SILVER SPRING, Md. – Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) Sailors and staff celebrated the Navy’s 244th birthday with a cake-cutting ceremony Oct. 11.
Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Brian Bryant, biomedical equipment technician was joined by Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Mandissa Thompson executive assistant, to open the ceremony by leading attendees in the Sailors Creed and gave a brief overview of the Navy’s history.
Afterwards, a birthday video message from Adm. Mike Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations and Gen. David Berger, Commandant of the Marine Corps was played.
Capt. Franca Jones, NMRC’s executive officer, welcomed the guests and thanked Sailors for their resilience, enthusiasm, bravery, and perseverance. According to Jones, Navy Medicine’s Research and Development Enterprise has played an important role in Navy history, and will continue to do so in the future.
“Because of our special duties and responsibilities, it’s essential that we take the time to appreciate the sacrifices made by the Sailors that came before us and carry on the tradition of honor, courage, and commitment as we continue to protect our warfighters,” she said.
The theme of this year’s birthday was "No Higher Honor” to recognize the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the longest naval engagement during WWII. The quote said by Lt. Cmdr. Robert Copeland, commanding officer of World War II destroyer USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) links today’s Sailors with those who have gone before them, beginning with the establishment of our Navy on October 13, 1775.
“It is an honor to celebrate our Navy’s impact on the world, its growth and history,” said Jones. “By us coming together, we not only acknowledge where we come from, but it gives us the opportunity to honor the tradition of passing on our proud heritage.”
Before the ceremony came to a close with the traditional cake cutting, the video “A Message from USS Leyte Gulf” was shown. In the video USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) crewmembers, currently deployed to the 5th Fleet area of responsibility, took a moment to give a brief history of their namesake, wish the Navy and their shipmates a happy birthday, and tell the world there is no higher honor than to serve in the U.S. Navy.
The celebration ended when the youngest Hospitalman Karlie Doll and oldest Capt. Sherri Parker continued the Navy’s time-honored tradition by cutting the birthday cake with a ceremonial cutlass.
About Naval Medical Research Center
NMRC's eight laboratories are engaged in a broad spectrum of activity from basic science in the laboratory to field studies at sites in austere and remote areas of the world to operational environments. In support of the Navy, Marine Corps, and joint U.S. warfighters, researchers study infectious diseases, biological warfare detection and defense, combat casualty care, environmental health concerns, aerospace and undersea medicine, medical modeling, simulation and operational mission support, and epidemiology and behavioral sciences.
| Date Taken: | 10.11.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 10.18.2019 13:22 |
| Story ID: | 348237 |
| Location: | SILVER SPRING, MD, US |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NMRC Celebrates Navy’s 244th Birthday, by Steve Vanderwerff, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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