journal 050814

Vol. 26 No. 18 www.cnic.navy.mil/bethesda/ May 8, 2014

By Bernard S. LittleWRNMMC Public Affairs

staff writer

Walter Reed NationalMilitary Medical Center(WRNMMC) joined the restof the nation in observing theNational Day of Prayer May 1.

This year’s national themewas “One Voice United inPrayer,” and was observedat WRNMMC with a prayerbreakfast and service of prayerand reflection. Prayers weresaid for the nation, its leaders,military members, their fami-lies, the sick and suffering,Walter Reed Bethesda staff,patients, the medical center,the world, and for peace, free-dom and justice.

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey B. Clark,WRNMMC director, welcomedattendees to the prayer break-fast. “I always find it interest-ing we have a month or daydedicated to something we doall the time,” said the general.“I don’t mean that in a nega-tive way, because as I thoughtabout it [observances] remind

us, and give us an opportu-nity to recommit ourselvesto something we ought to bethinking about more than justone month or day.” He added,“Having prayer in our lives isa good thing.”

Retired Sgt. 1st Class Don-ald Francisco was the guestspeaker at the WRNMMCprayer breakfast. He dis-cussed his spiritual journeythrough music. A former mem-ber of the Old Guard Fife andDrum Corps at Joint BaseMyer-Henderson in Arlington,Va., Francisco played the fluteand a variety of other itemstailored to produce flute-likesounds. He currently works atGeorge Washington’s MountVernon Estate as a historyinterpreter and resident Colo-nial fifer.

“I want to be an instrumentof the Lord, so I pray that I canbe in tune with Jesus,” Francis-co said between playing variousinstruments. “We should alsopray to be in harmony with oneanother,” he added.

Hospital Corpsman Jodie

Hartman also performed dur-ing the prayer breakfast, sing-ing songs of reflection and in-spiration.

During the afternoon serviceof prayer and reflection in thehospital chapel at WRNMMC,Chaplain (Maj.) Stephen Pra-tel provided the opening prayer,and prayed for the world, peace,freedom and justice. ImamMohammed Khan providedan Islamic perspective on thevalue of prayer, while Chaplain(Cmdr.) Barry Metzger gave aChristian perspective on thevalue of prayer, and prayedfor the nation and its leaders.Chaplain (Maj.) Susan Caswellprayed for the military andmilitary families, and Chaplain(Lt. Cmdr.) Leslie Sias prayedfor the sick and suffering, theWalter Reed Bethesda staff, pa-

tients and the medical centerduring the service.

“Prayer is an essential partof our lives,” Khan said. Headded prayer involves sub-mission and supplication. Theimam explained in the Islamictradition, prayer is an act forseeking guidance, forgivenessand mercy for all.

In praying for the nationand leaders, Metzger readfrom 1 Timothy Chapter 1,which states “prayers be madefor everyone, for kings andall who are in authority, thatpeople may lead peaceful andquiet lives in godliness andholiness.”

Praying for the military, ci-vilians and military families,Caswell said, “We honor andrecognize the brave heroeswho proudly wear the uni-

forms of our military services.Strengthen their resiliency asthey confront the challenges ofeach day. We honor and recog-nize our civilians, contractorsand volunteers for providingessential services and continu-ity for our country. Grant themenergy as they face the de-mands of each day. Thank youfor our families and friends.We pray for the safe return ofall those in harm’s way andsuccessful reunions of couplesand families, and the smoothreintegration of our veterans.”

Sias urged those who aresick and suffering to “casttheir cares on the Lord, and hewill sustain you” as it statesin Psalms 55:22. He addedthe Lord uses the WRNMMC

‘One Voice United In Prayer’

Walter Reed Bethesda Observes National Day of Prayer

Photos by Bernard S. Little

At the Warrior Cafe during the 2014 National Day of Prayer, prayers are saidfor the world, nation, military, military families, the ill and injured and for peace.

Religious Program Specialist 1st Class Jarzaline Du-bose enjoys the 2014 National Day of Prayer break-fast with her son Jamari at the Warrior Cafe on boardNaval Support Activity Bethesda.

See PRAYER page 9

2 Thursday, May 8, 2014 The Journal

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-

gard to race, color, religion, sex,national origin, age, maritalstatus, physical handicap,political affiliation, or anyother non-merit factor of thepurchaser, user, or patron.Editorial content is edited,prepared and provided bythe Public Affairs Office, Naval

Support Activity Bethesda, Md.News copy should be submitted to

the Public Affairs Office, Building 11, lowerlevel, Room 41, by noon one week pre-ceding the desired publication date. Newsitems are welcomed from all installationsources. Inquiries about news copy will beanswered by calling 301-400-1381. Com-mercial advertising should be placed withthe publisher by telephoning 301-921-2800.Publisher’s advertising offices are locatedat 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Md.20877. Classified ads can be placed by call-ing 301-670-1700.

