Journal091814

Vol. 26 No. 37 www.cnic.navy.mil/bethesda/ September 18, 2014

Compiled from www.fema.gov website

As part of National Prepared-ness Month, Naval Support Ac-tivity Bethesda (NSAB) officialsare encouraging individuals toassemble a disaster supplies kitfor their households in the eventof an emergency.

When a disaster occurs, theremay be a need to vacate at amoment’s notice and take ne-cessities with you. There maynot be time to look for goodsor shop for them. You and yourfamily’s chances of survival af-ter an emergency are improvedif you have enough food, waterand other materials to last for72 hours. Local officials and re-lief workers will be on the sceneafter a disaster, but they cannotreach everyone immediately.Help could come in hours, or itmight take days. Utilities suchas electricity, gas, water, sew-

age treatment and telephonesmay be cut off for days or evena week — or longer. Your sup-plies kit should have items tohelp you manage during theseoutages.

The following items are rec-ommended for a basic emergen-cy supply kit: one gallon of waterper person per day for at leastthree days; at least a three-daysupply of non-perishable food;battery-powered or hand crankradio and a National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administra-tion (NOAA) Weather Radio,(which is tuned to the NOAAWeather network, providingvoice broadcasts of local andcoastal marine forecasts on acontinuous cycle) with tone alertand extra batteries for both;flashlight and extra batteries;first aid kit; whistle to signalfor help; dust mask to help fil-ter contaminated air and plasticsheeting and duct tape to shel-

ter-in-place; moist towelettes;garbage bags and plastic ties forpersonal sanitation; wrench orpliers to turn off utilities; man-ual can opener for food; localmaps; cell phone with chargers;and an inverter or solar charger.

Once you have gathered thesupplies for a basic emergencykit, you may want to consideradding the following items:prescription medications andglasses; infant formula and dia-pers; pet food and extra waterfor your pet; cash or traveler’schecks and change; and impor-tant family documents suchas copies of insurance policies,identification and bank ac-count records in a waterproof,portable container. You can usethe Emergency Financial FirstAid Kit at http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/29791?id=6693 de-veloped by Operation Hope,FEMA and Citizen Corps to help

you organize your information.Other helpful items include:emergency reference materialsuch as a first aid book; sleep-ing bag or warm blanket foreach person; complete change ofclothing including a long sleevedshirt, long pants and sturdyshoes (consider additional bed-ding and clothing if you live ina cold-weather climate); house-hold chlorine bleach (when di-luted, nine parts water to onepart bleach can be used as adisinfectant); fire extinguisher;matches in a waterproof con-tainer; feminine supplies andpersonal hygiene items; papercups, plates, paper towels andplastic utensils; and paper andpencil, books, games, puzzles orother activities for children.

“An emergency kit or a ‘go-kit’would include everything yourfamily may need in an emer-gency. Think about what may beof short supply in certain situ-

ations, such as water, medica-tions and flashlights,” explainedCaitlin Mullins, NSAB Fleetand Family Support Center lifeskills instructor. “If you havepets then you may include itemsfor their survival as well. In theevent of an evacuation, thesekits are ready and accessiblefor the family to take with themin a hurry. We suggest you putspecial items that your familymay need or prefer if they werein a shelter for some time. Youcan build your own personalizedkit to the specific needs of yourfamily.”

Just as important as puttingyour supplies together is main-taining them so they are safeto use when needed. Here aresome tips to keep your sup-plies ready and in good condi-tion: keep canned food in a cool,dry place; store boxed food in

When Disaster Strikes, Be Prepared — Have a Kit!

See DISASTER page 5

By Mass CommunicationSpecialist 2nd Class

(SW/AW/IDW)Ashanté N. HammonsNSAB Public Affairs

staff writer

Thirteen years ago, on Sept.11, 2001, our nation suffereda major terrorist attack onAmerican soil. Instead of thisact dividing a nation, it broughtAmerica closer together. To con-tinue to support one another onthe anniversary of this memo-rable event, and for the secondyear in a row, Naval SupportActivity Bethesda (NSAB) Mo-rale, Welfare, and Recreation(MWR) held a 9/11 Freedom5K run.

“The Freedom 5K Race’sprimary purpose is for remem-brance of those who perishedduring the 9/11 attacks,” said

Jerry Cataldo, MWR FitnessCenter Director at NSAB. “Asa 20-year military veteran,retiring from the Air Force in2006, I knew that our role inthe war on terrorism changeddrastically and that it now wasmore personal because we wereattacked in our own backyard.After the 9/11 attacks, I de-ployed four times before retir-ing.”

