PRT Farah sailor earns promotion through Combat Meritorious Advancement Program

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FARAH, AFGHANISTAN

02.17.2013

Story by Lt.j.g. Matthew Stroup 

Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FARAH, Afghanistan – U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman Brian Mays, a medic assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Farah and a native of Rancho Cucamonga, California, was promoted to petty officer third class through the Navy’s Combat Meritorious Advancement Program (CMAP) by U.S. Navy Cmdr. Louis McCray, commanding officer, PRT Farah, during a ceremony at FOB Farah here, Feb. 17. Mays, whose home unit is the branch health clinic at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, is serving with the PRT as part of the Navy’s Individual Augmentee (IA) program.

“Brian is a great medic, great junior sailor and someone that we know we can count on to get the job done. All of us here are very proud of him and I know he has a bright future in the Navy,” said McCray. “Through this IA, HM3, his family and the Navy will benefit from his experiences and the skills that he’s learned. The training and practical experience he has gained here at the PRT will make him a more capable corpsman and effective leader when he gets back to the fleet.”

Mays, who was previously named the PRT Farah Junior Sailor of the Quarter, has made significant contributions for the PRT in this, his first deployment. Since arriving at FOB Farah in late October 2012 he has provided lifesaving aid to more than 20 coalition and Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) members coming in wounded from the battle field. He has even gone so far as to “scrub in” with the U.S. Army’s 541st Forward Surgical Team to assist during surgeries to provide further aid to wounded service members. He has also taken his skills into the field having completed over 20 mounted and dismounted combat patrols with the PRT’s security force and leadership while they conducted key leader engagements throughout Farah.

Lt. j.g. Laura Cook, the PRT’s physician assistant and senior medical officer had a great deal to share about Mays’ expertise and drive. “Mays is an exceptional corpsman. He is very motivated when it comes to patient care - he pushes himself to learn not just the "what" but also the "why" of medicine. And he is dedicated to patient education, continually teaching our soldiers and sailors how to improve and sustain wellness.”

While Mays is directly engaged in providing medical treatment on and off of the FOB, he also uses his time to enhance the readiness of his department, the PRT and other local units. From October to December of last year, Mays completed 35 medical training evolutions in support of the PRT, Slovenian and Italian coalition partners. He is also involved in the command’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) committee, in addition to being his departmental physical fitness leader.

U.S. Navy Capt. Trenton Lennard, Officer-in-Charge of Navy Central Command HQ Afghanistan, who looks over all Navy IAs in Afghanistan, spoke highly of Mays’ achievement.

“I could not be more proud of the men and women currently serving in combat zones through the area of operations. Under the Combat Meritorious Advancement Program we are authorized to promote a small number of personnel that have gone above and beyond in the performance of their duties,” said Lennard. “HN Mays was recognized for the invaluable contributions he has made to PRT Farah. His promotion is a testament to his dedication, loyalty and commitment to his command and the people of Afghanistan.”

Mays was very happy to earn the promotion which was on the top of his goals for deployment – most of which he has achieved so far.

“This was one of my three goals that I set for myself. My first one was to score a 300 on my PRT. The second was to be promoted, or study the bibs so I could pick up a promotion right when I get back from deployment, and my third goal is to start school after completing the requirements for the Information Dominance Warfare Pin,” said Mays.

Mays also credits his chain of command for supporting his efforts to achieve his goals, in addition to strong support from the home front.

“It is a great honor to know that I was not only put up for CMAP by my command, but was also selected to advance to Petty Officer Third Class,” said Mays. “My family is just as honored as I was. My wife and family are very proud of everything that I have done, and they are glad that I have a great chain of command.”

The Combat Meritorious Advancement Program (CMAP) was formally announced by the Navy in 2005 through NAVADMIN 077/05, and was created to advance sailors in the paygrades of E-1 to E-5 in recognition of uncommon valor and extraordinary deeds demonstrated while engaged in, or in direct support of, combat operations.

PRT Farah’s mission is to train, advise, and assist Afghan government leaders at the municipal, district, and provincial levels in Farah province, Afghanistan. Their civil-military team is comprised of members of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). For more information about the PRT follow their page on Defense Video and Information Distribution System (DVIDS) at www.dvidshub.net/unit/PRTF.

• Date Taken: 02.17.2013
• Date Posted: 02.17.2013 13:58
• Story ID: 102145
• Location: FORWARD OPERATING BASE FARAH, AF