MHS Conference Day Three: Training, Families and Voices of Wounded Warriors

Posted by Robyn Mincher, DCoE Strategic Communications

	Vice Adm. Matthew Nathan, Navy surgeon general, speaks during the 2012 Military Health System (MHS) Conference at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., Feb. 1, 2012. (Defense Department photo by Johnny Bivera)

In the opening plenary sessions on day three of the Military Health System Conference, Vice Adm. Matthew Nathan, Navy surgeon general, showed a picture of an amputee service member walking efficiently with prosthetics, hand-in-hand with his family.

“That dad is missing a leg and an arm but he’s not missing a family,” he said. “Most importantly, that family is not missing him.”

The future of the Medical Education and Training Campus (METC) was discussed in the presentation “METC Update – FOC and Beyond.” The tri-service, Defense Department health care education campus, located at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, features 60 medical programs, state-of-the-art facilities and more than 24,000 annual graduates. One highlight was the campus’ emphasis to educate students in accordance with their service.

“Students drill and march with own service...learn special skills and indoctrination directly related to their service’s needs,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Lambing. “We train the world’s finest medics, corpsmen and techs supporting the nation’s ability to engage globally.”

The military health care community was shown a personal side of care during the “Experiences of Wounded, Ill or Injured Warriors” presentation. Two recovering service members and their spouses discussed their experiences in the systems of care from the moment of battlefield injury to transport to care, to healing.

“I stepped on my second IED in June…I was amputated below the knee, [with] lacerations to my left arm and broken shoulder. At the point of the medical care, I had an awesome corpsman with me. I can’t stress that enough,” said Marine Sgt. Marshall Kennedy. “They moved me to shock trauma unit. The care in Germany was really good. All the nurses did quite a good job on me, as well as all the people who worked there.”

Kennedy spoke on the significance of having his family by his side as soon as he was moved to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

“Being able to have my wife and kids with me—that was the main factor of my recovery.”

Dr. Stephen Cozza, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress associate director, hosted a panel on the health of our military families.

“About 50 percent of our military are married, with 44 percent who are on active duty with children,” Cozza said. “Our military kids are our nations kids...more than two million children have been affected by these experiences,” said Cozza.

The panel included presentations on resources that help our military families, including FOCUS (Families OverComing Under Stress), a program that provides resiliency training to military children and families to meet challenges, communicate and set goals together. The program has resiliency trainers on bases, such as Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., and training online.

For more about the 2012 MHS Conference: Well-being Drives New Focus at MHS Conference Session.