MWR opened the FreedomRace to NSAB and its tenantcommands, including familymembers, friends, service mem-bers and veterans who came outto participate and to supportthe wounded, ill and injuredwarriors as well as rememberthose who have gone before us.According to Cataldo, the raceexemplified adaptability and

MWR Hosts 9/11 Freedom 5K Race at NSAB

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW/IDW) Ashanté N. Hammons

Participants follow the mapped course for NSAB MWR’s 9/11 Freedom 5K Race.According to Jerry Cataldo, MWR Fitness Center director, more than 250 peopleparticipated in this year’s race.See RACE page 6

2 Thursday, September 18, 2014 The Journal

Published by offset every Thurs-day by Comprint Military Publi-cations, 9030 Comprint Court,Gaithersburg, Md. 20877, aprivate firm in no way con-nected with the U.S. Navy,under exclusive written con-tract with Naval Support ActivityBethesda, Md. This commercialenterprise newspaper is an autho-rized publication for members of themilitary services. Contents of The Journalare not necessarily the official views of, norendorsed by, the U.S. Government, theDepartment of Defense, or the Departmentof Navy. The appearance of advertising inthis publication, including inserts or supple-ments, does not constitute endorsement bythe Department of Defense or Comprint,Inc., of the products or services advertised.Everything advertised in this publicationshall be made available for purchase, useor patronage without regard to race, color,

religion, sex, national origin,age, marital status, physicalhandicap, political affiliationor any other non-merit fac-tor of the purchaser, user,or patron. Editorial contentis edited, prepared and pro-vided by the Public AffairsOffice, Naval Support Activ-

ity Bethesda, Md. News copyshould be submitted to the Pub-

lic Affairs Office, Building 17, first floor,across from PSD, by noon one week pre-ceding the desired publication date. Newsitems are welcomed from all installationsources. Inquiries about news copy will beanswered by calling 301-295-1803. Com-mercial advertising should be placed withthe publisher by calling 301-921-2800.Publisher’s advertising offices are locatedat 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Md.20877. Classified ads can be placed bycalling 301-670-1700.

Naval Support Activity (NSA) BethesdaCommanding Officer: Capt. David A. BitontiPublic Affairs Officer: Ron InmanPublic Affairs Office: 301-295-1803

Journal StaffStaff Writers MC2Ashante Hammons

MC2 Christopher KruckeSarah MarshallKatrina SkinnerJulie SmithSharon Renee Taylor

Managing Editor MC2BrandonWilliams-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 Ombudsman

Michelle 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 Health

Sciences page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/

Uniformed-Services-University-of-the-Health-

Sciences/96338890888?fref=ts

Suicide Prevention WalkResiliency and Psychological Health Service’s

Annual Walk for Suicide Prevention is Monday,Sept. 29 at noon beginning at the Healing Plazain front of the America Building. For more infor-mation, call 301-400-1974.

Army Nurse Corps Assignments Branch VisitTherewillbeanArmyNurseCorpsAssignments

Branch Visit from Sept. 22-23. Branch brief forjunior officers will be Sept. 22 from 8:30 to 10:30a.m. in Clark Auditorium in Building 10. Branchbrief for senior officers will be Sept. 23 from 8:30to 10:30 p.m. in Clark Auditorium. There will beopportunities to meet with the nursing assign-ment officer for officers in the permanent changeof station window. Officers can see their leader-ship for scheduling.

Healing Arts ExhibitThe opening of the Healing Arts Exhibit pre-

sented by Oncology Services of the MurthaCancer Center and Creative Arts Program ofWalter Reed National Military Medical Centerwill be Oct. 16 from 3 to 7 p.m. in the pavil-ion between the America Garage and Building19. Artwork submissions will be accepted un-til Oct. 3. For more information about submis-sions, contact Seema Reza at 301-319-2858, orat [email protected], or Capt. Moira G.McGuire at 301-319-8755 or at [email protected].

Birth Month trainingBirth month training for Army, Navy and

civilian personnel at Walter Reed Bethesda isheld every second and fourth Thursday of eachmonth in Clark Auditorium beginning at 8 a.m.Training sessions include personal finance andstress management; EO and grievance proce-dures; hazing policy and prevention; fraterniza-tion awareness and prevention; sexual harass-ment and grievance procedures; suicide aware-ness and prevention; threat awareness and coun-terintelligence; and drug and alcohol preventioneducation.

Bethesda Notebook

From Naval Sea SystemsCommand Office of Corporate

Communication

It was a day no one who worked onthe Washington Navy Yard will everforget. Shortly after 8:00 a.m., on Sept.16, 2013, Navy contractor Aaron Alexisentered the Naval Sea Systems Com-mand (NAVSEA) headquarters build-ing and killed 12 people while wound-ing four more — including two policeofficers.

A year later, though much of theNAVSEA workforce is still displacedand many struggle to make sense ofthe tragic events, Washington NavyYard employees met to remember thelives of co-workers, friends and lovedones during a short, 8 a.m. ceremonyon the base.

Attended by more than 2,000 NavyYard employees, the purposely low-keyceremony featured remarks from bothSecretary of the Navy Ray Mabus andChief of Naval Operations Adm. Jona-than Greenert.

“We know now that, although wehave healed, our Navy and MarineCorps family will never feel completelywhole ... that even though we remindourselves it is impossible, we will nev-er quit thinking, if only for an instant,that those we lost will come to workagain and that it will be as if nothinghas happened,” said Mabus. “But inthe midst of these hard, awful truths,we also know that bright, wonderfulmemories will be with us and sustainus always.We know that their lives aredefined, not for how they died, but forhow they lived and will be rememberedalways.”

Though the event was designed tomemorialize the tragedy, each of the

speakers highlighted how much thecommand has achieved in the wake ofthe shooting. NAVSEA, responsible fordesigning, building and maintainingthe Navy fleet, was able to almost im-mediately reconstitute the majority ofits workforce in satellite offices aroundthe metro area — many were back towork the day after the shooting. Inthe immediate aftermath of the shoot-ing, the command awarded $1.6 billionworth of contracts, delivered a littoralcombat ship, christened a submarineand aircraft carrier, and provided over-sight to all of the Navy’s new ship con-struction and maintenance programs.

