USU Newsletter 

VOLUME 2,ISSUE 12 WWW.USUHS.MIL JULY 2, 2007 

In This Issue 

USU Faculty Member Honored.......3 

Anatomical Gift Memorial.................3 

Student Profile: 2d Lt Jeff Martin....4 

WRNMMC..............................................5 

Nuclear/Radiological findings........5 

Annual Faculty Senate Award........6 

S2M2........................................................6 

USU Briefs...............................................7 

USU Calendar of Events.............Back 

Medal of Honor recipient visits USU .............................. Page 2 
USU Newsletter 

Editorial Staff 

Carol R. Scheman 

Vice President for 

External Affairs and 

Managing Editor 

Technical Sgt. 

André Nicholson 

Editor 

Mass Communications 

Specialist 

Third Class 

Jeff Hopkins 

Assistant Editor 

Mass Communications 

Specialist 

Seaman 

Raul Zamora 

Assistant Editor 

 

Sharon Willis 

Contributing Writer 

Marla Wright 

Webmaster 

Publishing 

USU Duplicating Office

Production: 

Editorial content is 

edited, prepared and 

provided by the USU 

Office of External Affairs unless otherwise 

indicated. The Newsletter staff may include 

or exclude articles 

based upon news 

value, impact on the 

university and space 

availability. 

Submissions: 

The USU Newsletter 

will be published biweekly on Mondays 

and deadline for submission is Friday at 4 

p.m. a week prior to 

publication date. Submissions can be sent to 

usunewsletter@usuhs.mil or call 

301-295-3925. 

PAGE 2 

Cover Photo By: 

TSgt James Steele 

 One of the recipients of the 

nation’s highest honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor, spoke 

to medical students at the Uniformed Services University of the 

Health Sciences (USU) on the 

topic of leadership, June 22. 

 LTC Alfred V. Rascon, USA, 

received the Medal of Honor Feb. 

8, 2000, and is noted for having 

received the medal 34 years after 

he was nominated for the award. 

The paperwork for his nomination 

was lost for three decades before 

the men he served with learned 

he had not received the award. 

Of the approximately 3,400 recipients of the award, Rascon is one 

of less than 100 still living. 

 Rascon was a 21-year-old Army 

specialist, serving as a medic with 

the Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade when the incident in which 

he earned his nomination took 

place. On March 16, 1966, Rascon’s unit was attacked by a large 

number of North Vietnamese 

troops near the Long Khanh province. Rascon disregarded his own 

safety numerous times, making 

his way to the front of the battle 

to provide aid to the wounded 

soldiers on the front line. In many 

cases, Rascon shielded the bodies 

of his fellow soldiers with his own, 

deflecting grenade shrapnel from 

the already wounded soldiers. He 

was also shot in the hip; the bullet 

traveled up around his spine and 

exited from his clavicle. 

 During the fray, Rascon also 

managed to retrieve a heavy machine gun lying forgotten in the 

battle, saving it from possible enemy use, and enabling another 

soldier to continue to provide 

suppressive machine gun fire. 

 Rascon was so heavily injured 

in battle that he was not expected 

to survive, and was given his last 

rites. However, after six months of 

recuperation at Johnson Army 

Hospital in Japan, he was back on 

his feet, and received a Silver Star 

Medal for his actions. 

 Rascon spoke to USU’s medical 

students on the topic of leadership and its importance in the 

military, not only to commissioned 

officers, but enlisted servicemembers as well. 

 “The thing a lot of us don’t 

realize is that whether you like it 

or not, sooner or later, you’ll be 

thrust into a position of leadership,” Rascon said. “You may be 

ready for it, you may not be. But 

you lead by example.” 

 “I was given the medal in 2000, 

34 years after I had been involved 

in Vietnam. Four or five days after 

the medal was given to me there 

were articles out in the paper. 

