in Afghanistan and has beenin treatment at WRNMMC forroughly three years. The Sol-dier said he is pleased to be thefirst wounded warrior to com-plete the course at WRNMMC,but couldn’t have done it with-out support from his leadershipand his wife, Valerie.“All of my squad leaders

stepped in one way or another,”Hemwall said. “I have an amaz-ing support group.”The training, May 5 through

June 5, followed national guide-lines and included 125 hours ofcourse work and hands-on in-struction, Hemwall said, suchas basic lifesaving skills, firstaid and CPR (cardiopulmonaryresuscitation). It was challeng-ing, as it covered material fromseveral book chapters each dayand required participants totake, and pass, multiple teststhroughout the month, he add-ed.At the end of the course, par-

ticipants had to pass a finalexam, and those who did notpass had to retake the entiretraining, Hemwall explained.Those who passed, includingHemwall, were eligible to takethe National Registry of Emer-gency Medical Technicians(NREMT) exam to receive na-tional EMT certification. OnJune 16, the wounded warriortook and passed the NREMTexam on the first try. Accordingto the NREMT website, of thosewho took the exam last year inMaryland, less than 70 percentpassed on their first try.Prior to earning his certi-

fication, Hemwall explainedhis leadership ensured he wasmedically clear to participate,and that he was still able tomake his appointments. Now inthe process of medically retir-ing from the military, he plansto start an internship with theFire Department onboard Na-val Support Activity Bethesda

this summer. He also hopes tovolunteer as an EMT for Mont-gomery County.Hemwall said he has always

looked up to his father, a fire-fighter, and hopes to go intoeither firefighting or law en-forcement when he is out of themilitary so he can continue toserve.“I want to serve my commu-

nity and serve their families,keep their families safe whilethey’re gone, [and] give thempeace of mind,” Hemwall said.With these aspirations, the

Soldier said he decided to takeadvantage of the EMT trainingoffered at WRNMMC. While heis proud of this achievement, hesaid, overall, he is proud of thepeople he has come to know inthe military, and is proud tosay he was able to provide aidto others in combat. While sta-

‘Aiming High’Wounded Warrior First to Complete EMT Training at WRB

Courtesy photo

Army Sgt. Chris Hemwallwith his one-year-old son,Colton. Hemwall recentlybecame the first woundedwarrior to complete EMTtraining at Walter ReedBethesda. See EMT page 8

See SOLDIER page 9


tioned near Kandahar Province, Hemwall was shotthree times during an ambush, suffering nerve dam-age and later losing his right leg. Two of his fellowservice members were killed in the attack and threeothers were wounded, he said.Billy Mitchell, program director of Emergency and

Tactical Medicine at WRNMMC, attests to Hemwall’s

determination. An EMT training instructor, Mitchellsaid Hemwall was motivated and “very cheerful,” and“an inspiration to those around him.”“He showed by example that he didn’t make any

excuses for anything,” Mitchell said. “I do believe hewill succeed in whatever he does because he has thedrive, determination and heart to complete any task.”Hemwall’s squad leader, Sgt. Luis Rivera, 2nd Pla-

toon, Battle Company, Warrior Transition Brigade,shared the same sentiment, stating, “Sgt. Hemwall isalways trying to find a way to improve in his careerfor his family … Sgt. Hemwall is an exceptional Sol-

dier and a role model for any Soldier in transition.You will always see him motivated and trying to pushother Soldiers to progress in their recovery.”Not only is he an exceptional Soldier, but a friend,

Rivera added.“[Sgt. Hemwall] will not only take care of other

Soldiers, he will do his best to take care of his leader-ship,” he continued. “If you are having a bad day, theperson you want to come to see is Sgt. Hemwall. Hewill do his best to make you laugh and will alwaysoffer himself to help.”Rivera also said he believes the wounded warrior

will be successful in his future endeavors because heis motivated to overcome any obstacle. He added,“Sgt. Hemwall is a pure example of what an NCO isin the U.S. Army and why NCOs are the backbone ofthe Army.”Hemwall’s greatest accomplishment, though, is be-

ing a role model to his fellow service members andespecially to his 1-year-old son, Hemwall said.The Soldier added he enjoys keeping busy. He’s

also working on earning a SCUBA certification and issubmitting his times to the Warrior Games, in hopesof being chosen as an alternate for either the bikingor running competitions.