“As we come together during eventslike this, we remember our lost ship-mates and their families. We also re-dedicate ourselves to our mission, amission they fully supported, and doour best for our nation,” said Vice Adm.Willy Hilarides, NAVSEA Commander.“We mark today as a day of remem-brance and a day of inspiration. Re-member the shipmates we lost, they’rewith us every day as we continue tomove forward.”

The command continues to conductits mission despite being displacedfrom its headquarters. The building— now officially renamed the JoshuaHumphreys Building in honor of theNavy’s first naval architect — is un-dergoing a 16-month, $44 million reno-vation designed to repair damage andgive returning employees a new senseof place. The renovation will also allowthe Navy to incorporate an area me-morializing the fallen. Employees willbegin returning to the building in Feb-ruary.

For more on the WNY anniversary,visit http://www.navy.mil/local/wnym/index.asp

Washington Navy Yard RemembersShooting One Year Later

The Journal Thursday, September 18, 2014 3

By Julie SmithNSAB Public Affairs

staff writer

September is National Suicide Pre-vention Month, and while definitivedata summarizing the rate of suicidesamong active duty service members hasnot been released by the Department ofDefense (DOD) since 2012, preliminaryinformation suggests suicides are downacross the military, said Caitlin Mul-lins, Naval Support Activity Bethesda(NSAB) Fleet and Family Support Cen-ter (FFSC) life skills instructor.

Mullins and FFSC Clinical CaseManager Amelia Goodyear providedirect services and support aboardNSAB regarding suicide preventionand awareness, an issue that both areworking to normalize.

“Thoughts of suicide are extremelycommon. Many people, not just mili-tary, will experience thoughts of suicideat some point in their lives,” Goodyearsaid. “That doesn’t necessarily meanthat there will be an action toward dy-ing from suicide, but there’s such a sig-nificant taboo around suicide that wehave to be comfortable talking aboutit. Helping people have a conversationabout suicide can be productive.”

Through a two-day interactive, prac-tice-oriented workshop called AppliedSuicide Intervention Skills Training(ASIST), developed by suicide interven-tion training company LivingWorks,Goodyear teaches specific skills to helpidentify at-risk individuals, recognizeinvitations for help, apply safe inter-vention techniques and link people withcommand and community resources.The class is taught at the FFSC andanyone with base access can attend.

Goodyear explained the class is es-pecially beneficial to non-medical care-givers, such as family members whoare at NSAB with wounded warriors.

“Because we have a large woundedwarrior population, we have a lot ofpeople on this base who are strugglingwith other mental health diagnoseswhich are also associated with risk forsuicide,” Goodyear added. “PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), TBI (Trau-matic Brain Injury) and serious bodilyinjury are all types of combat traumathat can also elevate risk.”

Other suicide risk factors includepersonal relationship struggles, issuesat work, legal or discipline problemsand physical health difficulties, Mul-lins stated. In response to those prob-lems, individuals may exhibit signsthat they are thinking of suicide, shesaid.

“Look for out-of-the-ordinary sub-stance abuse and use, feelings of hope-lessness, anxiety or anger, people whowithdraw from friends, family or theirusual activities or reckless behavioror mood changes,” Mullins continued.“Certainly, if somebody actually tellsyou they are thinking about suicide

and they have an idea of how theywould do it, that’s crucial.”

Mullins said asking someone if theyare thinking of suicide might be awk-ward, but individuals need to ask di-rectly and without judgment.

“Then you have to be ready for a‘yes.’ We all have the responsibility toknow and find resources to get a personthe help they need,” Mullins said. “Givethem the options on which resourcethey’d be more comfortable with. Andthen stay with them.”

Goodyear stressed the importance oflanguage when helping someone whohas thoughts of suicide. It’s importantto validate what a person is feeling, shesaid, and gently discover what has keptthat person alive so far.

“Jumping in and saying ‘you haveso much to live for,’ while very well-in-tentioned, is basically telling someonethat there is something broken aboutthem that they aren’t able to connectwith the positive things in their life.That can make them feel even worse,”Goodyear explained.

Mullins added that talking aboutsuicide doesn’t have to be a career-ender, and Goodyear suggested thatthoughts of suicide don’t mean some-one is unstable or dangerous.

“The more the military recognizesand supports suicide awareness andprevention, the fewer stigmas therewill be in coming forward. The attitudearound suicide is shifting, and that’s agreat starting point,” Goodyear said.“That’s really the idea behind ASIST.If we can build communities that areaware of suicide and have a comfortlevel in talking about it, then togetherwe can reduce the risk for suicide.”

To learn more about ASIST, contactGoodyear at 301-400-2408 or [email protected]. For more in-formation about suicide awareness andprevention resources, email [email protected].

NSAB Resources Support NationalSuicide Prevention Month

U.S. Navy photo/illustration


1042617


By Bernard S. LittleWRNMMC Public

Affairs staff writer

During a ceremony atNaval Support ActivityBethesda’s (NSAB) USOWarrior and Family Cen-ter on Sept. 15, Rear Adm.Raquel Bono was promotedto rear admiral upper halfby military medicine’s topleadership.