One of the articles was sent to 

me, written by an attorney, who 

said that he was in Vietnam with 

me in 1972 or 1973 when I was 

there on my ‘second summer vacation,’” he said. “The article read 

something like ‘I knew Lt Rascon, 

who was about to be a captain 

then. One night we knew we 

would be overrun, we’d been 

preparing for it for the day. Half 

an hour beforehand, Lt Rascon 

took the time to come up to each 

of us, and made us aware of the 

fact that things might be bad, but 

they might be ok. He came up to 

each of us and made us feel that 

we were wanted and that he 

cared about every one of us. The 

greatest thing was that he spoke 

to all of us the same way he spoke 

to others.’” 

 “I was never aware of that,” 

Rascon said. “I thought I was just 

doing my job, and 35 years later, 

I’m being told things that I did 

when I was a young Army officer. 

Leadership is something that a lot 

of us have, and that those of us 

who don’t have by nature, learn 

from the example of others.” 

 Rascon praised the students for 

their dedication to service. 

 “Ladies and gentlemen, you 

make my day, because of who 

you are and what you do, that 

you’re willing to come do something for your country,” he said. 

 Rascon is “an immigrant by 

birth, and an American by 

choice,” and wasn’t a full U.S. citizen, but a legal resident in the 

U.S. at the time of his heroic actions. He was born in Chihuahua, 

Mexico, and immigrated to the 

United States when he was 

young, settling in Oxnard, Fla. 

MOH recipient speaks to students

By MC3 Jeff Hopkins 

Assistant Editor, VPE 

Photo by TSgt James Steele 

After his speech, LTC Alfred Rascon received the book “Medics at War,” 

from 2LT John Knight, USA, SOM, Class of 2010. 
PAGE 3 

 Dr. Jim Holliman, program manager of the Afghanistan Health 

care Sector Medical Reachback Program with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences’ (USU) Center for Disaster 

and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine (CDHAM), received two 

noteworthy honors from Penn State University where he spent 17 

years practicing emergency medicine (EM) and teaching EM residents. 

 The first award was the "Kym A. Salness Attending Physician of 

the Year" award. Dr. Salness was the first chair of the Department 

of Emergency Medicine at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical 

Center and Penn State College of Medicine. 

 The second award was started by Dr. Holliman's emergency 

medicine residents: "The Jim Holliman Best Teaching Resident" 

award (for the senior resident who demonstrated the best teaching effort and ability). 

 Prior to coming to USU, Dr. Holliman served as professor of surgery and emergency medicine at M.S. Hershey Medical Center at 

Penn State. He was also director of the Center for International 

Emergency Medicine, and director of the International Emergency 

Medicine Fellowship Program. In addition, Dr. Holliman served as 

associate program director of the York-Hershey Emergency Medicine Residency Program at M. S. Hershey Medical Center and 

Medical Director of the City of Reading Fire Department, EMS Division. Dr. Holliman received his medical degree from Washington 

University 1979 and completed his residency in general surgery 

from the University of Utah in 1983. He has been a member of 

American College of Emergency Physicians since 1984. 

USU faculty member 

receives Attending 

Physician of Year award 

Photo by MC3 Jeff Hopkins 

 Students, faculty, and staff from the Uniformed Services University of the Health 

Sciences (USU) attended the Maryland 

State Anatomy Board’s (MSAB) 34th annual 

memorial ceremony at a dedicated gravesite on the grounds of the Springfield Hospital Center in Sykesville, Md., July 18. 

 Each year, the MSAB holds a memorial 

ceremony for the people who, through the 

Anatomical Gift program, donated their 

bodies for the use of furthering medical 

education. 

 The ceremony included speeches from 

the chairman and vice chairman of the 

MSAB, musical selections including 

“Amazing Grace,” sung by Springfield Hospital Center employees, and members of 

USU’s Joint Service Color Guard paraded 

the colors and ceremoniously folded the 

National Flag. 