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 Sarah Marshall

Katrina SkinnerJulie SmithSharon Renee Taylor

Managing Editor MC3BrandonWilliams-ChurchWRNMMC Editor Bernard Little

NSABethesdaFleet And Family Support Center 301-319-4087

Walter Reed National Military Medical CenterOffice of Media Relations 301-295-5727

NSAB OmbudsmanMichelle Herrera 240-370-5421

Sexual Assault Response

Coordinator Hotline 301-442-2053

Visit us on Facebook:Naval Support Activity Bethesda page:https://www.facebook.com/NSABethesda

Walter Reed National Medical Center page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Walter-Reed-National-Military-Medical-Center/295857217111107

Uniformed Services University of the HealthSciences page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Uniformed-Services-University-of-the-Health-Sciences/96338890888?fref=ts

Hi everyone. I’m Hans Semple,the Naval Support Activity Bethes-da (NSAB) Access Control and Phys-ical Security Officer, assigned to Se-curity/Base Police.Access control pertains to the pro-

cess of determining who is and is notauthorized personnel and thereforegranted access to the installation.Recently, you should have noticedchanges to the access control pro-cedures utilized at our Entry Con-trol Point (ECP) by our sentries, all of whom arepolice officers, masters-at-arms, or members ofour Auxiliary Security Force, whom are chargedwith the authority of a police officer while onECP sentry duty. The most notable change isthe use of scanning devices to check the validityof common access cards and various other typesof Department of Defense issued identification(ID) credentials. The scanners check the valid-ity of the credential and person presenting it.Since the DEERS database is updated in real-time, changes to personnel status such as ter-mination of employment or report of a lost orstolen ID card appear on the scanner’s screeneach time the credential is scanned. You will ex-perience a short delay while the sentry waits forthe scanner to indicate your current status, andprior to handing your ID credential back to youand granting access. The sentry will confiscatethe ID if it is no longer valid. If your ID is notscanned, we ask that you please stop walking ordriving while the sentry checks your ID.Effective this past Monday, May 5, all person-

nel who make a non-regularly scheduled deliveryto NSAB, to include, but not limited to fast food,pizza, flowers, gifts, etc., for any person(s) work-ing, residing or staying onboard NSA Bethesda,will undergo a vetting process to determine theirsuitability for access to a Navy installation. Thisvetting is not new, it is just expanded. Vettingincludes a criminal background check throughthe National Crime Information Center anda Sex Offender Registration and NotificationAct check. Vehicles making such non-regularlyscheduled deliveries, and all visitors who are noton the base access list, arriving during the hoursof 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday,excluding federal holidays, will be asked to re-port to the Pass and ID, Building 102, located at

the North Gate. If the visitor(s) andnon-regularly scheduled deliverypass the entire vetting process, theywill be issued a “One-Day Installa-tion Pass.” Outside these regularhours of operation, as well as on allfederal holidays, all visitors and non-regularly scheduled deliveries willundergo this procedure at the ECP.Once the visitor(s) and non-regularlyscheduled delivery receive a one-day

pass, they may drive aboard the installation.Regularly scheduled deliveries, where the driverhas the proper credentials and documentation, orwhose name appears on the base access list willcontinue to be granted access as usual. There areadditional access control policy changes that willbe phased into effect during the coming months.You will be advised, in advance, as these changeswill go into effect.The NSA Bethesda dedicated Pass and ID

team is charged with strictly and fairly enforcingall access control policies prior to issuing/renew-ing a pass or staff ID badge. Parking passes areonly issued once the employee’s cognizant park-ing champion authorizes an employee to receiveone. Parking permits are issued based on the em-ployee’s parent command, not necessarily whichparking location is the closest to their place ofwork. The lots and garages are assigned utiliz-ing a color-coding system based on the installa-tion tenant commands. Members of the AccessControl team, me included, are not authorized tooverride these policies.As a final reminder, the goal of the NSAB secu-

rity team is that all hands stay up to date and re-main informed on access control procedures, so itis important that all hands read the Postmastersand information updates. Please remain safe,keep your eyes and ears open as you transit theinstallation, and as always, if something seemsout of place, report it to dispatch at 777 (frominternal phones), 301-295-0999 from cell phones,or for non-emergency situations, 301-295-1246.For more information or with any questions orconcerns, please contact me at [email protected] or [email protected].

Hans Semple,NSAB Access Control andPhysical Security Officer

Security Corner WRNMMC Town Hall MeetingsWalter Reed National Military

Medical Center (WRNMMC) town hallmeetings are scheduled for Tuesdayat 7 a.m., noon and 3:30 p.m. in theMemorial Auditorium. All WRNMMCstaff members are encouraged attendone of the town hall meetings.

Mandatory Safety TrainingMandatory safety training for

all Walter Reed National MilitaryMedical Center personnel will be heldWednesday in the Memorial and ClarkAuditoriums. A Common Access Cardis required for sign-in and as proofof attendance. The training is to pre-pare staff for the 101 Critical Daysof Summer, Memorial Day weekendthrough Labor Day weekend, whichis May 23 through Sept. 1 this year.The mandatory safety training will beat 5 a.m., 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m.11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30p.m. in the Memorial and Clark audi-toriums. Staff members should attendat least one of the sessions. For moreinformation about the training, call301-295-4663.