Bono is director of theDefense Health Agency’s(DHA) National CapitalRegionMedical Directorate(NCR-MD) and the 11thchief of the Navy MedicalCorps. She assumed com-mand of the NCR-MD’spredecessor, the JointTask Force National Capi-tal Region Medical (JTFCapMed) in July 2013.Prior to that, she was thecommand surgeon, U.S.Pacific Command, CampH.M. Smith, Hawaii. Shewas also deputy director,Medical Resources, Plansand Policy, Chief of NavalOperations.

The 37th U.S. Navy Sur-geon General, Vice Adm.Matthew L.Nathan during

the ceremony called Bono“a role model” for othersto emulate. Bono has beenrecognized as one of the100 Most Influential Filipi-na AmericanWomen in theUnited States, and she andher brother made historyin the U.S. Navy two yearsago when they became thefirst siblings of Filipinodescent to hold flag-officerranks simultaneously.

Nathan also called Bono“a major shaker and mov-er” who has been “highlyregarded wherever she’sgone.” He added she hasaccomplished all that shehas “with grace and profes-sionalism,” while acknowl-edging the contributionsof her family, saying, “Thisamazing woman did not getthere by herself.”

Bono also paid tributeto her family, explainingthey inspired her careerpath. Her grandfatherwas an obstetrician in thePhilippines who served inthe U.S. Army as a colonelduring World War II, andher father also served inthe Navy and retired as acaptain.

Bono’s brother, retiredRear Adm. A.B. Cruz III,said of his father and sis-ter, “Dad set the bar andshe raised that bar.”

Before promoting Bonoto her new rank duringthe ceremony, Air Force Lt.Gen. Douglas J. Robb, DHAdirector, called Bono’s fam-ily, as well as, Army Brig.Gen. (Dr.) Jeffrey B. Clark,WRNMMC director, andFort Belvoir CommunityHospital (FBCH) directorNavy Capt. Jennifer Ve-dral-Baron, to the front ofthe room to participate inthe ceremony.

In recognizing the diver-sity and integration of mil-itary medicine, Robb hasstated, “This is not whatthe future of military med-icine will look like; this istoday’s picture of militarymedicine.”

As a subordinate com-mand of the DHA, Bonoleads the NCR-MD, one ofsix enhanced multi-servicemarkets (eMSMs) with au-thority, direction and con-trol overWRNMMC,FBCHand the Joint PathologyCenter. The NCR-MD also

has enhancedmulti-servicemarket authorities overNaval Health Clinic Quan-tico and its subordinateWashington Navy YardBranch Health Clinic; Na-val Health Clinic Annapo-lis;KimbroughAmbulatoryCare Center and its subor-dinateAndrewRaderArmyHealth Clinic; Fort McNairArmy Health Clinic; andMalcolm Grow MedicalClinic and Surgery Center(779th Medical Group) andits subordinate PentagonFlight Clinic; Bolling Clinic(579thMedical Group); andthe Pentagon DiLorenzoHealth Clinic.

During her town halls atWRNMMC, Bono has saidher goal for the NCR-MDis for it to “lead the way inpatient safety and qualitymanagement, and designthe market so that eachpatient has access to carein the market, regardlessof enrollment site.”

With approximately500,000 eligible beneficia-ries, the NCR-MD is DHA’slargest eMSM. Bono has

Military Medicine Leaders Praise, Promote Bono During Ceremony

Photo by Bernard S. Little

Air Force Lt. Gen. Douglas J. Robb, direc-tor of the Defense Health Agency, adminis-ters the officer oath to Rear Adm. Raquel C.Bono during her promotion to rear admiralupper half at a Sept. 15 ceremony on NavalSupport Activity Bethesda.See BONO page 8

1043237

This special guide highlights localnon-profit organizations that needyour support through donationsto help those in need.

Look for the special pullout guidein this week’s paper or visitDCMilitary.com/CFC for a fulllist of participating charities andthe e-Edition of this year’s guide.

Please support theirefforts and donate today!

The Combined Federal Campaign is Underway!


tightly closed plastic or metal contain-ers to protect from pests and to extendits shelf life; throw out any canned goodthat becomes swollen, dented or corroded;use foods before they go bad and replacethem with fresh supplies; place newitems at the back of the storage area andolder ones in the front; change stored foodand water supplies every six months; besure to write the “stored on” date on allcontainers; update your kit as your fam-ily’s needs change; put the entire disastersupplies kit in one or two easy-to-carrycontainers, such as an unused trashcan,camping backpack or duffel bag.

At home, since you do not know whereyou will be when an emergency occurs,prepare supplies for home, work and ve-hicles. Keep the kit in a designated placeand have it ready in case you have toleave your home quickly. Make sure allfamily members know where the kit iskept. Additionally, you may want to con-sider having supplies for sheltering forup to two weeks.

At work, you need to be prepared toshelter at work for at least 24 hours.Make sure you have food and water andother necessities like medicines in yourkit. Have comfortable walking shoes atyour workplace in case an evacuation re-quires walking long distances. Your workkit should also be in one container andready to “grab and go” in case you are

evacuated from your workplace.In your vehicle, in case you are strand-

ed, keep a kit of emergency supplies inyour car. This kit should include: jumpercables; flashlights and extra batteries;first aid kit and necessary medicationsin case you are away from home for aprolonged time; food items containingprotein such as nuts and energy bars;canned fruit and a portable can opener;water for each person and pet in yourcar; AM/FM radio to listen to traffic re-ports and emergency messages; cat litteror sand for better tire traction; shovel; icescraper; warm clothes, gloves, hat, stur-dy boots, jacket and an extra change ofclothes, blankets or sleeping bags.