 George Holborow, USU’s anatomical 

curator, as well as the administrator of 

USU’s Anatomical Gift program, and one of 

USU’s two MSAB members, said the ceremony is not only meant to honor the donors, but to provide closure for the donor’s 

families, as well as the students. 

 Holborow explained that the it also provides students with an chance to thank the 

donors for their addition to their education. 

 “This is their first patient,” Holborow said. 

“From these people, they learn to develop 

bedside manner, and learn respect for the 

patient. The memorial services give closure 

to the students as well, they get to say 

goodbye to their first patients.” 

 Holborow added 

that the donors provide a very important 

opportunity to become 

familiar with the body 

that typically only the 

future surgeons will 

get again. 

 Dr. Rosemary Borke, 

professor and vice 

chair of the Anatomy, 

Physiology, and Genetics department (APG), 

and USU’s second 

MSAB member, echoed Holborow’s 

thoughts, adding that 

the virtual anatomy simulations don’t quite give 

students the same intimate knowledge that the 

donors provide. 

 “The donors provide a wonderful way to 

advance health care. With the simulations, 

you only really get to learn anatomy in two 

dimensions. The donors help the students 

identify anatomical structures by relationship, and it really reinforces the lessons to 

experience anatomy in three dimensions, 

actually uses the senses, touching and seeing.” 

 Borke also said the student turnout at 

this year’s memorial was much higher than 

originally expected. 

 “I think the students have a real personal 

link to the person, because they benefited 

so much from learning from their first patient, and they want to be there to say 

goodbye and to show their appreciation to 

the families,” she said. 

 She said that the families of the deceased may not understand why they 

chose to donate their bodies to medical 

science, and that seeing the students at 

these ceremonies helps them let go. 

 Both Holborow and Borke said that the 

large student turnout this year was a tribute to the students’ appreciation for the 

donors. At first the students were going to 

arrive by van, but the number of students 

attending grew to require bus transportation. 

 “We had at least 60 or more students,” 

Borke said. “We even had some students 

from the previous class who couldn’t come 

the previous year due to prior plans.” 

In Honor of those who gave unselfishly of themselves: 

Annual Maryland Anatomy Board Memorial Ceremony 

By MC3 Jeff Hopkins 

Assistant Editor, Office of External Affairs 

Capt Timothy Gerlach, USMC, USU Headquarters Company 

commander, recited the poem “Old Glory,” while SSgt Fabio 

Batista Sanchez, USAF, MPO, and SPC Walter Cruz, USA, LAM, 

members of USU’s Joint Service Color Guard, ceremoniously 

folded the National Flag during the Maryland Anatomy Board 
PAGE 4 

 Students come to the Uniformed Services University of the 

Health Sciences (USU) from all walks of life. Some come from 

families with rich medical and military backgrounds, while others 

find their way to USU as the first in their family to wear a stethoscope or a pair of combat boots. At the end of their education at 

USU, however, they’re more than acquainted with both. 

 2d Lt Jeff Martin, USAF, is a student of USU’s Graduate Education program, with the Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, on the Military Clinical Psychology track. 

 Martin was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, near the 

Texas-Louisiana border, and is the youngest of three children. His 

father is a county judge and owned several bars, and his mother 

is a contracts manager for an appliance store. 

 “They’re both very successful in their own right,” Martin said. 

“My brother is a police investigator and is currently finishing up 

his masters degree, and my sister is in accounting.” 

 Martin said he has no family military background, and surprised many with his decision to join the Air Force. 

 “I was working in a residential treatment center for kids as a 

house parent, and I was just starting to get into triathlons. A coworker, who was an ex-Air Force cop, was like, ‘ah you’d be perfect for this,’ and I was like, ‘yeah this is kind of interesting,’ so I 

went down there and joined up,” Martin explained. “I actually 

came in guaranteed-enlisted for pararescue, but I didn’t know 

there was a job strictly teaching survival. As soon as I found out 

about that, I jumped ship and went to that because it was a better fit. I didn’t fully certify as pararescue, I started the primary indoctrination course and then swapped over to SERE probably six 

weeks in.” 