Dominican Republic HumanitarianMissionIn the April 17 Journal article

“WRNMMC Medical Team BringsSmiles to Dominican Republic,” thename of Seaman Elizabeth Mueller,an operating room technician, wasunintentionally left off of the list ofthose staff members from Walter ReedBethesda who participated on the hu-manitarian mission in the DominicanRepublic from March 8 to 22.

Bethesda Notebook

The Journal Thursday, May 8, 2014 3

By Sharon Renee TaylorWRNMMC Public Affairs

staff writer

“Even though the Holocaust was ahistorically negative event, it is im-portant for all of us to examine, acceptand learn from the past,” said EqualOpportunity Advisor Army Sgt. 1stClass Jason Zielske, who serves as thecommand advisor to the Walter ReedBethesda Multicultural Committee.

He quoted Irish philosopher Ed-mund Burke. “Those who don’t knowhistory are doomed to repeat it,” Ziel-ske said.

A group of 50 civilians, service mem-bers and their family members visitedthe United States Holocaust MemorialMuseum, April 30 in honor of the Ho-locaust Days of Remembrance. The an-nual eight-day period is observed fromthe Sunday before Yom Hashoah (Ho-locaust Memorial Day) to the Sundayafter Yom Hashoah.

According to the museum, Congressestablished the Days of Remembranceas the nation’s annual commemorationof the Holocaust — a state-sponsoredpersecution and murder of six millionJewish men, women and children bythe Nazi Regime between 1933 and1945.

“The Holocaust Days of Remem-brance is not your typical culturalobservance that is celebrated, so in-stead we figured a great way to pro-vide awareness about this event is totour the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Mu-seum,” Zielske explained.

The April 30 trip to the museum wasthe third led by Zielske and sponsoredby the Bethesda Multicultural Commit-tee. His wife Elsie accompanied him.

“[She] was particularly moved by thevideos that were shown throughout themuseum, especially those of the libera-tion by the U.S. Troops,” Zielske said.“I did not see anything new within theexhibit but the Holocaust survivor wespoke to was different from the previ-ous years. It is always great to hearthese stories first-hand, as opposed toa book or article.”

Like Zielske, the trip to the Holo-caust Museum was not the first for

Navy Hospitalman James Boswell, apsychiatric technician at Walter ReedNational Military Medical Center(WRNMMC) and a native of Bozeman,Mont.

“I probably have been to the Holo-caust museum a total of 11 or 12 times.The reason I keep coming back is I findit really interesting that the Holocaustcould happen, and that Hitler was ableto influence an entire culture to see hisview for a ‘better’ Germany,” Boswellsaid.

The Sailor studied German for fouryears in high school, and traveled tosee the Dachau concentration camp.

“The thing that stuck out most thistime is the section that dealt with thebarracks of the Jews. I didn’t knowthat most were killed on arrival andsome were expected to take care of thedead bodies.”

The Walter Reed Bethesda group lis-tened to a living testimony of a firstperson account during a conversa-tion with Holocaust survivor GeraldLiebenau, born to a Jewish family in1925 in Berlin, Germany. He recalledhis first experience with racial dis-crimination in Germany, “being chasedby neighbors for being Jewish.”

Liebenau explained his family nar-rowly escaped all the hardship, movingto London to await the announcementof their visa numbers, and immigrat-ing to the U.S. at age 14 in 1939. Hewas drafted by the U.S. Army as aninfantry machine gunner, and spent asecond year in the Office of StrategicServices before returning to school andgraduating from Yale University.

“I was excited to meet him,” said Bo-swell about the Holocaust survivor. “Ilove hearing people’s stories, especially

the build-up to the war.”Unlike Boswell, the trip to the

Holocaust Museum was the first formedical technician Elena Morris, whoworks in the Biomedical Research Labat Walter Reed Bethesda. It was an un-forgettable first-time visit for Morris,she said.

“I will always remember the shoes!”she said. “The imprint of a person isleft in the shoes.”

The museum displays a room of re-portedly 4,000 shoes belonging to pris-oners who were forced to remove thembefore entering the concentrationcamps. The smell and sight of shoes ofall types — men’s boots and women’ssandals; dull and dusty leathers; fancystrapped heels and pumps, once all-white, can linger in the memory forsome museum visitors, like Morris.

She also made a discovery duringthe tour.

“Hitler killed himself on April 30. Inever gave Hitler any thought,” Mor-ris said.

Coincidentally, the Walter ReedBethesda tour of the Holocaust Mu-seum coincided with the 69th anniver-sary of the death of Adolf Hitler.

The Bethesda Multicultural Com-mittee sponsors monthly events inobservance of the diversity found atWRNMMC and within the militarycommunity. The next event will be incelebration of Asian-American/PacificIslander Heritage Month on May 22at 11:30 a.m. in the America Buildingatrium (piano area). The event willfeature dancers, speakers and food.Everyone is invited to attend. For moreinformation, call Sgt. 1st Class Zielskeat 301-400-3542.

Walter Reed Bethesda Remembers the Holocaust

Photo by Sharon Renee Taylor

Holocaust survivor Gerald Li-ebenau, left, a former U.S. ArmySoldier, shared his first person ac-count of Nazi Germany with NavyHospitalman James Boswell, right,and 50 other WRNMMC staffersduring a visit to the HolocaustMuseum, April 30.


staff writer

Walter Reed Bethesda recognizeda few of its finest during an awardsceremony April 17 in Memorial Audi-torium.