Also consider a fully-charged cellphone and phone charger, flares or reflec-tive triangle, and baby formula and dia-pers if you have an infant. Be preparedfor an emergency by keeping your gastank full and if you find yourself strand-ed, be safe and stay in your car, put onyour flashers, call for help and wait untilit arrives.

“Obviously, the more prepared a fam-ily is the better they will adapt and dealwith the stress of the situation; this is awonderful advantage in an emergency ordisaster,” Mullins added.

For more information about prepar-ing a disaster supplies kit, contact NSABDeputy Emergency Manager Les Hiattat 301-319-2554 or [email protected] or got to fema.gov. You can alsoobtain useful resources at an informa-tion table that will be set up at Building19 on Monday, Sept. 22 from 10 a.m. un-til 1 p.m. in Building 19.

DISASTERContinued from pg. 1


1043311

6 Thursday, September 18, 2014 The Journal The Journal

By Bernard S. LittleWRNMMC Public Affairs staff writer

A large bell was rung, prayers said and tears shedduring a solemn ceremony at Walter Reed Bethesdaon Sept. 11 as the community gathered to rememberthe victims and the tragic events of 9/11.

The early-morning ceremony took place in frontof the iconic Walter Reed National Military MedicalCenter (WRNMMC) Tower on Naval Support ActivityBethesda following the raising of the American flagfor morning colors beneath an overcast sky.

As a timeline of the 9/11 events was read, a jointservice color guard lowered the flag until it reachedhalf-mast during the ceremony. A Sailor rang the re-membrance bell at each significant event when liveswere lost on that horrific day, the deadliest attack onAmerican soil.

Also during the ceremony at Walter Reed Bethesdalast week, Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Jeffrey B. Clark, WRNMMCdirector, Capt. Sarah Martin, WRNMMC chief of staff,Command Master Chief Tyrone Willis, WRNMMC se-nior enlisted leader, and David Rohrbaugh, civilianrepresentative to the WRNMMC board of directors,dedicated and placed a wreath in front of the baseflagpole with a sash bearing the words “Gone But NotForgotten” in honor of the victims and events of 9/11.

Army Capt. Christine Brandt, an emergency roomnurse at WRNMMC, spoke at the observance, reflect-ing and sharing her story, adding each service mem-ber had a similar story to tell.

“On 9/11, I was a stay-at-home mom with a 2-year-old. I was at the gym (and) running on the tread-mill. I looked up at the TV and knew something waswrong,” she continued. She explained the first planehad hit the World Trade Center in New York, and shewatched in horror as the second jet flew into the othertwin tower of the center.

“That day, I was inspired to join (the military), andsince that day, it’s been an honor and privilege toserve every day,” Brandt continued.

“I served in Iraq as an emergency room nurse, andI saw the wounded,” the Army captain said. “One ofmy first patients was a West Pointer who came inafter being injured by an IED (improvised explosivedevice), and his only concern was for his driver, a ser-geant. He didn’t even want anything for his pain be-cause he was so concerned for his fellow Soldier.

“9/11 is our generation’s day of infamy, and therehave been so many changes that have occurred as aresult,” Brandt added. “Many of us (in the armed forc-es) have gone to war and back, some several times,and our families have made sacrifices, but all of usfeel honored and privileged to serve. Every servicemember has a story to tell, (and they) joined (themilitary) knowing that it wasn’t if they were goingto war, but when they were going to war. That is atribute to this generation.”

She added since 9/11, more than two million peoplehave served in overseas contingency operations “withpoise and professionalism. I’ve seen that on the lineand everywhere I’ve served.”

Brandt said many of the wounded warriors she hascared for “want to get back on the line” and consis-

tently ask her, “How can I get back to work?”“That is inspiring to me,” said the nurse. “We pray

for their strength and courage, for them and theirfamilies,” she concluded.

The Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Centerin New York and at the Pentagon, in addition to thecrash of the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 intoa field near Shanksville, Penn., claimed the lives ofalmost 3,000 people 13 years ago. The White Housealso remembered those tragedies with a moment of si-lence, and at the Pentagon, a large American flag wasunfurled on the side of the building where a jet wasflown into the building killing more than 180 people,many of them service members.

Also at the Pentagon observance, President BarackObama, the commander in chief, spoke of the 9/11 vic-tims and survivors. He said, “America endures in thestrength of your families, who, through your anguish,kept living. You’ve kept alive a love that no act of ter-ror could ever extinguish.

“Generations from now, Americans will still buildtowers that reach toward the heavens, still serve inembassies that stand for freedom around the world,still wear the uniform and give meaning to thosewords written two centuries ago: land of the free,home of the brave,” the president said.

‘Our Generation’s Day of Infamy’

Walter Reed Bethesda Remembers 9/11 Victims, Tragedies

Photo by Beverli Alford, WRNMMC Strategic Communications

David Rohrbaugh, civilian representative to the WRNMMC board of directors, and a Sailor place a wreathwith a sash bearing the words “Gone But Not Forgotten” in front of the base flagpole.