 As an Air Force technical sergeant, he performed many roles 

as a Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) program instructor. 

 Martin cited his love for the outdoors and a passion for survivalist situations as his primary motivation for becoming a SERE 

instructor, as well as the spark that ignited his interest in psychology. 

 “One of the residential treatment centers I worked at was a 

therapeutic wilderness camp, so that kind of burst my interest in 

wilderness survival. Essentially we had kids out in the woods, and 

everything was cooked by fire, and I had horrible skills, I didn’t 

know what I was doing, so that kind of prompted the interest in 

wilderness survival as well as psychology,” Martin said. “So when I 

found out there was a job that entailed going to the woods to 

become an expert in wilderness survival, then to teach people 

how to evade, and you got to parachute and scuba dive and all 

these other things that pararescue did, I was absolutely into that.” 

 In his first few years as a SERE instructor, Martin taught the 

survival and evasion aspects of the course to aircrew members at 

Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., in which he would escort six to 

10 participants to a remote forest location, where for approximately one week, they would learn the basics of survival, and 

then the advanced skills of finding food and water, finding or 

creating shelter, making fire, and signaling, all without being detected. 

 “They’ll have some food, but at some points they have to find 

their own,” Martin said. “I’ve definitely had my share of being 

cold, wet, and hungry, and I’ve eaten things that most would 

not.” 

 “We take them to a remote, austere location, and it can quickly 

turn into a real survival situation even during training,” Martin 

said. “We don’t stop, even when the weather turns bad; in fact, 

that’s a prime opportunity. The lessons are very salient when it’s 

like, ‘you need to listen or you’re going to die.’” 

 At the end of the instructional portion of the course, the students are cut loose, and the instructors then become an ‘enemy 

force,’ attempting to track down the students, while they implement everything they’ve learned that week in an attempt to escape and evade undetected. Martin said it’s a huge challenge, as 

some of the students have never spent any time in a forest. 

 “Many of these military members have never been in the 

woods ever, in some cases have never been camping, and so to 

take them from that to a very advanced skill set, for instance 

you’re not using a tent, you’re using the type things you have off 

your aircraft in the event of an in-flight emergency, it’s a very profound sort of life changing experience for most of them,” Martin 

said. “To do that and then eventually cut them loose on an exercise and turn around and be an enemy force, and try to track 

them down, the goal is to have them come out more confident 

and more resilient, and have them know that they can do this if 

they need to.” 

 Martin provided the same type of training for flight doctors, 

nurses, and air evacuation technicians at Brooks AFB (now 

Brooks City-Base) in San Antonio, Texas, for the U.S. Air Force 

School of Aerospace Medicine, before returning to Fairchild as 

Operations Non-Commissioned Officer for the Resistance Training Laboratory, essentially a mock POW camp with a very realistic 

enemy force which trains students of the course to resist interrogation and exploitation by an extremely malevolent enemy. During that time he also completed his undergraduate studies in 

social psychology at Park University. He said that his daily job 

greatly reinforced the lessons in psychology he received in the 

evenings. 

 “It was really neat to learn about lessons in social psych at 

night and then the next day, see real examples of them: people 

with cognitive dissoStudent Profile: 

2d Lt Jeff Martin, Grad Ed 

By MC3 Jeff Hopkins 

Assistant Editor, Office of External Affairs 

Photo by MC3 Hopkins 

2d Lt Jeff Martin, Graduate Education, Class of 2010, 

Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, 

Military Clinical Psychology 

See MARTIN, page 5 
PAGE 5 

 The new Walter Reed National Military 

Medical Center (WRNMMC) will have a 

new look. The new ambulatory-care structure on the North side of the tower will 

match the new warrior-care addition on 

the front of the current in-patient facility, 

which will give the complex a symmetrical 

appearance from Wisconsin Avenue. 

