Photo By Chief Petty Officer Gretchen Albrecht | Keeping the light on and then some...Lt. Larry Middleton, Naval Hospital Bremerton...... read more read more
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW/AW) Gretchen Albrecht
BREMERTON, Wash. - It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Naval Hospital Bremerton (NHB).
Staff members, beneficiaries and visitors celebrated the annual lighting of the command’s Christmas tree on Dec. 1, 2015, in a ceremony paying special tribute to the service and sacrifice of deployed and returned Individual Augmentee (IA) Sailors in the last year.
NHB’s quarterdeck was the backdrop for those gathered to watch as Capt. David Weiss, Naval Hospital Bremerton commanding officer, lit the decked out 12-and-a-half-foot tree before individual ornaments were hung by families and shipmates of those deployed Sailors as well as those recently returned.
“The best part of my job is when we can celebrate and acknowledge those who are down range, those who have returned, and their families enduring their absence,” said Weiss. “It is a great way to thank them for their service and their sacrifice.”
Current NHB staff members on IA assignment include seven in Afghanistan and one in Cuba.
Christine Goudreau traveled from Seattle to hang her husband’s – Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Jon Goudreau - ornament and reveled in the camaraderie and bond she has with her husband’s co-workers.
“I really miss my husband and am so proud of him,” said Goudreau. “I miss the community here at the hospital and am thankful for the opportunity to visit with and catch up with our friends. It is difficult being away from my husband, especially during the holidays, so spending time with people who understand what I am going through is great.”
The countdown to homecoming has just begun for Goudreau with her husband deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Naval Base Kitsap Fleet and Family Support Program coordinator Teresa Dibley presented several returned Sailors with handmade quilts donated by Quilts for American Heroes, as well as a certificate of appreciation to give thanks for the incredible service and sacrifice made.
“It is important to honor and thank our returned service members and their family members and let them know we appreciate them and their sacrifice,” said Dibley.
Those returned from Afghanistan include Lt. Cmdr. Darlene Lao, Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Padgett, Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Jay Henderson, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Vi Potal, HM2 David Wilder, and Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Richard Dobatse.
The annual Christmas tree will remain lit and continue to greet visitors and staff daily throughout the Holiday season, along with 14 special and prominent ornaments for those deployed and recently returned.
| Date Taken: | 12.01.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 12.02.2015 16:07 |
| Story ID: | 183319 |
| Location: | BREMERTON, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 108 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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