Photo by Beverli Alford, WRNMMC Strategic Communications

Staff members pray during a Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony on Naval Sup-port Activity Bethesda for victims and survivors of the tragedies of 9/11.

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christopher Krucke

Brigadier General (Dr.) Jeffrey B. Clark, WRNMMC director,speaks during a 9/11 remembrance ceremony in front of themedical center’s tower on Sept. 11.

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christopher Krucke

A Sailor rings a memorial bell during a Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony atWalter Reed Bethesda for the victims and survivors of the tragedies of 9/11.

helped boost morale. He mentionedthat the race this year was phenom-enal because of the versatility of theparticipants.

“We had folks that could run theentire thing while some walked theevent,” Cataldo explained. “Some ranon crutches with one leg or pushed astroller. There were participants whowore prosthetics or were in a wheel-chair and they completed the race. Itdoesn’t matter how you plan on com-pleting the race, whether with a timeof 15:20 or 51:20, it is about gettingout there.”

As participants ran or walked themapped route, they were delightedto share an event with others on aday that changed our nation’s his-tory. Petty Officer 2nd Class Tere-sa Brim, a patient at Walter ReedNational Military Medical Center(WRNMMC), walked the race withher daughter, who was there to showsupport for her mom. She appreci-ated the support the command pro-vided not only for her, but for otherwounded, ill and injured warriors.Brim said that she always tries toparticipate in the MWR races.

“It is awesome how they supportthe wounded, ill and injured war-riors,” said Brim. “If I was a civil-ian, I wouldn’t get the support thatthe military gives you. It’s awesome.They make sure that we do some-thing all the time. They try to keepour morale up with these events.”

Once participants got to the finishline, they were greeted by event staffwith bottles of water and heartycongratulations. Full Force andAlia Davis, from the female musicgroup Allure, performed music fromthe 1980s and 1990s, along with anew inspirational song that cameabout during member Paul AnthonyGeorge’s battle with cancer. He isnow cancer-free.

“Life is so unexpected,” Georgesaid to the crowd. “As life goes on,you got to seize the moment becauseyou don’t know what tomorrow is go-ing to bring.”

The crowd danced and sang alongwith Full Force and Alia Davis.The entire event provided the mo-rale boost that everyone needed. AsCataldo said, MWR tries to stay cre-ative with various programs to keeppeople active.

“The Freedom 5K will always be aspecial run and has a lot of meaningbehind it,” said Cataldo. “Our planis to continue this run for years tocome. We are also gearing up for our“Think Pink” Breast Cancer Aware-ness 5K in October.”

For more information about MWRFitness and the “Think Pink” 5K,please contact Jerry Cataldo at (301)319-3486 or by email at [email protected].

RACEContinued from pg. 1

Thursday, September 18, 2014 7


By Julie SmithNSAB Public Affairs

staff writer

The Department of De-fense (DOD) has joinedthe nation in observingNational Hispanic Heri-tage Month from Sept. 15to Oct. 15 with the theme,“Hispanics: A legacy of his-tory, a present of actionand a future of success.”National Hispanic Heri-tage Month recognizes therich heritage and culturaldiversity that HispanicAmericans have contrib-uted to the United States.

The observation startedin 1968 as Hispanic Heri-tage Week under Presi-dent Lyndon Johnson. Thecelebration commenceson Sept. 15 because fiveLatin American countries— Costa Rica, El Salva-dor, Guatemala, Hondurasand Nicaragua — declared

their independence fromSpanish colonization onSept. 15, 1821. Mexico andChile celebrate their inde-pendence days on Sept. 16and Sept. 18, respectively.

“The Department ofDefense (DOD) is com-mitted to honoring andrecognizing the HispanicAmericans that have andcontinue to serve in the de-fense of our country and si-multaneously contribute toshaping the culture of theUnited States,” said Clar-ence A. Johnson, directorof the Office of DiversityManagement and EqualOpportunity. “During thistime, I encourage our DODpersonnel to recognize theimmeasurable contribu-tions made by the nation’sHispanic Americans andcelebrate the diversity ofthe DOD workforce.”

At Naval Support Activ-ity Bethesda, a National

Hispanic Heritage Monthcelebration is scheduledfor Sept. 25 from 11:30 a.m.to 12:30 p.m. in the pianoarea of Bldg. 19. There willbe food and live music fromlocal band Sol Y Rumba,said Bethesda Multicul-tural Committee PresidentHospitalman 1st ClassEmmanuel Ilfraim.

“It’s important to cel-ebrate National HispanicHeritage Month becausewe can take time to pauseand reflect on each indi-vidual ethnic group orbackground and whatthey have accomplished,especially in the militaryservices,” Ilfraim said. “It’sabout education. If we getto know each other, wecan work better with eachother. It’s a great way toshowcase what Hispanicheritage has to offer. Peo-ple can learn from that andthey ‘ll be more informed.”

NSAB Celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month

also tasked those withinthe NCR-MD to recapturepatients for the direct caresystem from purchasedcare contractors. “I don’tthink there’s anybody whocan give the quality of carewe do to our military mem-bers. Through enhanced

multi-service markets, wecan directly impact howDOD health care dollarsare spent.”

Bono was commissionedin June 1979. She ob-tained her baccalaureatedegree from the Univer-sity of Texas at Austin andattended medical schoolat Texas Tech University.She completed a surgicalinternship and a generalsurgery residency at Na-val Medical Center Ports-

mouth, and a Trauma andCritical Care fellowshipat the Eastern VirginiaGraduate School of Medi-cine in Norfolk.