 With the interest in warrior-care generated by the popular press in response to 

the recent issues at the Walter Reed Army 

Medical Center, DoD leadership and Congress have planned for the accelerated 

construction of the WRNMMC. 

 The new plan calls for the renovation of 

existing intensive care beds, remodeling 

patient rooms into private rooms, addition 

of a family support space, and will also 

address other issues. 

 The plan will accelerate construction by 

nine months and add additional features 

at the cost of an additional $443 million. 

The renovation of 75 additional single 

patient rooms will begin in September and 

is scheduled for completion by March 

2009. 

 The construction of the warrior care 

center is scheduled to begin in April, 2008 

and to be completed by October, 2009. 

The remaining BRAC construction will also 

begin in April, and is scheduled to be completed by August 2010. 

New look for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center 

 Leading experts on worldwide nuclear and radiological response, radiobiology and the medical effects of exposure to ionizing radiation will present the current findings during an annual 

course at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences’ (USU) Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute 

(AFRRI), July 30 through Aug. 3, 2007. 

 The talks are part of the annual Medical Effects of Ionizing Radiation Course (MEIR): Scientific Update. The postgraduate-level 

instruction, with continuing education credits is intended primarily for military personnel, healthcare providers, senior disaster preparedness personnel, and operational planners. 

 The event will include a tour of the unique radiation facilities at 

AFRRI, a presentation by Albert Wiley, M.D., director of the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center and Training Site (REAC/TS), on 

radiation accidents and triage, and a presentation by Evan Douple, Ph.D., scholar at the National Academies, on the late effects of 

exposure to ionizing radiation. 

 In addition, the course will cover the biomedical consequences 

of radiation exposure, how the effects can be reduced, and how 

to medically manage casualties. 

 The course addresses these specific topics: fundamentals of 

ionizing radiation, ionizing radiation interactions with cells and 

organs, diagnosis and treatment of acute radiation syndromes 

and combined injuries, psychological effects of radiation exposure, 

internal radionuclide contamination, radiological defense, and 

radioprotection. Students are acquainted with the hazards of ionizing radiation, radiation pathology, human exposure resulting 

from radiation accidents, consequences of nuclear weapons detonation, and nuclear accident response by government organizations. 

nance; people coping with an extreme 

stressor; and how different people cope; 

what makes one person rise up to the challenge, and another person not do as well, 

and how we can effect that through training? It got me into psychology to address 

that on a broader scale,” he said. 

 Martin said he learned about USU when 

he was at Brooks, from flight doctors who 

heard of his interest in psychology. He says 

he feels very fortunate to receive his degree here, and praises USU’s scientistpractitioner approach to education. 

 “Psychologists in the military bring 

something important to the table, and 

that’s the ability, especially with the scientist practitioner model they employ here,” 

Martin said. “You end up with a psychologist that can not only do the clinical and 

therapy work, but also is enough of a scientist so they can evaluate processes. It 

teaches students to be able to look at training effectiveness and ask, ‘is there a way 

we can make it more effective?’ This helps 

high functioning operational units, and 

enables us to feed commanders ways to 

improve their organizational structures, 

give them some tools and techniques to 

improve unit morale. It provides a social 

psychology perspective and an organizational psychology perspective, and I think 

this school is the best at encompassing all 

of those agendas.” 

 Post-graduation, Martin said he’d like to 

go overseas, and possibly complete a tour 

of duty at the Landstuhl Regional Medical 

Center in Germany, one of the first places 

to which wounded warriors from theaters 

of battle in Iraq and Afghanistan are 

evacuated. He said he’d like to be able to 

help wounded servicemembers get ready 

to return stateside. 

 In the precious time Martin isn’t studying, he turns to music and exercise, his 

longtime hobbies. 

 “I play guitar whenever I can. I’m a musician and a triathlete. I still try to find time to 

train. That’s one of the keys to surviving 

this experience is to stay engaged in your 

hobbies,” Martin said. 

