Command Group

Colonel Ronald J. Place, MD, FACS, FASCRS

Winn ACH Commander

Colonel Place hails from South Dakota where he graduated from the University of South Dakota cum laude in 1986 with a degree in Chemistry and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant as a Distinguished Military Graduate of the ROTC program.  A member of Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society, he graduated from Creighton University School of Medicine in 1990, receiving a Doctor of Medicine cum laude and was promoted to Captain.  COL Place then completed his General Surgery internship and residency training at Madigan Army Medical Center (MAMC) in 1995 where he received the Major General Floyd L. Wergeland Award as Madigan’s Outstanding Graduating Resident and was also selected as the Teaching Resident of the Year.

COL Place then joined the General Surgery Staff at Martin Army Community Hospital, Ft. Benning, Georgia and became Chief of Ostomy and Wound Care Clinic.  During this period, he was promoted to Major and completed the AMEDD Officer’s Advanced Course and Flight Surgeon’s Course.  In 1998, COL Place moved to the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas where he completed his fellowship training in Colon and Rectal Surgery and then returned to MAMC as a Colorectal Surgeon.  He subsequently became Assistant Chief of the Department of Surgery, obtained an appointment as Assistant Professor of Surgery, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.

From October 2001 until April 2002, he deployed as a General Surgeon with the 250^th Forward Surgical Team (FST-Airborne) to Afghanistan in OEF I.  COL Place was then assigned to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) in July of 2002 as the Chief of Surgery.  While in this billet, he deployed as a General Surgeon with the 67^th FST during OIF I, with Task Force Med Falcon IX to Kosovo, and with the 249^th General Hospital for OEF VI.  In September 2005, he was promoted to Colonel and became LRMC’s Deputy Commander for Outlying Clinics.  In July 2007, COL Place returned to MAMC as the Deputy Commander for Clinical Services.  In October 2008, he became the Principal Deputy Commander of Madigan, gaining responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the Medical Center.

COL Place is a graduate of the Command and General Staff Officer Course and is board certified in General Surgery and Colorectal Surgery.  He is the author of almost 40 peer reviewed articles and book chapters.  His awards include the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Presidential Unit Citation, Combat Action Badge, Combat Medic Badge, Flight Surgeon’s Badge, The Surgeon General’s “A” Designator for clinical excellence, and the Order of Military Medical Merit.

COL Place recently completed a two year command at USAMEDDAC, Fort Knox and Ireland Army Community Hospital.

Command Sergeant Major Joseph L. Cecil

Winn Command Sergeant Major

CSM Joseph L. Cecil joined the Army in February 1988. He attended Basic Training at Fort Bliss, Texas and completed Advanced Individual Training as a 76J Medical Logistics Specialist at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

His assignments include Command Sergeant Major of Reynolds Army Community Hospital, Operations Sergeant Major of the 1st Medical Brigade, Acting Command Sergeant Major of the 36th Medical Evacuation Battalion, First Sergeant of the 582nd Medical Logistics Company, Acting Command Sergeant Major and Operations NCOIC of the 16th Medical Logistics Battalion, First Sergeant for HSC and A Co, 86th Combat Support Hospital, Task Force S4 NCOIC for TF Med Falcon Kosovo, NCOIC Medical Supply of the 86th Combat Support Hospital, Field Recruiter at the Dallas Recruiting Battalion, NCOIC Property Management Branch at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital, and Squad Leader of the 703rd Forward Support Battalion. His deployments include Operation Joint Guardian in Kosovo, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

His military and civilian education include the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy (Class ‘59), the First Sergeants Course, the Advanced Noncommissioned Officers Course, the Recruiter Basic Course, the Basic Noncommissioned Officers Course (Honor Graduate), the Hazardous Materials Handling Course, the Combat Lifesavers Course, and the Primary Leadership Development Course. CSM Cecil is working on his Bachelor’s Degree in General Studies with Excelsior University.

CSM Cecil is a native of Caruthersville, Missouri and is the proud parent of two children, his son Jonathan who serves in the United States Navy and his daughter Morgan.