“It’s always good for us gather, [es-pecially] to honor our folks and cel-ebrate,” said Walter Reed NationalMilitary Medical Center (WRNMMC)Director Brig. Gen. Jeffrey B. Clark.“So much good happens [here],” hecontinued, explaining people honoredduring the ceremony are responsiblefor that goodness.

Frances M. Washington, a phar-macy technician for the OutpatientPharmacy, earned the Junior Civilianof the Year Award, and senior healthphysicist Kevin Allen, of the RadiationSafety Division, was named Senior Ci-vilian of the Year.

In a letter of commendation, Wash-ington is referred to as “one of thehardest working pharmacy technicianswithin the pharmacy department who

demonstrates an unwavering dedica-tion to taking care of the patients andmission accomplishment by focusingon efficiency and top notch patient

care. During 2013, [she] received morethan 50 written patient complimentsthat explain in detail how she providedoutstanding customer service.”

Allen is described as “an outstand-ing, dedicated, and selfless memberof the Technical Branch, RadiationSafety Service, Department of PublicHealth staff,” in his letter of commen-dation. He is also called “a skillfulmanager with proven ability to attainhigh standards of performance in anyendeavor.” He is credited with spear-heading an annual radiation safetytraining website at WRNMMC whichcan be expanded throughout the De-partment of Defense.

Civilian quarterly awards were alsopresented during the ceremony. Thoseearning the awards were computer as-sistant Bernard Lewis (AdministrativeJunior Civilian of the Quarter), of In-

Medical Center Salutes Military, Civilian Staff Members for Service

Photo by Bernard S. Little

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) Direc-tor Brig. Gen. Jeffrey B. Clark (bottom left) and Master Chief MariaFernandez (bottom right), WRNMMC acting senior enlisted leader,recognize WRNMMC’s quarterly and annual award winners duringa ceremony April 17 in Memorial Auditorium.

See SERVICE page 10


By Julie SmithNSAB Public Affairs

staff writer

As a former school principal, NavalSupport Activity Bethesda (NSAB)School Liaison Officer Horace Frank-lin knows the value of a good educa-tion. He also knows that consistencyplays a part in how well children learn.

So when the Montgomery CountyBoard of Education proposed a redis-tricting change that would involve el-ementary school children of woundedwarrior families aboard NSAB mov-ing from one school to two separateschools, Franklin took action.

“I looked at it through the eyes of aparent and an administrator. If there’sa problem, the principal is going to bethe one to solve it,” Franklin said. “I’mlike a principal with no school. I solveproblems and get resources aligned sothe kids are successful.”

The issue arose when the schoolboard made a decision to reassign chil-dren who live in NSAB’s TranquilityHall with a family member receivingtreatment at Walter Reed NationalMilitary Medical Center (WRNMMC)from Bethesda Elementary School toRosemary Hills Elementary Schooland North Chevy Chase Elementa-ry School. Children in kindergartenthrough second grade would attendRosemary Hills and third throughsixth graders would go to North ChevyChase, Franklin said.

The recommendation sparked de-bate between school board membersand NSAB military families, who felttheir children were already goingthrough enough transition by leavingtheir home school to come to NSAB.

NSAB leadership agreed, and peti-tioned the Montgomery County schoolboard to allow the children to remainat Bethesda Elementary.

“One of the things we talked aboutwas the idea that you have childrenwho have a wounded warrior (atNSAB), their life has been uprootedfrom wherever they were before, andall the things they’re dealing with hav-ing an injured parent now and the lifechanges that are occurring because ofthat,” NSAB Commander Capt. DavidBitonti said. “The school was servingas a constant for them once they werehere. If they had other siblings in theschool, they could help each other, andmore importantly, as the families con-gregate here, they become supportive

of one another. If our population isscattered, you lose that support sys-tem. So from a continuity perspective,from a community perspective andfrom a stabilization perspective it wasvery important for our children to havethe opportunity to stay at Bethesda El-ementary.”

Franklin said the highest numberof elementary age children living onNSAB has never reached more than 20and their time on the installation canlast anywhere from six months to twoand a half years. If school redistrict-ing took place, that could mean severaltransitions for just one child.

“A child in the second grade could gofrom their home school to NSAB, andthen in the fall would attend Rose-mary Hills. If they’re here the follow-ing school year they would go to NorthChevy Chase for third grade,” Franklinsaid. “When the service member getsbetter they would go back home, sothey would have four different transi-tions. We were just trying to create asense of stability and a sense of nor-malcy where the kids were all at oneschool that they know.”

There were concerns for the schoolsas well, said Franklin, who heldmeetings with each school’s ParentTeacher Association to make sure theattendance rates of Rosemary Hillsand North Chevy Chase wouldn’t beharmed and Bethesda Elementarycould handle the additional students.An even bigger benefit to keeping thechildren at Bethesda Elementary istheir familiarization with militaryfamilies, Bitonti added.