 Martin’s wife Melissa is also no stranger 

to USU. She works as an accounting specialist in the Financial Management department, and is the president of USU’s Student Spouses Club. 

 “She’s also from the Beaumont area. We 

met in Texas, and have been married for 

ten years. We met through mutual friends 

and have literally been together ever since. 

I pretty much knew right off the bat she 

was the one,” Martin said. “She is definitely 

the secret to my success.” 

Nuclear/Radiological 

Threat and Effects Experts 

Share Latest Research Findings 

As a Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) program instructor, Martin 

combined his love for the outdoors and the 

interest in survivalist technique. 

Courtesy Photo 

MARTIN, continued from page 4 

By Vern Schinski, Ph.D. 

Special Assistant to the USU President for 

BRAC/Integration 
 The Uniformed Services University of the 

Health Sciences’ (USU) Office of Recruitment and Diversity will host the annual 

Science, Service, Medicine, and Mentoring 

(S2M2) program for high school students, 

July 2-7, 2007 at the Bladensburg Community Center, Landover, Md. The S2M2 program is for students between ages 14 and 

17 who have completed ninth grade biology and are interested in pursuing a career 

in science, engineering, and/or medicine. 

 This unique program incorporates didactic sessions including presentations and 

discussions on health disparities, college 

preparation and financial aid options, and 

allied health care careers. S2M2 also allows 

the students, who are from a variety of 

ethnic, educational, and economic backgrounds, to experience the medical profession with hands-on exercises in emergency 

medical training and surgical skills training. 

Some field trips include the National Museum of Health and Medicine at Walter 

Reed Army Medical Center, National Capital Area 

Simulation Center and the Navy Ship U.S.S. 

Barry. Students will also observe surgery at 

the National Naval Medical Center. 

 The mission of the program is to encourage, nurture, and enhance the commitment to science and medicine in a welcoming and intellectually stimulating environment for groups of diverse high school 

students. The USU Office of Recruitment 

and Diversity is 

committed to 

helping build a 

student body 

that mirrors the 

diversity of the 

nation by providing support 

to student 

groups that 

celebrate that 

diversity, but 

share common 

interests in their 

future education. 

 During the 

week-long program, students 

fulfill several 

different learning objectives, 

such as: describing two common diseases of the eye; demonstrating 

proper technique in surgical scrubbing; 

describing two aspects of living with a disability; and being able to describe two important aspects in the care of laboratory 

animals. 

 “This whole week has been a great experience,” said Tamara Michaels, a previous 

participant in the S2M2 from Stone Ridge 

School of the Sacred Heart. “I’m definitely 

planning to attend medical school, and this 

program has taught us a lot about what to 

expect.” 

 A health fair on July 14 at the Community Center is a culmination of the week’s 

studies where the students have an opportunity to display their posters and present 

knowledge gained from participating in the 

program. S2M2 sessions will also be held at 

USU on July 23-27 and August 6-10. 

USU hosts second annual Science, Service, Medicine, and Mentoring program 

 The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) 

Faculty Senate recognized the recipient of the Faculty Senate Appreciation Award during the senate’s meeting June 26.

 George Holborow is the anatomical curator for USU’s Anatomical Teaching Laboratory (ATL) as well as a retired Senior Chief 

Petty Officer of the U.S. Navy Reserve, and the administrator of 

USU’s Anatomical Gift program, through which people can donate their bodies post-mortem to the advancement of medical 

science. He is a “brick-owner,” having been with the university 

from the start. 

 “I’ve been here since May 3, 1976,” he said. “in Navy-terms, I am 

what would be called a ‘plank-owner.’” 

 Holborow’s dedication to education, research, and patient care 

earned him the award, said CDR Gerald Denton, MC, USN, an 

assistant professor for the Department of Medicine (MED) and 

president of the Faculty Senate. 

