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BREMERTON, Wash. - Some
coins are
simply worth more than money.
The face-value
is measured not in monetary
worth, but with professional significance,
personal sentiment
and at
times even historical relevancy.
For Lt. Cmdr. Carmelo
Ayala,
Naval
Hospital Bremerton Internal
Medicine Department head,
the best example he can
readily share
is to reach into
a uniform
pocket and proudly display
the coin of the 25th Navy Chief of Naval
Operations, Adm.
Jeremy Michael Boorda.
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July 13, 2015 - A priceless thank you for job well done... Lt. Cmdr. Carmelo
Ayala presents a personal coin to Patricia Koether for her
commitment and contribution in Naval Hospital Bremerton's Internal
Medicine Department. Ayala has been an avid collector of coin during
his naval career of over 28 years and has amassed approximately
3,000 coins. He also has designed his own coin and routinely
presents them to staff as well as beneficiaries for their dedication
and devotion. (U.S. Navy photo by Douglas H Stutz, NHB Public
Affairs)
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The coin worth to Ayala
lies in the fact that
Boorda was
the first Sailor to rise up
from the ranks – from
enlisted to officer – to become the top Navy
officer. Like Boorda,
Ayala
also started
out as
an enlisted Sailor
and has
found his niche in the Navy
Nurse Corps.
“I just
love getting and
also giving
coins. I have
received a few over the years
from mentors, hospital
corpsmen, IDCs (independent duty corpsmen), Navy
Nurse Corps officers
and others. I
am a
firm believer that
a coin is just
a great
way to say
thanks you to someone
for going that
extra mile to help out,” said
Ayala,
a Camden,
New Jersey, native with over
28 years of naval
service under his belt.
Ayala
notes that his personal
coin collection has grown to
over 3,000 although
an accurate
figure isn't really
available.
“I haven't
actually
counted them in a while. I
get coins
all the time from friends,
co-workers and beneficiaries
from everywhere. Just this week there's 13 new ones,”
Ayala
said.
That
baker's dozen of new
coins
also includes a very
special
addition that
came
about by happenstance.
Ayala
struck up a conversation
on the elevator on the way
up to his department with
a beneficiary.
They exchanged small
talk on their military
service.
“The gentleman
shared that
he had been in some wrong places
at the wrong times because
at some of those places,
people didn't return,” related
Ayala,
adding that
he was
also told that
the care
and concern provided was
very much appreciated
and at
that point,
a very distinctive coin was
presented to him as
a thank
you.
The coin came
from Lt. Col. Bruce P. Crandall,
who received the Medal of
Honor in 2007 for his heroic
actions in the Battle
of Ia Drang
in 1965 with A Company,
1, 229th Assault
Helicopter Battalion,
1st Cavalry
Division (Airmobile).
“Just goes to show you that
if you treat others the way
you want to be treated
that they will
appreciate
it. What
an honor! How often does one
get a coin from
a Medal
of Honor recipient? The least
I could do is return the favor
and give him one of mine,” said
Ayala,
who started his Navy
career
as an
undesignated seaman
assigned to fleet oiler USS
Cimarron (AO
177), from 1987 to 1990.
The origin of the military
(or challenge) coin goes back
to the days of the early
Roman Empire. Militaries
throughout history have
presented such a token with
the unit's logo or insignia
on it to someone deemed worthy by a
special
achievement on their part.
The practice
also includes exchanging
coins during exercises, collaborations
and assignments.
Yufeng Miller of NHB's Internal
Medicine department had
witnessed active duty
personnel accept
a coin but never thought that
she would receive one, until Ayala
presented his coin to her last
month.
“I never thought that
I'd get one. It's great. It makes
me feel more appreciated
in our department. I now have
a few more
and I even have
a little display
that was
made
for me on my work desk,” said
Miller.
Ayala
attests that
the best thing about
any coin,
for both the recipient
and the presenter, is that
the simple gesture is a morale
builder and is
all about
service. His philosophy centers on treating
someone they way you want
to be treated
and they will return the favor.
“If you tell someone you got their back,
they will remember that.
Whether it's helping with paperwork,
getting an
appointment, conducting
a diagnosis,
whatever the case
may be, people can
tell when someone cares.