Lieutenant Colonel Jose Bonilla

Deputy Commander for Administration

Lieutenant Colonel Jose A. Bonilla was born in Managua, Nicaragua. In 1985, he completed four years of enlisted service as an Army Helicopter Crewchief, 571st Medical Detachment (AA), Fort Carson, Colorado and B 3/501st Aviation Company (AVIM), Republic of Korea. He was commissioned in 1991 through the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, and a Master in Health Administration degree from Baylor University.

His military education includes the Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Officer Basic Course and Advanced Course, the Initial Entry Rotary Wing Aviator Course, Medical Logistics Management Course, the Combined Arms Service Staff School, and the Command and General Staff College. He is also qualified in the UH-1 Huey, UH-60 Blackhawk, and UH-72 Lakota helicopters.
After graduating from the AMEDD Basic Course and Initial Entry Rotary Wing Course, in 1992 he was assigned to the 68th Medical Detachment (AA), Hawaii. He served as MEDEVAC pilot, Flight Section Leader, Flight Platoon leader, and Rear Detachment Commander.

In 1996, he was assigned to the 45th Medical Company (AA), Ansbach, Germany as MEDEVAC pilot, Headquarters Platoon Leader, and Rear Detachment Commander. In 1997, he deployed with the 159th Medical Company (AA), Weisbaden, Germany to Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of the Implementation Force (IFOR) and Support Force (SFOR) as Area Support Flight Team and Platoon Leader.

In 1998, upon redeployment from the Balkans, he was assigned to the 421st Medical Evacuation Battalion, Weisbaden, Germany as the S-3 Air. In 2000, he was assigned to the 159th Medical Company (AA) as the Executive Officer and Flight Operations Officer.

In 2002, he was assigned to Evans Army Community Hospital, Fort Carson, Colorado as the Chief, Clinical Support Division. In 2004, he was reassigned to Weed Army Community Hospital, Ft. Irwin, California as the Chief of Managed Care Division. Lieutenant Colonel Bonilla took MEDEVAC aviation command of the USAAAD National Training Center (NTC), CA in June, 2006.

In June, 2008, upon completion of MEDEVAC aviation command at NTC he was selected to be the Deputy Commander for Administration/Chief of Staff at Reynolds Army Community Hospital, Ft. Sill OK.

In June, 2010, he was selected to be the Deputy Commander for Administration/Chief of Staff at Winn Army Community Hospital, Ft. Stewart, GA.

His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (with three oak leaf clusters), Army Commendation Medal (with three oak leaf cluster), Army Achievement Medal (with oak leaf cluster), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, NATO Medal, Army Superior Unit Award, Expert Field Medical Badge, Senior Army Aviator Badge, Air Assault Badge, German Armed Forces Military Efficiency Badge in Gold, and the Sikorsky Aircraft Rescue Award. He is also the recipient of the Honorable Order of Saint Michael Bronze Medal for demonstrated excellence in aviation.

Lieutenant Colonel Richard G. Malish, MD, FACP, FACC

Winn Deputy Commander for Clinical Services

LTC Richard Malish was born in Lufkin, Texas and entered the Johns Hopkins University in 1988. In his college career, Malish played 4 years of division III football and was elected into the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society. He graduated with general and departmental honors in 1992 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology. A member of Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society, he graduated from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 1996, receiving a Doctor of Medicine degree.
LTC Malish then completed a transitional internship at the Madigan Army Medical Center before deliberately embarking on a career path that has intermingled academic and operational experiences.

Academically, Malish graduated from the Brooke Army Medical Center’s Internal Medicine Residency in 2001 as the “Most Outstanding Senior Resident.” In future years, Malish trained in Cardiology at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He graduated that program in 2006 as a Finalist for the Bailey K. Ashford Clinical Research Award. Other academic highlights include winning five graduation awards from the residence Command and General Staff College in 2009. Amongst his awards was the General George C. Marshall Award identifying him as the Distinguished Graduate. The College also recognized Malish as the class’s “top strategist” and awarded him with the award for “best thesis” – a work which explored the past, present, and potential future roles of Army battalion surgeons in combat. Malish also earned a Master’s in Military Arts and Sciences (MMAS) and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) during his resident year at the Command and General Staff College.