 “"Mr. Holborow has consistently supported education, faculty 

research, and patient care for many years. He is approachable and 

supportive of faculty endeavors and works tirelessly to ensure that 

appropriate cadaveric specimens are available for teaching, research, and patient care related activities,” he said. “He runs a safe, 

well kept ATL that is conducive to education. Recent additions 

include plasma screen monitors to simulcast dissections. He supports many courses for medical students, GME, and CME, including USU courses like the annual Spine/Peripheral Nerve and War 

Surgery Courses. Mr. Holborow is well-deserving of the Faculty 

Senate Appreciation Award.” 

 The Faculty Senate Appreciation Award is presented for outstanding support to the faculty. It may be given annually to any 

employee of USU, but does not have to be given every year. The 

faculty senate discusses and presents the award. 

 Holborow was taken by surprise by the honor; he had just departed on leave when the notification came through by email, 

and he didn’t receive it until just three hours before the meeting 

in which he was recognized. 

 “I am very humbled, but also very pleased to have received this 

honor,” Holborow said. “I was a little speechless. I thought, ‘wow, 

what an honor to be bestowed upon me.’” 

 Holborow said what he has enjoyed most about his time at 

USU is the opportunity he has in his position to interact with everyone in the university, from the custodial personnel to Dr. Rice, 

and that he has a hand in producing what he said he feels is the 

finest kind of doctor, the medical officer.

USU’s Anatomical Curator receives Faculty Senate Appreciation Award 

PAGE 6 

By MC3 Jeff Hopkins 

Assistant Editor, Office of External Affairs 

At the conclusion of the S2M2 program, high school students create 

displays conveying information about a specific condition or disease. 

Photo by TSgt Andre Nicholson 
PAGE 7 

Change of Command Ceremony: 

 The Brigade Commander, LTC John Maurer, USA, will change 

command with COL Jack Wempe, USA on Aug. 10, at 10 a.m. in 

the USU Courtyard. This is a mandatory event for all Brigade faculty, staff, and students. Uniform will be BDUs/ACUs/Cammies. 

Brigade Training Holiday: 

 The USU Brigade will have a training holiday on July 3 and 5 in 

conjunction with the federal holiday on July 4. Liberty will commence at the close of business on Monday, July 2, and will expire 

at the open of business on Friday, July 6. 

Promotions: 

 LCDR Dye, USPHS (GSN) will be promoted to CDR on June 29 

at 10 a.m. in the Small Dining Room; CPT Burke, USA (PMB) will be 

promoted to MAJ on Jun 29 at 2 p.m. in the Small Dining Room; 

and LT Lawrence, USN (PMB) will be promoted to LCDR on July 2 

at 4:15 p.m. in the Brigade Quarterdeck area in Bldg C. All are 

invited and encouraged to attend these upcoming promotion 

ceremonies. Additionally, TSgt Stewart, USAF (AFRRI) recently 

was selected for promotion to MSgt, and SSgt Davis, USAF (BDE) 

was recently selected for promotion to TSgt. Congratulations to 

them all. 

Kerkesner and Bushmaster Exercises: 

 The USU Joint-Exercises, Operations Bushmaster and Kerkesner, will be held at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa., and will require personnel support from July 8-20. Select personnel will be leaving on 

July 5, and have already been notified. There will be a formation 

for the main body on July 8 at 4:30 p.m. in the USU Breezeway 

between Building B and C, with a departure time of 5 p.m. Additional information for staff, faculty, and students involved in the 

upcoming exercises will be forthcoming from the Joint-Exercise 

NCOIC, SFC Abram, USA (MEM) at (301) 319-8207. 

Brigade Photo: 

 The USU Brigade will take its annual photo on Aug. 2 at 7:15 

a.m. at the USU Amphitheater. This photo opportunity is for all 

Brigade faculty and staff, officers and enlisted. Uniform for this 

event will be Service Dress Blues for Navy, Class A for Army, and 

Service Dress for Air Force. 