As a
part of Navy
Medicine, and
as a
Navy
Nurse Corps officer, I'm in the caring
business. It's what I do.
It's what we do,” said
Ayala,
citing an example
from several years
earlier of helping
an aviation
maintenance
administration man
first class petty officer get
into the Medical Enlisted
Commissioning Program (MECP)
for nursing.
“We
needed her commanding
officer's endorsement on her submission package,
but he was on leave
with explicit instructions not to be disturbed unless
for an
emergency. Since I had helped
her put her package
together at the branch
health clinic I was
at, I took the liberty of
phoning him and respectively
explained why his
assistance
was needed
as soon
as possible due to the deadline.
He asked if she was
qualified
as a
candidate
for our
Nurse Corps
and after
ensuring him she was, he readily
came in to give his
endorsement. That
AZ1 later
on sent me a coin
as a
way of saying
thank you
after being
accepted. That
made my day,
knowing that I could help her
get where she wanted her career
to go and then have
her share that
she made it,” related
Ayala.
There is also power
in a coin says
Ayala.
A coin can
spark motivation
along with boosting morale.
“It's a small
gesture but it goes a long ways.
The only thing better than
getting a coin is giving
one,” Ayala
said.
The most recent
coin that
Ayala
presented was to Personnel
Specialist Seaman
Josephine Fabia
in NHB's Human Resource Department
for her work in expediting
needed paperwork
for Ayala
and his wife, Michele. He was
anticipating
that it would take
several days
to complete the necessary
administration
requirements. Twenty minutes later,
Fabia
contacted him to say
his documents were ready.
“That service was
so professionally prompt
and courteous that
I immediately tracked
her down to say ‘thank
you' and present her with
a coin,” said
Ayala.
For Fabia,
it was her initial
coin.
“It was
awesome to receive my first!
I keep it in my car. It's
good luck,” Fabia
said.
Ayala's
self-designed coin has
embossed raised lettering
around the edges on one side
that states,
‘I did it the hard way
I earned it,'
and ‘the price of greatest
is integrity.' The middle portion revolves on two hinges,
with one side showcasing the
Navy
Nurse Corps emblem surrounded by the words, ‘Nursing
Excellence Up Through the Ranks.'
The flip side of the middle features
a mustang
horse, the icon representing a
commissioned officer who started
out in the enlisted ranks,
along with the caduceus,
the symbol of the Navy hospital
corpsmen.
Despite all
the coins he currently has,
there is one that has
at least
so far eluded him. One from
USS Cimarron. He had
the opportunity, but as
a young Sailor
he could not justify the reasoning
to purchase the coin from the
ship's store at the time.
“I remember back then
thinking why would anyone want
to buy this little piece of brass?
But as I've gotten older I realize
that there is such
a connection to history
and camaraderie.
For the past
20 years I've been trying to
locate one. But what's
really cool is someone,
and I don't know who, made
this wood carving replica
of the Cimarron coin
for me. No one is taking
credit for it
and it's great,”
Ayala
said.
Just
as Ayala
has been persistent in
collecting coins, his career
has also
been an study in perseverance.
After high school, he wanted
to get into the state's
Licensed Practical
Nursing school but due to fiscal
uncertainty in the program
he decided to join the Navy.
He set his sights on becoming a
corpsman. On the Cimarron
he logged hours under instruction in the ship's small
medical bay.
Then a freak
accident conducting
preventive maintenance
had him transferred
to a base
clinic. Fate intervened
as his skill was
noted by an
admiral
being seen who helped get him selected
for corpsman
school, where he excelled. After
reaching the rank
of senior chief hospital
corpsman, he then decided to
continue his Navy service in
the Nurse Corps.
“Although
nursing was my original
goal, the main
reason why I went the
commissioning program was
to be able to better provide
for Michele. The
added schooling
and training
has increased
my knowledge and
allowed me to be better
able to care
for her
and care
for my patients,”
said
Ayala.
As his career
winds down, Ayala
feels he has made
an impact
not only in the field of medicine, but
as a
caring coin giver
and receiver, which in some ways
is just as
priceless.
By U.S. Navy Douglas H Stutz, NHB Public Affairs
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
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