In his operational endeavors, Malish was the Battalion Surgeon for 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from 1997 through 1999. He served as the Brigade Surgeon for the 173rd Airborne Brigade from 2001 through 2003. In this role, Malish prepared the unit for its combat role in Iraq. After accompanying the unit on its airborne insertion into the fight, Malish became the Task Force Surgeon for all forces operating in the North. LTC Malish was the Chief of Cardiology Testing at Womack Army Medical Center from 2006-2007. In 2007, he deployed to Honduras as a flight surgeon. Prior to his assignment as the Winn DCCS, LTC Malish was the 3rd Infantry Division Surgeon from 2010 to 2012. In 2010, Malish again deployed to Iraq.

Malish is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiology, and Nuclear Cardiology. He is the lead author of several articles in operational medicine. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal (3 OLC), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal (2 OLC), the Joint Service Achievement Medal (1 OLC), the Army Achievement Medal (1 OLC), and the Humanitarian Service Medal. His badges include the Combat Medical Badge, Airborne Wings with Combat Jump Bronze Service Star, the Expert Medical Field Badge, Flight Surgeon Wings, Air Assault Wings, and the Dive Medical Officer Badge.

Colonel Yolanda Ruiz-Isales

Deputy Commander for Nursing

Colonel Yolanda Ruiz-Isales was born in Brooklyn, New York and graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1983. She was commissioned in 1985 as Second Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps. She received a Master of Nursing Administration from Louisiana State University, New Orleans in 1993 and a Master of Science, National Resource Strategy, at the Industrial College of Armed Forces, Fort McNair, Washington D.C. in 2006.

Colonel Ruiz-Isales’ military education includes the Officer Basic and Advance Courses; Faculty Development Course; Head Nurse Leadership Development Course; Advanced Nursing Leadership Course; Combat Casualty Care Course; Combat Casualty Management (Echelon 111) Course; Recruiting and Retention School; Combined Arms and Services Staff School; Command and General Staff College; AMEDD Executive Skills Course; Interagency Institute for Federal Health Care Executives; Joint Medical Executive Skills Institute CAPSTONE Symposium; and Senior Service College, the Industrial College of Armed Forces.

Colonel Ruiz-Isales’ past military assignments include Clinical Staff Nurse, Multi-Service Intensive Care Unit, Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, Fort Polk, Louisiana; Nurse Counselor, USAREC USA 1st Brigade NE, Fort George Meade, Maryland, with duty at Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, New York; Head Nurse, Urgent Care Clinic, 43rd MASH Camp Humphreys, Korea; Head Nurse, Emergency Department, 121 Evacuation Hospital, Yongsan, Korea; Director of Plans, Operations, and Training, Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Head Nurse of the Neuroscience Center, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington D.C.; Command & General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Executive Officer of the 5th AMEDD Recruiting Detachment, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Nurse Staff Officer, Chief, Army Nurse Corps, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Chief Nurse, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.; Assistant Chief Nurse, Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, N.C.; and Commander, United States Army Aeromedical Center (USAAMC), Fort Rucker, AL. COL Ruiz-Isales is currently serving as the Deputy Commander for Nursing, Winn Army Community Hospital, Ft Stewart, GA.

She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, Sigma Theta Tau, National Honor Society, Louisiana State University’s Alumni Association, and The Army Nurse Corps Association. Colonel Ruiz-Isales’ awards and decorations include: Legion of Merit; Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal (five oak leaf clusters); Joint Service Commendation Medal; Army Commendation Medal (two oak leaf clusters); Joint Service Achievement Medal; and Army Achievement Medal (two oak leaf clusters). She is also a recipient of the Order of Military Medical Merit, is authorized to wear the Army Recruiter Badge, and was awarded the Surgeon General’s 9A designation as an expert in her field.

