Photo By Sgt. Joshua Young | Sailors with the Navy Region Southwest Band - Showband West, entertain guests at the...... read more read more
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ABOARD USS MIDWAY, SAN DIEGO - Sailors and Marines with 1st Dental Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, celebrated the 100th birthday of the Navy’s Dental Corps with a formal ball here, Aug. 10.
More than 200 guests attended the celebration, which included sailors who served aboard USS Midway.
Navy Capt. Blake Turner, oral surgeon, Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, is one of only two active duty sailors, still serving, who served aboard USS Midway during its time of operation.
“I was very excited that the dental officers from the San Diego area decided to celebrate the birthday ball aboard USS Midway,” Turner said, who was aboard the ship during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 1990-91. “It’s a great venue. We usually have our birthday balls at a local hotel, so this brought us back to a place that’s uniquely Navy.”
The party aboard the ship served as a reminder of the naval traditions while at sea.
“I can’t think of a better venue for the 100th anniversary celebration than the USS Midway,” said Navy Capt. William N. Norman, commanding officer, 1st Dental Battalion. “This proud ship reminds us of why the dental corps exists. We provide outstanding dental and health care to the Marines and sailors we are so proud to serve, weather it is out to sea or in garrison.”
Turner was stationed at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., in 1987 for the 75th anniversary of the Dental Corps. It was a big deal back then, he said.
“One hundred years is a major milestone for any organization,” Turner said. “I feel lucky to witness it and participate in the celebration.”
Over the last 100 years, dental care in general has made many distinct advances. Before the Dental Corps was established a century ago, toothaches, cavities and false teeth were abundantly common. The Navy relied on civilian dentists or hospital corpsmen to treat dental emergencies before the Dental Corps was established.
“The Navy’s Dental Corps has changed in 100 years, as dentistry in general has,” Turner said. “Modern dentistry has come a long way in preventing and treating oral disease. Esthetic treatments have now made someone’s smile one of their most important attributes.”
The Dental Corps officers have sacrificed and served the country in every military campaign since World War I. The first Navy officer of WWI killed was a dental officer with the 6th Regiment, U.S. Marine Corps.
“Although you probably won’t find us driving a ship, we do a lot of other things,” Turner said. “We help with casualty treatment if there’s a mass casualty aboard ship and we have a lot of collateral duties aboard ship as well.”
Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the surgeon general mandated that all dental officers were to become proficient in providing health care to treat casualties and assist in emergency medical duties.
The 100th anniversary marks 100 years of dental care, sacrifices and memories for the dental officers of the Dental Corps.
| Date Taken: | 08.10.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 08.16.2012 13:57 |
| Story ID: | 93341 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 518 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
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