“Bethesda Elementary has learnedover the years about the unique needsof military children and the thingsthey’re dealing with as the familymember of a wounded warrior,” Bitontisaid.

After conducting a boundary changestudy review, the Montgomery Countyschool board voted on March 24 to al-low the children living on NSAB tocontinue attending Bethesda Elemen-tary.

“We’re very appreciative of the coop-erativeness and open nature of not onlythe Montgomery County school board,but also the families and students atBethesda Elementary and their will-ingness to work with us and hear thereasoning behind what we had to say,and then move forward with support-ing the decision that we thought wasbest for our families,” Bitonti said.

Children of Wounded Warriors WillRemain at Bethesda Elementary

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

visit www.dcmilitary.com.1041714


1042157

Become AGunsmith



staff writer

Walter Reed Bethesda’s 2014Joint Fund Drive for ArmyEmergency Relief (AER) andthe Navy-Marine Corps ReliefSociety (NMCRS) is nearing anend, but there is still time forpotential donors to contributeto the organizations that helpservice members and theirfamilies through financial dif-ficulties and with education as-sistance.

Walter Reed NationalMilitary Medical Center(WRNMMC) Director Brig.Gen. Jeffrey B. Clark and Na-val Support Activity Bethesda(NSAB) Commanding OfficerNavy Capt. David A. Bitontikicked off the campaign onApril 9, challenging people tocontribute to AER and NMCRS.The Air Force Aid Society(AFAS) is also included amongthose organizations that helpservice members and theirfamilies overcome unforeseenfinancial hurdles in the formof a direct grant or an inter-est-free loan and with collegescholarships.

“The campaign is goingwell, but we are only 3/4 of theway to our goal and have only

a week left,” said Army Capt.Kyle Peper, AER coordina-tor. “The goal for the medicalcenter is $21,250, a 25 per-cent increase from last year,and we are currently at about$16,000.”

Peper added campaign co-ordinators are still in the pro-cess of meeting the 100 percentface-to-face contact goal withall service members to givethem the opportunity to con-tribute to the campaign. Thereis also a table set up dailyfrom 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on MainStreet near the barber shopand in front of Dunkin Donutand Subway, where people canpledge to contribute or receivemore information about AER,NMCRS and AFAS.

With the campaign sched-uled to end on May 15, Pepersaid, “This is our opportunityas service members to help ourfellow service members whenthey are faced with financialhardship. If you have ever usedrelief services, you know thevalue of the programs.”

At the campaign’s kick-off,Clark said during his 30 yearsin uniform he can recall numer-ous occasions when one of therelief organizations “steppedup and helped our folks.” Hesaid this is one of the reasons

he and his wife, Sue, made thedecision to donate to all threeof the relief and aid societies.

“This is the one time of theyear that we get to take careof each other,” Bitonti added.“This is service members help-ing service members, and our

opportunity to do what we canfor those who serve with us.”

For more information aboutAER, visit www.aerhq.org,or email Capt. Kyle Peper [email protected] .For information concerningNMCRS, visit www.nmcrs.org,

or email Hospital Corpsman1st Class Mark G. Brown [email protected] information about AFAS,visit www.afas.org, or email AirForce Senior Master Sgt. BrianArsenault at [email protected].

2014 Joint Fund Drive Nears EndTime Still Available to Contribute to Relief Agencies for Service Members, Families


Lt. Col. Richard A. Villarreal, Hospital Troop Commander at Walter Reed Bethes-da, fills out a pledge form to contribute to 2014 Joint Fund Drive for Army Emer-gency Relief and the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society at the medical center.

By Cat DeBinderWRNMMC Public Affairs

staff writer

To honor volunteer researchparticipants and celebrate theresearch being undertaken atWalter Reed National MilitaryMedical Center (WRNMMC),the Department of ResearchPrograms (DRP) recently host-ed an “Aware for All” event inthe Building 19 lobby as partof Research and InnovationMonth.

The observance also includ-ed a poster contest, researchsymposium and research sum-mit.

Dr. Deborah Murphy, whodirects the Academic ResearchEducation for DRP, said theobjective of the Aware for Allevent was to recognize andthank those who choose to beresearch volunteers letting

them know their involvementin research is important. Sheadded those participants makea positive difference in moving

military medicine forward toimprove the health care of allbeneficiaries.

Maryellen Colston, a vol-

unteer research patient whois also a staff member atWRNMMC, has been involvedin the “Sister Study,” a re-search study funded by theNational Institute of Environ-mental Health Sciences, forabout eight years. She said shedecided to volunteer in honorof her sister, who died frombreast cancer. Colston said sheconsiders participation in thestudy a “privilege.”

“It is exciting knowing thatwhat we do may help someoneelse and may lead to a break-through in treatment or diag-nosing,” said Colston.

“We wouldn’t be able to doanything without the participa-tion of our volunteer patients,”Murphy added. “They’re thebiggest research heroes of all,”she said.

There were 22 tables set upwith informational presenta-tions via videos, TVs, laptops,

brochures and handouts dur-ing the Aware for All event.

“We had hands-on, interac-tive displays to help keep itlively and animated, includ-ing an active hearing test frommembers of the Audiology De-partment,” Murphy said.