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surprised at the acknowledgement theveterans received at the airport.“It’s pretty wild and something you

wouldn’t anticipate or expect,” Blietzsaid.According to the Honor Flight Net-

work website, the organization oper-ates about six flights per year carry-ing veterans to the local area from allacross the country. Honor Flight Net-work gives priority to senior veterans,such as those who served in World WarII, or veterans who are terminally ill.The organization will continue to serveveterans from all wars, including themost recent conflicts in Afghanistanand Iraq.“This is one of the best ways to give

back to those who served,” Faucher said.“As service members, we can enjoy ev-erything we’ve been enjoying, like mili-tary benefits and recognition, because

of them and just thank them for whatthey’ve done.”After welcoming the Honor Flight,

the Junior Officer Council continuedtheir professional development day bytouring the United States HolocaustMemorial Museum. The museum docu-ments the Nazi party’s rise to power,the systematic persecution of the Jewsand the ensuing military conflict,WorldWar II.“We like to show our junior officers

what the area has to offer, and it’s al-ways good to start with a museum,”Faucher said.Navy midshipman Ron Micklos said

a full-size train car exhibit that de-scribed how Jews were transportedfrom ghettos to concentration campsreally moved him emotionally.“They fit 100 people in one of those,”

Micklos said.The United States Holocaust Memo-

rial Museum is open every day of theyear except for Yom Kippur and Christ-mas Day. Admission to the museum isfree.

VETSContinued from 4

sists he can easily pass the Army PTtest, explaining he eats moderately asa “semi-vegetarian” and enjoys hiking,some running and walking the dogs.Civilian pediatrician and geneticist

Dr. Sondra Levin worked with Mitchellat WRAMC and WRNMMC. She calledhim “a neurologist’s neurologist” for hisexpertise and clinical judgment, andsaid he will be remembered for “hiskindness toward colleagues, his kind-ness toward patients and families andhis wisdom.”“It’s just been an incredible privi-

lege the entire time that I’ve known

you,” Army Col. (Dr.) Jamie Grimes toldMitchell at his retirement ceremonyon May 14. She assumed his positionas chief of neurology. “I was a meagerpsychiatry resident in 1995,” she said,recalling when the two met. “I got to be-come a neurologist, and I am indebtedto you forever.”Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) David Dennison,

also a neurologist at WRNMMC, readMitchell’s retirement orders at the cer-emony.“You are officially released from ac-

tive duty and placed on the retirementlist,” Dennison read. “The people of theUnited States express a thanks andgratitude for the faithful service.”Although officially retired, Mitch-

ell said he’ll continue to serve atWRNMMC as a Red Cross volunteeruntil he returns to California.

SOLDIERContinued from 7

trying to get the Duck Dynasty peo-ple to take me hunting. “[Every oneof them] was down to earth and youcould tell they cared about being here.They actually sat down and spent a lotof time talking with us individually.It wasn’t just a photo opportunity forthem. I give it up to the [people] thattake the time out of their own sched-ules to come and see us because they

don’t need to. I have a much better ap-preciation for them as individuals.”Army Sgt. Adam Mckcrick and Col-

lins had similar feelings about the ex-perience.“They were very personable,” said

Mckcrick. “I could probably sit withthem for hours and talk about any-thing with them. It was really nice tosee that they interacted with every-body. I would love to get to hang outwith them again.”“It was an amazing experience all

around and awesome having the USObring people like that in to boost mo-rale,” Collins said.

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abandoned when their providers seemuntouched by their emotional suffer-ing, and physicians who express theirown emotions are perceived as morecompassionate and trustworthy.Empathy also facilitates shared

decision-making, Stokes continued.He added empathy can be verbalizedusing the acronym NURSE — Naming(“it sounds like…”); Understanding(“I’m hearing you say…”); Respecting(“I’m impressed by…”); Supporting(“I’ll be here for you…”); Exploring(“tell me more…”).He explained empathy helps facili-

tate better communication in manydifficult patient care situations, andalso help clinicians determine thevalues of patients and their families— who will be making the health caredecisions with recommendations fromtheir providers.Dr. Valencia Clay also discussed

patients and family making difficultdecisions. Clay, who is leading thecreation of a palliative care serviceat WRNMMC, explained palliativemedicine uses an interdisciplinaryapproach to obtain pain and symptomcontrol; address psychosocial and spir-itual issues; and assist with complex

medical decision-making, end-of-lifediscussions and coordination of care.She added autonomy, a fundamen-

tal ethical principle of palliative care,is the basis for informed consent (theprocess for getting a person’s permis-sion before conducting health careintervention) and advanced directive(a legal document in which a personspecifies what actions should be takenfor their health if they are no longerable to make decisions for themselvesbecause of illness or incapacity).“It’s about what do you want as a

patient,” she stated.Dr. James Walter, Austin and Ann

O’Malley professor emeritus of bioeth-ics for Loyola Marymount Universityin Los Angeles, concluded day one ofthe symposium with a discussionabout the ethics of palliative sedationfor dying patients in refractory pain.Day two of the symposium primar-