Lieutenant Colonel Bill Reitemeyer

Warrior Transition Battalion Commander

LTC Reitemeyer graduated from Lafayette College in Easton PA and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Army Reserves in May 1992. He was first assigned as a Platoon Leader in C Co, 6^th Battalion, 68^th Armor at Fort Indiantown Gap, PA.

In 1994, he left the USAR to join the Pennsylvania Army National Guard as an Assistant S-3 in the 56^th Brigade, 28^th Infantry Division in Philadelphia, PA. LTC Reitemeyer later served with the 1^st Squadron, 104^th Cavalry, 28^th ID as the Squadron Maintenance Officer before assuming command of Bravo Troop. After three years in command, LTC Reitemeyer returned to the 56^th Brigade as the S-1 and deployed with the unit to Kosovo in 2003/4. Upon his return to the States, LTC Reitemeyer became a Title-10 Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) officer in the ARNG and was assigned to National Guard Bureau’s Army Operations Division in Arlington VA. After an initial assignment in the Deployments Branch, he assumed the duties of the Executive Officer for Operations Division and G3 where he supported the ARNG’s relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He was subsequently assigned as the Assistant Executive Officer and Aide for the Director, ARNG.

Following his graduation from the Command and General Staff College, Ft. Leavenworth, KS, he returned to the ARNG Directorate as the Chief, Exercises Branch where he directed the ARNG’s worldwide security cooperation efforts. Most recently, LTC Reitemeyer was attached to the 7^th Special Forces Group and Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan where he served as the Strategic Plans Officer for ANA Partnerships.

LTC Reitemeyer’s military education includes the Armor Officer’s Basic Course, Armor Captain’s Career Course, Battalion Maintenance Officer’s Course, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, and the Command and General Staff College, where he graduated with distinction.

Command Sergeant Major Steven Owens

Warrior Transition Battalion Command Sergeant Major

Command Sergeant Major Owens comes to us from USNORTHCOM where he has been the Senior Enlisted leader of the J7 and the NCOIC of the Vigilant Guard Program. He held these positions at USNORTHCOM since October 1^st, 2008.

Command Sergeant Major Steven E. Owens has been a member of the Army National Guard since 1989 and has been a member of the United States Armed Forces for over 26 years. He is currently a member of the West Virginia Army National Guard. He enlisted into the United States Marine Corps on June 16^th, 1983 after graduating from high school. He received his Basic Training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Sand Diego, California. He received his Infantry Training at the Infantry Training School in Camp Pendleton, California. From 1983-1985 he served as a Gunner and Section Leader with the 2^nd Battalion, 9^th Marines, 1^st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. He deployed to Japan, Korea and Diego Garcia (BIOT) during a routine fly-over deployment. CSM Owens was then assigned as a Marine Security Guard with Alpha Company, Marine Security Guard Battalion Belgrade, Yugoslavia from 1985 to 1986. Upon completion of his MSG tour he returned to Camp Pendleton and from 1986-1988 and was assigned to the 3^rd Battalion, 1^st Marines, 1^st Marine Division as a Section Leader and deployed on a WESPAC tour aboard the USS Belleau Wood. During his WESPAC tour he participated in exercises, Cobra Gold in Thailand and Team Spirit in Korea. Upon returning he was assigned to Division Schools as a Mortar Instructor at Camp Pendleton. Sergeant Major Owens received his Honorable Discharge from The United States Marine Corps on February 15^th, 1988.

Throughout his military career, CSM Owens has attended many military education schools, some of which include the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, the Marine Security Guard School, Battle Staff Course, ANCOC, BNCOC, and PLDC. His MOS’s include 11Z, 19Z and 88Z. He is currently enrolled in Mountain State University and is pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Business Management at Mountain State University.

Sergeant Major Owens’ awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Award with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Good Conduct Medal (2^nd Award), the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters, National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terror Service Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Service Medal with M device, NCO Professional Development Ribbon with numeral 4, NATO Medal with bronze star, Army Service Ribbon, Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with bronze star, and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge.