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BREMERTON, Wash. - There are 57 etched names, ranging from the
three youngest at age 19 to the oldest of age 37.
They all
share two distinctive traits.
One is that they are all
United States Navy hospital corpsmen.
The other is that they
all have been lost in serving their country during time of war.
From the battlefields of Iraq to the firefights in Afghanistan,
the names of those killed are represented on Naval Hospital
Bremerton's "Hospital Corps Heroes" Wall of Honor' solemnly unveiled
May 22, 2015.
The wall is a culmination of a fledgling idea
by Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (Fleet Marine Force) Michael Nakamura
and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (Fleet Marine Force) Derrick Ward.
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Naval Hospital Bremerton staff members view the just-unveiled "Hospital Corps Heroes' Wall of Honor" solemnly on May 22, 2015, that is dedicated to the 57 Hospital Corpsmen that were killed while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn from 2001-2015. This memorial is the second one of its kind in the Navy and it shows the sacrifices that all 57 corpsmen and many before them have made for their country. (Official Navy photo by MC2 Zulema Sotelo, NHB Public Affairs)
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“We are honored to have the privilege of presenting the
"Hospital Corps Heroes" Wall of Honor' to Naval Hospital
Bremerton. This memorial is dedicated to the 57 Hospital
Corpsmen that were killed while supporting Operation
Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New
Dawn from 2001-2015. This memorial is the second one of its
kind in the Navy and it shows the sacrifices that all 57
Corpsman and many before them have made for their country,”
said Nakamura.
According to Capt. Christopher
Quarles, Naval Hospital Bremerton commanding officer, the 97
percent casualty survival rate of the two wars, although an
unprecedented high mark, did come at the tragic cost of
those corpsmen killed in the line of duty.
“Many
died in helping others. This is an important dedication to
honor those who gave their lives. It's only appropriate we
recognize their sacrifice,” Quarles said.
Nakamura
acknowledged command leadership in helping with the process
of organizing, creating and finally unveiling the memorial,
citing Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gretchen
Albrecht to Command Master Chief Randy Pruitt to his
immediate chain of command.
“It's been a long
process. It's great to see the memorial up. It's important
for carrying on the memory of our fallen corpsmen. When I
first got here, Master Chief [Tom] Countryman told us ‘to
leave the place better off than when you arrived,' and I
think this is a fitting reminder of that,” Nakamura said.
Each portion and piece of the memorial carries a
significance meaning. There's a gold star for each fallen
corpsmen. The flag was flown on May 13, which has been
designated as "Children of Fallen Patriots" day.
“Although not all the corpsmen were FMF qualified, they all
represented the last line between life and death for those
they cared for,” said Ward, adding that their project really
started from how the loss of HM2 Anthony Carbullido, who was
assigned to Naval Hospital Corps School, Great Lakes, Ill,
touched many Sailors learning to become corpsmen, as well as
staff members.
Carbullido, a Guam native, was 25
years old when he volunteered to go as an Individual
Augmentee on deployment. On Aug. 8, 2006, he died from
injuries sustained when his convoy vehicle hit an improvised
explosive device in Sangatesh.
“I had just got to
the schoolhouse and definitely knew of HM2 Carbullido. He
was so well liked and respected. He volunteered to go IA,
and when everyone there heard the news, they were
devastated,” shared Hospital Corpsman Chief Melyncholi
Saxton, NHB Command Career Counselor office.
Nakamura
and Ward accepted thanks for numerous co-workers for their
work to make the memorial a reality.
“It's a great
effort. We appreciate it,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class
Alexander Bransdorf, surgical technician.
After the
memorial was unveiled, the event culminated with Nakamura
taking the opportunity to reenlist.
“The energy and
idea to make this happen is special. HM2 is also a special
Sailor. Along with Ward, they have taken the Tactical Combat
Casualty Care (TCCC) training and made it regionally
recognized. It is an honor to reenlist someone who has done
so much for NHB and Navy Medicine,” said Lt. Cmdr. Louise
Nellums, NHB staff Education Training department head.
The "Hospital Corps Heroes' Wall of Honor" joins other
notable remembrance walls at NHB for hospital corpsmen who
have received the Medal of Honor, Navy Cross and those
listed Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA).
By U.S. Navy Douglas Stutz, NHB
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
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