“We also wanted to educatethe public on the extraordinarydepth and breadth of cutting-edge, state-of-the-art researchbeing conducted atWRNMMC,”she added.

Gregory Greer, DRP’s seniortechnical editor and one of theprincipal organizers for theevent, described it as a “truekinesthetic learning experi-ence.” He said one of the goalswas to provide an informalvenue for research teams topresent to colleagues, hospitalstaff and patients and their

WRNMMC Recognizes Research Heroes

Photo by Gregory Greer, Department of Research Programs

During the Research and Innovation Month “Awarefor All” event at Walter Reed Bethesda, 22 tables setup in the America Building lobby offer informationabout research undertaken at the medical center.

See RESEARCH page 8


By Shawn MillerNaval District

Washington PublicAffairs

Top-level music and com-edy acts will soon be headingto installations across NavalDistrict Washington (NDW)thanks to a new program beinglaunched by Morale, Welfareand Recreation (MWR).After bringing classic rock

band Lynyrd Skynyrd to Mary-land in 2012 as part of the De-fenders of Freedom Day at SixFlags America, NDWMWR hastransitioned such events into anew concert brand called Free-dom Live.“Freedom Live is all about

value, quality and entertain-ment,” said Lee Bell, regionalprogram manager for NDWMWR. “Freedom Live is beingestablished as a new entertain-ment brand here at NDW. Thebrand will provide customerswith predominately concertsand comedy shows that arebased on the desires of our loy-al MWR fan base.”The opening act for Freedom

Live’s inaugural year is slatedfor August 16 at Naval AirStation (NAS) Patuxent River,featuring rock bands 3 DoorsDown and Blues Traveler.Although the concerts are on

Navy installations and spon-

sored by NDWMWR, the showswill be open to service membersfrom all branches, as well asDepartment of Defense (DOD)contractors and employees.Bell said VIP tickets bought

by followers of the NAS Patux-ent River MWR Facebook pagesold out within three days, andgeneral admission tickets go onsale May 1. Bell advised cus-tomers, both military and civil-ian contractors, to buy early, asticket prices rise as the concertdate approaches.“Anyone who has been to a

concert at some of the morerecognized venues within D.C.have grown accustomed to see-ing high-level entertainers suchas Dave Matthews, Madonna,Toby Keith, Coldplay and Jour-ney just to name a few,” Bellsaid. “The entire DOD commu-nity within the National CapitalRegion, including our own hereat NDW, now has the opportu-nity to experience the same levelof talent locally by attending aFreedom Live event.”Freedom Live customers

will have the option to pur-chase VIP tickets, which willinclude perks such as meetand greets with bands, specialfood and beverage choices, bet-ter parking spots, and privaterestrooms. Regular ticket hold-ers can still expect good seatsat a discounted price, Bell said,along with free parking, afford-

able concessions, and a conve-nient and secure venue on theirlocal installation.For future shows, Freedom

Live organizers plan to usecustomer preference surveysand social media outlets to de-termine what shows custom-ers want to see, and then workto bring those acts to stagesacross NDW.A second event is already

booked for September 20 at

Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling.Although the headliners havenot yet been publicly named,Bell said the performers, aswell as the emerging talent inthe opening act, should createexcitement for country musicfans in the area.“Freedom Live will provide

A-List entertainers that ourvery best customers want anddeserve to see close to wherethey work and live,” said Bell.

“These individual componentswill remain as an integral partof the Freedom Live brand go-ing forward and should help ex-pand its lifespan for the benefitof MWR customers.”For tickets and event infor-

mation, visit www.freedomliv-endw.com.To stay up to date with news

and events across NDW, visitwww.facebook.com/NavDist-Wash.

Freedom Live to Bring Top Concert Acts to NDW

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kiona Miller

Classic rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd performs at Six Flags America as part of De-fenders of Freedom Day sponsored by Naval District Washington Morale, Wel-fare and Recreation in 2012.

By Sharon Renee TaylorWRNMMC Public Affairs

staff writer

Army Maj. Jason Hawk-sworth, a transplant sur-geon at Walter Reed Nation-al Military Medical Center(WRNMMC), explains theimportance of organ donorawareness.“It’s everything. There’s a

massive shortage of organs forall types: liver, kidney, pan-creas, heart, lung, everything.People die every day waitingfor organs, so the donor pooland organ awareness is themost important thing in trans-plant.”A new recipient is added to

the national waiting list for or-gans every 10 minutes, accord-ing to Cindy Speas, Directorof Community Affairs for theWashington Regional Trans-

plant Community (WRTC) inAnnandale, Va. “Every day, 18people die waiting for a trans-plant,” she said.More than 120,000 people

wait on the national list foran organ, according to Speas.More than 80 percent of thosewait on a kidney.Walter Reed Bethesda Di-

rector Brig. Gen. (Dr.) JeffreyB. Clark recently signed anover-sized organ donor card inhonor of National Donate LifeMonth. The medical center di-rector said he became an organdonor more than 20 years ago,and explained why he believesthose who can donate organsshould become donors.“It’s part of being a com-

munity,” Clark said. So manypeople can benefit from or-gan donation, he added. “It’sincredible what we can donow — how much better we

can make people’s lives — thequality of life of those who willlive beyond us, that I think, isthe great opportunity to give.”The general recalled wound-

ed warriors who passed awayfrom traumatic injuries.“Their family actually felt

great comfort in knowing thattheir organs were going to con-tinue to serve, because theysaw it as an opportunity fortheir service member to con-tinue to serve,” Clark said. “Iunderstand how they felt thatway.“It’s a very personal deci-

sion. It’s an option, [and] ev-eryone should make their owndecision. I would just encour-age those [who aren’t donors]to think about it. If they thinkthey’d be willing to do it, thatso much goodness can come