Bono saw duty in Op-erations Desert Shieldand Desert Storm andher assignments includethe director of RestorativeCare at the former Na-tional Naval Medical Cen-ter (NNMC) in Bethesda,Md., the medical corpscareer planning officer forthe Chief of the MedicalCorps, the executive assis-tant to the 35th Navy Sur-geon General and Chief,Bureau of Medicine andSurgery the chief of staffand deputy director forTricare Management Ac-tivity (TMA) of the Officeof the Assistant Secretaryof Defense, Health Affairs(OASD(HA)), and deputydirector for Medical Re-sources, Plans and Policy(N093), Chief of Naval Op-erations.

In addition to being adiplomat of the AmericanBoard of Surgery, Bono isa Fellow of the AmericanCollege of Surgeons and amember of the Eastern As-sociation for the Surgeryof Trauma. Her personaldecorations include theDefense Superior ServiceMedal (two awards), Le-gion of Merit Medal (fourawards), Meritorious Ser-vice Medal (two awards),and the Navy and MarineCorps Commendationmedal (two awards).

BONOContinued from pg. 4

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By Sarah MarshallWRNMMC Public Affairs

staff writer

Did you know a Code Green isactivated in the event of a masscasualty?

As part of Walter ReedBethesda’s continued efforts tomaintain readiness, the medi-cal center will conduct a CodeGreen response drill on Sept. 25,explained Chris Gillette, Wal-ter Reed Bethesda’s emergencymanager. The exercise shouldnot impact patient care and willnot disrupt hospital operations,he continued.

“This gives staff, and it givesus (Emergency Management),the opportunity to make surethose designated departmentsstill understand their role, stillare receiving emergency notifi-cations and still report (to theirdesignated areas),” Gillette said.Conducting the exercise at anunannounced time also allows amore accurate test of the medi-cal center’s emergency response,he added.

Staff and patients will bealerted of the exercise via over-head announcements, emails,

and phone calls. Then, desig-nated departments and clin-ics will send representatives— one to three people fromeach pre-designated area — tovarious mass casualty stations,such as a minor care unit thatwould be set up at General Sur-gery. Patients and visitors canalso expect to see large groupsof individuals, in bright vestsand arm bands, briefly gath-

ered at mass casualty stations,Gillette said. They might alsosee equipment being set up ormoved during the exercise.

“We’re looking to see thatonce Code Green has been ac-tivated, if departments sendthe personnel where they’resupposed to, in a rapid fash-ion,” Gillette said. They’ll alsobe testing notification systems— such as overhead announce-

ments, emails, and phone calls,he added. “Then, there will be anopportunity for the mass casu-alty stations to go through theirplans, and discuss procedures,how they would disposition pa-tients, set up treatment rooms… It gives them a chance to re-hearse and practice their plans.”

The goal is to make sure per-sonnel know their role insideand out, so if an emergencyhappens five minutes from now,we’d expect the same response,he said.

Staff will also have a chanceto review and test out anylessons learned from a CodeGreen exercise conducted inMarch, which was on a largerscale, with volunteers acting ascasualties dressed in moulage,explained Melissa Knapp, pro-gram manager for EmergencyManagement Plans, Trainingand Exercises at Walter ReedBethesda.

“If there was anything theywanted to change, a procedure,a layout (after the March exer-cise) … this gives them an op-portunity to implement theirprocess improvements,” Knappsaid.

It’s about making sureeveryone knows what to doand when, Gillette added.Throughout the year, Emer-gency Management is commit-ted to maintaining readiness,regularly conducting all-haz-ards training. Approximatelyone emergency code drill isconducted per quarter, in ad-dition to two large-scale emer-gency exercises required eachyear, per The Joint Commis-sion, which accredits and cer-tifies more than 20,500 healthcare organizations in the U.S.to ensure safe and effectivecare across all settings. Thenext training evolution — aCode Pink exercise — is sched-uled in December. Code Pinkis activated in the event of areported missing or abductedinfant or child.

Additionally, year-round,the emergency managementteam offers training to depart-ments upon request if theyneed a “refresher,” Gilletteadded. For more informationabout emergency managementat WRNMMC, call Chris Gil-lette at 301-295-3115 or Me-lissa Knapp at 301-319-4906.

Code Green Exercise Sept. 25 to Test Preparedness

File photo

Evaluators review crisis response plans during a re-cent emergency exercise at Walter Reed Bethesda.On Sept. 25, a Code Green response drill will takeplace as part of the hospital’s continued efforts to en-hance preparedness.


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By Bernard S. LittleWRNMMC Public

Affairs staff writer

The AccreditationCouncil for GraduateMedical Education (AC-GME), a national orga-nization which accreditsGraduate Medical Edu-cation (GME) programsworldwide, conducted itsfirst Clinical LearningEnvironment Review sitevisit to the National Cap-ital Consortium (NCC)and Walter Reed Na-tional Military MedicalCenter (WRNMMC) fromSept. 9 through Sept. 11.

