Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Riley | 191101-N-MZ309-000 NAVAL HOSPITAL BREMERTON, Wash. (Nov. 1, 2019) Capt. David Malone...... read more read more
A time-honored naval tradition continued at Naval Hospital Bremerton (NHB) in the form of Naval Reserve (NR) Operational Health Support Unit (OHSU) Bremerton’s commanding officer handing the reins over during a change of command ceremony Nov. 1, 2019.
During the ceremony, Capt. David Malone relieved Capt. Frank Brajevic as OHSU Bremerton’s commanding officer with Rear Adm. Mark Moritz, deputy commander of Navy Medicine West, presiding.
The master of ceremonies began with a brief history lesson to explain the antiquity of the ceremony and the expectations of one taking command.
“The ceremonies, customs and traditions of our modern navy, draw their origin from ancient customs and laws of the sea, established in historic times by sea-faring men,” said Capt. John Givens. “These customs were gradually merged into British naval regulations and were later adopted by our own navy.
“Command, the ultimate and total responsibility and accountability for the safe and effective operation of the unit, is unique to the military,” continued Givens. “Because of the absolute nature of command, only one individual may be in command at any given time.”
Capt. Shannon Johnson, NHB’s commanding officer, delivered remarks highlighting the accomplishments of Brajevic as OHSU Bremerton’s commanding.
“You displayed exceptional leadership and meticulous management of a challenging, geographically diverse command, composed of 433 healthcare personnel across 15 detachments, throughout nine states,” said Johnson. “And I want to personally thank you for the over 2,800 man hours of direct patient care expertly delivered right here to NHB beneficiaries by the dedicated members of your team. We are grateful for the partnership and shared commitment to taking care of those who serve and ensuring each one of us is ready when our nation calls.”
Johnson then focused her attention to welcoming Malone and emphasized her trust in his ability to lead the unit into a future unknown.”
“I know you will carry on the momentum created by Capt. Brajevic and continue to move the unit forward during this period of restructuring and reform,” she said. “Even as we proceed through this season of change, we know one thing will not change; our shared responsibility to remain steadfast in our commitment to guarantee readiness… We will make certain America’s warfighters are physically and psychologically ready and their survivability in the battles to come will be our unrelenting focus.”
As the ceremony’s keynote speaker, Moritz took to the podium to acknowledge Brajevic’s tenure and talked about an infrequent trait for reservists he has encountered during his career.
“We rarely in the reserve have people who fleet up,” said Moritz. “It’s when you have the opportunity to be the executive officer of a command and you take on, from that command, the commanding officer. That’s very similar to what the active duty does in the fleet. That’s exactly what Capt. Brajevic did here.”
Brajevic then approached the podium and before addressing his crew one last time as their commanding officer, he lauded some of the accomplishments of his unit. He said they ensured 108 cross-assigned members drilling across the enterprise met OHSU training requirements.
Additionally his personnel provided 3,074 days of training support to five innovative readiness trainings and two joint operational exercises that significantly enhanced deployment readiness of unit personnel and providing vital medical services to communities in need.
OHSU personnel also helped coordinate Air Force and Army command assets to generate better training opportunities at Joint Base Lewis McChord allowing OHSU Bremerton to continue its efforts to align its mission with the Navy Surgeon General’s objectives of enhancing readiness and partnerships.
“Thank you for your willingness to serve,” said Brajevic. “For wearing the cloth of our nation, for taking care of your shipmates, our dependents and retirees, for fulfilling the Surgeon General’s priorities, for the pride you have brought the United States Navy and for being the definition of a servant leaders, I am proud to have served with you. My time as your Skipper has been the experience of a lifetime. Thank you all for your contributions to this command and the United States Navy.”
Brajevic and Malone then read their orders, and Malone officially relieved Brajevic as OHSU Bremerton’s commanding officer before addressing his new crew for the first time.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as incoming commanding officer of Naval Reserve Operational Support Unit Bremerton,” said Malone. “This unit is squared away, with superlative metrics in all avenues of readiness. Capt. Brajevic, thank you once again for handing me this outstanding unit to serve as [commanding officer]. To the Sailors of NR OHSU Bremerton, I say hello. I look forward to great times ahead as we continue to excel with our mission of readiness and to take on any mission assigned to us by Rear Adm. Moritz.”
OHSU Bremerton’s mission is to ensure all Sailors can rapidly respond to the needs of Naval Hospital Bremerton, Navy Medicine and the nation by keeping themselves and those assigned in a constant state of readiness; professionally, physically and mentally. OHSU Bremerton ensures force health protection of all Sailors by assisting Navy Operational Support Centers throughout three regions – Northwest, Midwest and Southwest - by completion of physical health assessment’s and dental exams. OHSU detachments can be found in Anchorage, Alaska; Whidbey, Kitsap, Spokane and Everett, Wash.; Portland and Springfield, Ore.; Boise, Idaho; Helena and Billings, Mont.; Cheyenne, Wyo., Fargo, N.D. and Sioux Falls, S.D.; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Denver and Fort Carson, Colo.
NHB supports more than 60,000 military families in West Puget Sound, shaping military medicine through training, mentoring and research to ensure a ready medical force and operationally ready force.
| Date Taken: | 11.01.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 11.02.2019 12:38 |
| Story ID: | 350240 |
| Location: | BREMERTON , WA, US |
| Web Views: | 418 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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