The Need is Real: Donate an Organ

Photo by Sharon Renee Taylor

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey B. Clark, Walter Reed NationalMilitary Medical Center director, signs an over-sizedorgan donor card in honor of National Donate LifeMonth. See ORGAN page 8


out of it, that it’s just a good thing to do,” he added.Army Lt. Col. Shane Ottman, a transplant surgeon

at WRNMMC, said once he performs an organ trans-plant, he will continue to see the patient as long asneeded after they receive a new organ.

“Most transplant programs are total service: theydo the pre-, the operative and the post-operative care.Different programs do it for different lengths [of time]and we follow some patients for life here, and some ofthem we follow until they go back to [whatever regionof the country] they came from,” Ottman said.

“You can’t understate the lifestyle change for an in-dividual being on dialysis and then getting their free-dom back, and not being on dialysis. The morbidityand mortality associated with dialysis — it’s a hugelifestyle and life-change for patients coming off of di-alysis,” he added.

Patients with eating restrictions and low energylevel because of dialysis are able to return to foodsand activities they once enjoyed, after a kidney trans-plant — returning back to a life that they may havebeen missing for years, Ottman explained.

“Yes, pretty much they’re able to do everything, justlike normal,” Ottman said.

Kenneth Boyd, director of hospital services andprofessional education with WRTC said he’s been in-volved with tissue and organ donation for the last 21years. He offered five things individuals should knowabout donating organs.

One: it’s probably the noblest thing that you can dofor your community — to save a life,” Boyd said. “Two:you can still have an open casket funeral if you donateorgans at your death. Three: one person can save asmany as nine lives through organ donation and stillhave an impact on a hundred or more, through tissueand eye donation. Four: you have the ability to desig-nate yourself as a donor on your driver’s license, andthat wish will be honored. Five: donors can be any age.We’ve have donors as old as 88 years old, and thereare minimal rule-outs.”

How can people become donors?“Most important, is to begin with sharing that deci-

sion with your family or loved ones, those people thatwould make decisions for you if you were ever in thehospital. But the other thing is that you have the abil-ity to designate yourself a donor through your driver’slicense, donor registry or any other document used tostate your end-of-life wishes,” Boyd explained.

“Those documents will protect and honor your wishand we will make sure that your wishes are honoredin that respect, even if your family members object,and that’s important, especially in some communi-ties, and some minority communities or religious orcultural communities where your family’s religious orcultural beliefs might not be the same yours. So ifyou really feel strongly about organ, tissue and eyedonation [as well as] making yourself a donor, thatdocumentation honors, protects, and helps us honoryour wish,” Boyd said.

Individuals can also register to become an organdonor when renewing their driver’s license, or onlinethrough a state registry. Go to www.organdonor.govto find one. If you’re interested in helping with minor-ity outreach efforts in the District of Columbia, Mary-land, or Virginia, contact WRTC at 703-641-0100.

If you’re a beneficiary or an individual who wouldlike to donate an organ to a military beneficiary, callVilda Desgoutte, at 301-319-2841 or [email protected].

ORGANContinued from 7

research projects.“The networking and celebration we all wit-

nessed was well worth the effort,” said ArmyCol. (Dr.) Michael Nelson, director for education,training and research at WRNMMC. He said theevent provided an “extraordinary” experience forparticipants and he enjoyed meeting with volun-teers, “our team,” foundation and investigatorsthroughout the event.

Murphy said she’s hopeful staff, patientsand visitors who attended the event were ableto “learn what clinical trials are and how theywork; understand the safety, benefits and risksinvolved; and gain insight into clinical researchand why society needs them.”

RESEARCHContinued from 6

Photo by Gregory Greer, Department of Research Programs

Information concerning research agenciesand the research undertaken at Walter ReedBethesda is shared among participants atthe recent Research and Innovation Month“Aware for All” event in the America Build-ing lobby at the medical center.

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staff as “vessels and instruments” todo his work as in the verse from Mat-thew 10:42, which states, “Whoevergives one of these little ones just a cupof cold water to drink in the name ofa disciple, most certainly I tell you hewill in no way lose his reward.”

In his prayer, Pratel asked that“Peace will come upon this earth, andGod will be exulted.”

Since the first call to prayer in1775, when the Continental Congressasked the colonies to pray for wisdomin forming a nation, the call to prayerhas continued through U.S. history.The National Day of Prayer was cre-ated in 1952 by a joint resolution ofthe U.S. Congress and signed into lawby President Harry S. Truman, accord-ing to nationaldayofprayer.org.