“The CLER program isa new addition to the AC-GME new accreditationsystem process designedto provide feedback tomajor teaching hospitalsthat train interns, resi-dents and fellows (train-ees) in six focus areas: pa-tient safety, health carequality, care transitions,supervision, duty hoursand fatigue management

and mitigation, and pro-fessionalism,” explainedArmy Col. Michael R.Nelson, director for edu-cation, training and re-search at WRNMMC.

During the ACG-ME team site visit to

WRNMMC, they held aseries of sessions withtrainees, program lead-ers and medical centerleadership. The team alsovisited various depart-ments, clinics and wardsat WRNMMC where they

were able to interact withpatients and staff, in ad-dition to seeing how themedical center educatesits trainees and incorpo-rates them into hospital-level patient safety andquality initiatives, Nel-son said.

“This was a great op-portunity for WRNMMCto show off its high qual-ity GME programs filledwith the Department ofDefense’s (DOD) besttrainees and led by eliteprogram directors andfaculty,” Nelson contin-ued. “This visit providedfull confirmation thatWRNMMC places a pre-mium on patient safetyand quality improvementand that our medicalcenter fully engages ourphysicians in trainingwho are essential to oursuccess. The visit wentvery well from my per-spective.”

Dr. Mark Bixby andDr. Robin Dibner, CLERprogram field represen-tatives for ACGME, com-mented on the “palpablesense of pride” they foundat WRNMMC duringtheir site visit. In addi-tion, they said the nurs-ing staff is “delightfuland welcoming,” and theydescribed the GME train-ees as “responsive andengaged.” They also tooknote of the relationshipbetween WRNMMC andthe Uniformed ServicesUniversity of the HealthSciences (USU), whichhad representatives atWRNMMC during theACGME site visit.

“Teamwork is one ofthe unifying principles ofCLER,” explained NavyCmdr. (Dr.) KatherineSchexneider, assistantdeputy commander foreducation, training andresearch at Walter ReedBethesda.

“Over the past 18months, we’ve takenteamwork here to thenext level,” Schexneidercontinued. “Physiciansand nurses of all ranksworked together earlythis year to standardizeour patient handoffs, andwe now have 89 housestaff joining their nurse,allied health and attend-ing physician colleagueson 22 different hospital-wide committees.”

“We must embrace theCLER program require-ments,” said Navy Capt.(Dr.) Jerri Curtis, NCCexecutive director andassociate dean of GMEat USU. “The underlyingprinciple of the CLER issafe health-care settingsare necessary to prepareinterns, residents and fel-lows to be safe health-carepractitioners.”“(WalterReed Bethesda) and all ofour GME programs mustonly assign residents andfellows to learning andworking environmentsthat facilitate patientsafety and health-carequality,” said Curtis. “Wehave several initiativesthat the GME leader-ship is actively workingon to achieve the goals of(CLER).”

CLER focus areas in-clude:

• Patient safety: pro-viding opportunities forhouse staff to reporterrors, unsafe condi-tions and near misses,as well as participate onWRNMMC’s safety andquality committees;

• Quality improve-ment: allowing housestaff to not only partici-pate on the safety andquality committees, butalso allow them to usedata to improve systemsof care, reduce healthcare disparities and im-prove patient outcomes;

• Transitions in care:effective standardizationand oversight of the pro-gression of house staffthrough GME;

• Duty hours: ensuring

fatigue management andmitigation to ensure pa-tient safety;

• Professionalism: en-suring the hospital is ful-filling their educationaland professional respon-sibilities to the housestaff;

• Supervision: main-taining and overseeingpolicies of guidance con-cordant with ACGMErequirements at the in-stitutional and programlevel.

Army Col. (Dr.) Clif-ton E. Yu, chief of GMEat WRNMMC, agreed theACGME CLER programsite visit was “a great op-portunity” for WRNMMCto showcase its medicaltraining. He explainedthe field representativeswere able to see “residentinvolvement in all fac-ets of patient safety andquality at WRNMMC,as well as (WRNMMC’s)standards and policiesfor supervision, fatiguemitigation, transitions ofcare, and how we are in-vestigating and address-ing potential disparitiesin care.

“A major focus of theirvisit concentrated oninteracting with resi-dent physicians, as wellas nurses and corps-men, and the site visi-tors freely commentedon the noticeable senseof pride and profession-alism among those theyencountered,” Yu added.

Nelson stated, “(TheACGME site visit) was avery positive experiencefor WRNMMC and thefeedback provided (was)thoughtful and thor-ough.”

“The ACGME CLERteam will give us the op-portunity to grow evenmore in the promotion ofbest practices in patientsafety, quality improve-ment, and disparity ofcare mitigation at ourmedical center,” Nelsonadded. “WRNMMC hasreason to be proud. Iwant to thank everyonefor their honest warmand welcoming of theCLER visitors, and fortheir continued devotionto supporting only thehighest quality medicaleducation and patient-centered care,” the colo-nel said.

WRB’s Clinical Learning Environment Reviewed

Photo by Bernard Little

From left, Cmdr. (Dr.) Katherine Schexneider, deputy director forClinical Learning Environment in Education, Training and Researchat Walter Reed Bethesda, Victor Mosley, patient safety adminis-trator, Navy Capt. (Dr.) Jerri Curtis, executive director, NationalCapital Consortium (NCC) and associate dean of Graduate MedicalEducation (GME) at USU, and Gene Monroe, Walter Reed Bethes-da’s Joint Commission specialist, discuss the Clinical Learning En-vironment Review (CLER) program.

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