By Bernard S. Little
WRNMMC Public Affairs staff writer
A Sailor rang a bell eight times to signal the end of one watch and conclude the Navy’s 241st year. He then rang the bell once again, “the ceremonial ninth” ringing, to signal the start of a new watch and the start of the Navy’s 242nd year.
With that, the celebration of the Navy’s 241st birthday got underway on Naval Support Activity Bethesda, Oct. 13. The combined Walter Reed Bethesda and Navy Medicine Professional Development Center choir sang “Anchors Aweigh,” the march of the U.S. Navy, following the ringing of the bell.
“As we celebrate our Navy’s 241st birthday, our history and heritage form our identity telling us who we are and what we stand for,” said NMPDC’s Petty Officer 2nd Class Maya Francis.
“Our core values of honor, courage and commitment have been passed down from our founders who charged the Navy with a solemn duty to serve as a shield for our republic,” Francis continued. Today’s Sailors serve in “the greatest maritime fighting force the world has ever seen, continuing to build on the framework that their predecessors forged,” she added.
“We are truly blessed to be able to take advantage of the very best of the heritage, traditions and best practices of each of the services [at Walter Reed Bethesda] in order to lead the way as the flagship of military medicine,” said Navy Capt. John Rotruck, WRNMMC’s chief of staff. “This medical center and this academic health campus, with our partners at the Uniformed Services University and the National Institutes of Health, are a reflection of this great nation. We are the melting pot of military medicine. We take the very best from [all our staff and volunteers] to take great care of each other so we can take great care of our patients and their families. As we celebrate the Navy’s birthday, please keep our deployed service members in your thoughts and prayers,” he added.
Navy surgeon general and chief, Bureau of Medicine, Vice Adm. Forrest Faison, served as guest speaker at the celebration. He said the team at Walter Reed Bethesda makes him very proud. “Thank you so much for the great work you do every day to help people who, perhaps now more than ever, need our help,” he said.
The Navy’s top doctor wished his “shipmates” an enthusiastic happy birthday as well. “Thank you for being part of the greatest Navy the world has ever known. A Navy that is more capable, but equally, more committed to peace than any navy in the past.. “We are a maritime nation. Our founding fathers knew that when they made provision to establish a navy when our country was founded,” Faison continued. “Every day, 40 percent of our Navy is forward deployed preserving security and peace around the world. Every day, 27,000 ships are inbound to the United States to ensure we can continue that way of life we’ve come to know, trust and pass on to our families, and you are a part of that effort. And every day, none of these Sailors could do their jobs without you – the men and women of military health care. We are all one team; we cannot do it alone.”
Faison said, “around the world on every continent and in every time zone,” Sailors and Marines depend upon the military health care team. Our Sailors and Marines “sleep well at night knowing you are delivering the best care our nation can offer. Not only do you carry on the tradition of honor, courage and commitment, you also carry on a tradition of hope, caring and compassion that is as old as our nation.”
Faison then led the ceremonial cake cutting with Defense Health Agency Director Vice Adm. (Dr.) Raquel C. Bono; Rotruck; Force Master Chief Terry Prince, director, Hospital Corps, BUMED; WRNMMC Command Master Chief Tyrone Willis; Navy Capt. (Dr.) Kenneth Kelleher, the oldest Sailor at Walter Reed Bethesda; and Seaman Mercy Onwunta, the youngest Sailor in attendance.
Kelleher, a surgeon, joined the Navy on Aug. 1, 1968, while Onwunta joined the Navy on Sept. 22, 2015.
Onwunta, a corpsman who works in the Urology Department, serves as a urology technician at WRNMMC. “I joined the Navy to serve my country [and] the experience has been a wonderful,” she said. “I’ve met amazing people who have been in longer than I have and helped and mentored me. It’s been a great experience,” she added.
The U.S. Navy traces its roots back to the Revolutionary War, when privateers were hired by the colonies to attack British commerce in the early days of growing conflict with England. On Oct. 13, 1775, the Continental Congress established an official naval force in response to the sea power of Great Britain.
Following the Revolutionary War, the Continental Navy was later dismantled, but Oct. 13, 1775 remains the U.S. Navy's official birthday.
The U.S. was without a navy for nearly a decade after the Revolutionary War before Congress passed the Naval Act of 1794 which established a permanent standing navy.
“We’re all proud of our Navy’s 241 years of history and heritage. From 1775 to today, our Navy, with our Marine Corps teammates, has protected America from attack, and preserved our influence in key regions around the world. At and from the sea, we have enhanced safety, security and stability, which has led to American prosperity,” stated Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson in a memorandum to the force.
“To succeed in today’s super-complex environment we must be the force that provides our national leadership with thoughtful solutions to tough problems. We must represent our Navy and our nation with pride and professionalism. We must look to our core attributes of integrity, accountability, initiative and toughness as our guide to living by our core values,” Richardson added.