Parenting Workshop: 

 There will be a four-part Relationship Enhancement workshop 

intended to assist couples in continuing to develop their relationship. This event will be held at the FFSO Atrium in Bldg 11 at 

NNMC from June 25-28 from 11 a.m.-noon and is open to service 

members and their family members. If you are interested in registering for this class, you may contact 

PMGrossman@Bethesda.med.navy.mil. 

4th of July Safety Message: 

 This Fourth of July, we celebrate our nation's 231st anniversary 

of independence. We take this time to honor those who had the 

courage to fight for freedom and establish our great country. 

Celebrate our nation's independence, but include risk management in all your activities. Motorcyclists - make sure your people 

have completed the required training, use the proper gear, ride 

defensively, and obey the speed limits and traffics laws. Additionally, don't drive a motorcycle or any vehicle if you're fatigued. 

Swimming - know how to recognize the presence of rip tides, and 

if caught in one, swim perpendicular to the current until you're 

clear of it, and then swim ashore. Use the buddy system, never 

swim alone, and always swim where there are lifeguards on duty. 

Boating - know and follow the rules of the water, be familiar with 

the area in which you are boating, be alert for dams, submerged 

obstacles, jet skiers and swimmers in the water, and stay hydrated! 

Fireworks - don't hold fireworks in your hand, keep a safe distance 

from them once lit, don't use airborne fireworks around housing 

or combustible areas, have a plan to extinguish fires, and keep 

children at a safe distance. Remember to drink responsibly - if 

someone has had too much to drink, make sure they get home 

safe. All personnel are responsible for managing risk, avoiding 

hazards and taking precautions to protect themselves and their 

families. Enjoy this Fourth of July, and everyone return to work 

rested, recharged, and ready to proudly serve our nation. 

King’s Dominion Star-Spangled Salute: 

 King’s Dominion will offer discount tickets for advance purchase for July 3 for service members to commemorate the fourth 

of July. For more info or to access this link, go to http://

www2.cedarfair.com/kingsdominion/shop/

shopping_corporate_partners_list.cfm. 

USU News Briefs 

Photo by TSgt James Steele 

A Graduate Medical Education (GME) Summit sponsored by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health 

Affairs Dr. S. Ward Casscells and hosted by the President of the Uniformed Services University of the Health 

Sciences Dr. Charles Rice was held June 28 and 29. The 

conference, titled "GME: A Core Requirement for the 

Military Health System" was attended by leaders in 

medical education from DOD, the three services, and 

the Department of Veterans Affairs. The meeting, 

which provided a forum for the frank discussion of the 

critical issues facing military GME, was highlighted by 

presentations by national experts in medical economics, medical education and physician supply and demand. 

Assistant Secretary of Defense 

visits USU for Graduate 

Medical Education summit 
USU Calendar of Events 

1 2 3 4 

Fourth of July 

5 6 7 

8 9 10 

Operations 

Bushmaster and 

Kerkesner Exercises, 

July 10-20 

11 

Operations 

Bushmaster and 

Kerkesner Exercises, July 

10-20 

Administrative Officers/Departmental 

Representatives Meeting 

at 10:30 a.m. in Lecture 

Room E. Contact Dawn 

Patti at 301-295-3104 or 

by email at 

12 

Operations 

Bushmaster and 

Kerkesner Exercises, 

July 10-20 

13 

Operations 

Bushmaster and 

Kerkesner Exercises, 

July 10-20 

14 

Operations 

Bushmaster and 

Kerkesner Exercises, 

July 10-20 

15 

Operations 

Bushmaster and 

Kerkesner 

Exercises, July 10-20 

16 

Operations Bushmaster 

and Kerkesner 

Exercises, July 10-20 

17 

Operations 

Bushmaster and 

Kerkesner Exercises, 

July 10-20 

18 

Operations 

Bushmaster and 

Kerkesner Exercises, July 

10-20 

19 

Operations 

Bushmaster and 

Kerkesner Exercises, 

July 10-20 

20 

Operations Bushmaster and Kerkesner 

Exercises, July 10-20 

21 

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 

July

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