Army Surgeon General coins two ARCP Soldiers for COVID-19 support

Photo By Julia Oliveri | During a ceremony on Aug. 25, Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. R. Scott Dingle (left) presented Maj. Jemah Parker (right) with an Army Surgeon General coin for her service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parker performed her duties for the Army Recovery Care Program while assisting with COVID-19 operations. (U.S. Army photo courtesy of Julia Oliveri)  

VA, UNITED STATES

09.28.2020

Story by Christine Aurigema 

Army Recovery Care Program

ARLINGTON, Va. – Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. R. Scott Dingle recognized two Army Recovery Care Program staff members for their service during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a ceremony on Aug. 25, Maj. Jemah Parker and Master Sgt. Starrenzo Cummings were presented with Army Surgeon General coins for their service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cummings attended the ceremony virtually from a temporary duty location.

Lt. Gen. Dingle thanked Parker and Cummings for their servant leadership and a job well done. He noted that in a time when they were looking for Soldiers, they filled the gap.

“Not many people want to run to the sound of the gun or run to the sound of more work,” he said.

Both Soldiers volunteered to assist operations during the COVID-19 pandemic while simultaneously maintaining their duties at ARCP. They supported the 24/7 Operations Center Watch Team by performing Watch Officer shifts and compiling COVID-19 reports for the Surgeon General.

Lt. Gen. Dingle said that their contributions to the team were exceptional and highlighted their impact on the organization and mission execution.

“Thank you for soldiering up and, in spite of the hours, coming to work and hitting it out of the park for the team,” he said.

Parker has been affiliated with ARCP since 2013 when she served as a nurse case manager at the Fort Benning Soldier Recovery Unit. As an action officer for the Clinical Liaison Division, she conducts clinical review and processing of SRU entry packets and has served as a family support officer during the Warrior and Invictus Games. Parker is also a member of the ARCP Restructure Planning and Organizational Inspection Program teams. She’s passionate about nursing and taking care of Soldiers.

Cummings has served as a platoon sergeant at the Fort Stewart and Fort Gordon SRUs, as an operations noncommissioned officer for the Policy Oversight and Compliance Division and as a first sergeant in the Army National Guard. He has 23 years of service and will return to ARCP to serve as a Department of the Army civilian employee in September.

Col. Thomas J. Anton, Chief of G-33 Operations Division, Office of the Army Surgeon General, U.S. Army Medical Command, said that Parker and Cummings were outstanding teammates who came to the operations center in a time of need. He explained that the Army went to 24/7 operations quickly and needed additional teammates. Col. Curtis Douglass, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Army Recovery Care Program, U.S. Army Medical Command, offered to provide support. A few days later, Parker and Cummings were on the team.

“Thank you both for being there for us,” Anton said. “We could not have done it without you.”

After being coined, Cummings thanked the team for welcoming him and Parker, and for supplying them with the tools they needed. Parker thanked her leadership for the opportunity to serve.

“I enjoyed the mission,” Parker said. “Thank you for trusting me and seeing the potential that I could go forward and represent ARCP.”

The Army Warrior Care and Transition Program is now the Army Recovery Care Program. Although the name has changed, the mission remains the same: to provide quality complex case management to the Army's wounded, ill and injured Soldiers.

• Date Taken: 09.28.2020
• Date Posted: 09.28.2020 18:47
• Story ID: 378864
• Location: VA, US