In his 2014 proclamation for the Na-tional Day of Prayer, President BarakObama states, “One of our nation’sgreat strengths is the freedom we holddear, including the freedom to exerciseour faiths freely. For many Americans,prayer is an essential act of worshipand a daily discipline. Today and everyday, forgiveness and reconciliation willbe sought through prayer. Across ourcountry, Americans give thanks for ourmany blessings, including the freedomto pray as our consciences dictate….let us carry forward our nation’s tradi-

tion of religious liberty, which protectsAmericans’ rights to pray and to prac-tice our faiths as we see fit.”

For more information for PastoralCare services, call 301-295-1510, or af-ter hours and weekends, call the Com-mand Duty Officer (CDO) Desk at 301-295-4633, option 3, and ask to have theduty chaplain paged.

PRAYERContinued from 1


Hospital Corpsman Jodie Hart-man sings a song of reflectionduring the 2014 National Day ofPrayer breakfast at Walter ReedBethesda May 1.

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formation Technology; Richard Dug-gan (Clinical Junior Civilian of theQuarter), a nurse on 4 Center; secu-rity anti-terrorism security specialistNathan Williams (Administrative Se-nior Civilian of the Quarter), of Opera-tions Management; and health educa-tor and exercise physiologist DavidHoles (Clinical Senior Civilian of theQuarter), of the D. Kenneth Block Fitto Win program at the DiLorenzo TRI-CARE Health Clinic at the Pentagon.

Also during the ceremony, theWRNMMC director awarded Spc. Rob-ert A. Martinez the Army Commenda-tion Medal for earning the U.S. ArmyElement’s Battalion Soldier of the Yearat Walter Reed Bethesda. The generalalso awarded Staff Sgt. Andrea Har-tline the Army Commendation Medalfor earning the Battalion’s Noncom-missioned Officer (NCO) of the Yearfor the U.S. Army Element at WalterReed Bethesda.

Martinez, a medical laboratory spe-cialist assigned to Alpha Company,Department of Research, BiomedicalResearch Lab, said he is honored atbeing named Soldier of the Year. “I feelgood about winning the award, [whichrequired] a ton of time studying and

practicing Soldier Skills. My leader-ship supported me 110 percent,” theSoldier added. “I think that my com-petitive nature and hard work contrib-uted greatly towards my selection.”

Hartline, a behavioral health NCOand noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the inpatient behavioralhealth unit at WRNMMC, also saidit was an honor to be recognized forher hard work. “I know we have manyquality NCOs here. Excellent lead-ership and mentorship contributedgreatly to my success,” she added.

“I have been extremely lucky in mycareer because I have had some amaz-ing NCOs who ‘kicked me out of thedoor,’ so to speak, and made me jumpon every opportunity whether it wastraining, boards, competition, militaryeducation, etc.,” Hartline continued.“Without strong leadership, dedica-tion, and motivation, I would not bewhere I am today, and I definitelywould not have won NCO of the Year.”

Sailors were also recognized withquarterly awards for “exceptionalprofessionalism, personal initiativeand selfless devotion to duty,” dur-ing the awards program. Those hon-ored included: Hospitalman CalebScism (Blue Jacket of the Quarter),of the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit;Information Systems Technician 3rdClass Daniel Warshaw (Junior Sailorof the Quarter), of Information Man-

agement; Yeoman 2nd Class SantanaVallejo (Sailor of the Quarter), of theWRNMMC Awards Department; andHospital Corpsman 1st Class MelvinRolon (Senior Sailor of the Quarter),Pediatrics Department.

Army 1st Lt. Christopher Reyes,also of the Pediatrics Department,earned the Clinical Nurse TransitionPreceptor of the Quarter Award, andaudiologist Navy Lt. Jessica Snyder,of the National Intrepid Center ofExcellence, received the Joint ServiceAchievement Medal for being namedthe Junior Officer of the Quarter.

American Red Cross volunteer LinaCzubas, earned the first WRNMMCVolunteer of the Quarter Award.

“This young lady celebrated her90th birthday about two weeks ago,”Clark said of Czubas. The WRNMMCdirector added Czubas has been a vol-unteer for more than 58 years, andstill spends four days a week at WalterReed Bethesda assisting in the phar-macy and Military Advanced TrainingCenter.

As Czubas took to the stage, thepacked Memorial Auditorium stood inapplause. She then blew kisses at theaudience and received the Volunteerof the Quarter Award recognizing her“exceptional service, compassion andcommitment to WRNMMC patients,[and for] serving as a shining examplefor others to emulate.”


American Red Cross volunteerLina Czubas (center) blows kiss-es to the audience after beingnamed Walter Reed Bethesda’sfirst Volunteer of the Quar-ter during a ceremony April 17in the Memorial Auditorium.Czubas, 90, has been a volunteerfor more than 58 years and con-tinues to assist four days a weekin WRNMMC pharmacy and Mil-itary Advanced Training Center.

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journal 050814

Documents

thevalue of prayer

headded prayer

opening prayer

thenational day of prayer

afternoon serviceof

prayer breakfast

military services

military members