ily focused on ethics in military medi-cine, and retired Army Col. MichaelRoy began the presentations with adiscussion on providers’ roles in war.Professor of medicine and director

of the Division of Military InternalMedicine at USU and director of Re-cruitment for USU’s Center for Neu-roscience and Regenerative Medicine,Roy explained war brings significantethical challenges for military physi-cians because of their dual roles asmedical professionals and members of

the armed forces. He said these dualroles have the potential to come intoconflict. He explained in war, physi-cians must be mindful of the legalconstraints within which they providecare, and that they are obligated to re-port potential infractions of interna-tional or U.S. laws. In addition, clini-cians may face situations not coveredby existing laws but involve potentialmedical ethical violations. He addedif deployed providers need guidancein morally or ethically ambiguous cir-cumstances, legal authority is hier-archical, beginning with the GenevaConventions, as well as advice fromthe unit’s chaplain, since they havetraining in combat ethics.“We are really health care providers

first,” Roy said. “The final guidelineis really [the physician’s own] moralcompass and personal integrity.” Hesaid this is why it’s important mili-tary medical training programs in-clude ethics education so physicianscan understand the challenges theymay face and are aware of the ethicaland legal principles that should guidetheir actions.After his presentation, Roy was

joined in a panel discussion by retiredArmy Col. (Dr.) Brian Cuneo and ArmyLt. Col. (Dr.) Ramey Wilson about ethi-cal challenges in military medicine.Cuneo is a retired Army colonel

and currently works in pulmonaryand critical care medicine at MedStarWashington Hospital Center. He hasdelivered medical care in Micronesia,Mongolia and Iraq, in addition to de-ployments in Honduras, Panama andKuwait. Wilson is a general internalmedicine fellow.The panelists agreed there are sig-

nificant ethical challenges for militaryphysicians, especially during war, andrecent actions by health care providersin Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bayhave been broadly scrutinized. Theyagreed deciding what to report canbe difficult, but the physician’s pro-fessional integrity and ethics shouldcompel them to report any situationin which a patient is being harmed ormedical ethics are compromised.“I tell my medics that the goal at

the end of a deployment is for all of usto come home with honor, proud of ourservice and knowing we did the bestthat we could,” Wilson said.During the final panel discussion,

Dr. Edmund Grant Howe, of USU,discussed efforts by members of theAmerican Society for Bioethics andHumanities during the last year; Dr.James J. Walter gave an overviewof the Affordable Care Act; Dr. SaraFay Goldkind of the FDA addressedresearch ethics; and Pratel spoke ofspirituality in health care.

“Issues of spirituality can be like athorny bush for a lot of people, evenfor ministers,” Pratel said. “How doyou honor a person’s spirituality inthe course of your care for them?”He added medicine and religion has

a long, related history with many ofthe first healers being priests around3000 B.C.Pratel said patient-centered care

really can’t be provided without hon-oring a patient’s spirituality. He wenton to note a 2011 Gallup poll showed90 percent of adults in America be-lieve in God or some type of a higherpower; people want spiritually sensi-tive care; and spirituality has beenlinked to positive health outcomes andpoor health outcomes (some believingtheir illness may be caused by Satan,or that they didn’t pray properly andtheir illness persists).“Spirituality is an important part

of well-being and health care, and [it]cannot be separated from treatment,”Pratel added. “Spirituality shouldnot dictate medical care, but we alsoshouldn’t go to the extreme in whichmedical care limits or dictates a per-son’s spirituality,” he concluded.Dr. Joshua Friedlander, who works

in the Department of Psychiatry atWRNMMC and attended the sympo-sium, said it was very informative andwhat he found most interesting wasthe presentations concerning ethics inwar and military medical care.Among the symposium attendees,

Gary Gregory of the VA agreed, add-ing, “The program is always interest-ing. You have bright people doing cut-ting-edge medicine.”This was a hope for the symposium,

explained Army Maj. (Dr.) Robert J.Walter, chair of the Ethics Committeeat WRNMMC and director of the Na-tional Capital Area Regional Health-care Ethics Consortium who was alsoa lead organizer.“The [symposium] targets ideas and

raises awareness on leading ethical is-sues to [increase] interest in medicalethics as well as competence in rec-ognizing and addressing the issuesmilitary medical professionals andproviders will encounter. Our hope isthe topics provide an opportunity forreflection and discussion, both for whowe may apply these ideals within ourexisting institutions as well as howthey might inspire transformativechange for our community,” he stated.Pratel added the Medical Ethics

Short Course, providing additionalethical training, will be Oct. 14 to 16.Course curriculum and details will bereleased in late July.

MEDICINEContinued from 6

For more news from other bases around the Washington, D.C. area,

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