Hospital Corpsman trains Sailors at Joint Base Charleston

JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES

04.23.2021

Story by Airman 1st Class Sara Jenkins 

Joint Base Charleston

Hospital Corpsmen at the Naval Health Clinic Charleston Joint Base Charleston are a vital asset to the base and help keep the base populace healthy.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Charles Johnson, a hospital corpsman in the Staff Education and Training section at Naval Health Clinic Charleston, uses his knowledge from past experiences to stay motivated and lead his fellow Sailors.

Johnson explained that he joined the Navy to escape the feeling of being stagnant in his life.

“After I graduated from high school I ended up working at the same grocery store I had worked at through school and I actually received a couple promotions which gained me a decent income for a while,” said Johnson. “I wouldn’t say that I got bored living at home but I was in a lot of ways very stagnant and felt that my life was on halt. My father was the one who suggested the military to me and explained that the world was a lot bigger than what was in my hometown.”

After deciding to join the Navy, Johnson's next big decision was what job he wanted to do in the Navy. He decided on the medical field because he wanted to help people.

Johnson joined as a corpsman for a few reasons. The first is that he loves the show “Scrubs”. He could always imagine himself working in a hospital but could never see himself going to college or medical school. The second reason is because he has loved superheroes since he was young. His love of superheros came from his dad. When Johnson was growing up, his dad was a corrections officer and he knew that job or anything in law enforcement wouldn’t be the best fit. What Johnson did know is that he wanted to do what he could to help people just like his dad did, so he told the detailer at the Military Entry Processing Command that he wanted a medical job.

Commander Shanna Powell-Searcey, Department Head of Staff Education and Training, said her first impression of Johnson when he moved to the SEAT section of NHCC, was that he was reserved.

“When HM3 Johnson came up he was very quiet and I thought he was going to be very timid,” she said. “He had a really good reputation where he was previously. They said he was a hard worker, he was dedicated and he really cared about the people around him. I was excited when I heard he was coming up here.”

Although Johnson enjoyed his other jobs in the Navy, he expressed that his job on Joint Base Charleston is one of his favorites.

“My current job is probably one of the best jobs I have had in the Navy,” he said. “I'm not in a combat environment or anything like that and it's very relaxed.”

Johnson's day to day involves training others to be prepared to use tools such as CPR and other life saving skills.

“I have a lot of responsibilities when it comes to training people,” he said. “One of them is that I teach just about everyone in this clinic and make sure they are up to date on their basic life saving skills but I also reach out to a lot of Lieutenant Commanders as well and train them in CPR.”

He said his favorite part of being a corpsman is what he has learned.

“My favorite part about being a corpsman is the amount of knowledge I’ve gained,” he said. “I have had the luxury of having a lot of great teachers and people that have actually cared for me enough to not see me fail. I have never thought of myself as a smart person by any means but here I am now teaching other corpsmen the basics to saving lives in a combat environment. It’s definitely not somewhere I saw myself 9 years ago but I am very proud of the things I’ve learned along the way and I know they will help me out in the future.”

Powell-Searcry describes Johnson as a good team player and an amazing leader.

“He brings us together as a team and works well with anyone,” said Powell-Searcry. “He can change his style to meet the needs of the people around him. Whether it's through teaching, learning or leadership. That's really rare to find in any leader.”

Johnson explained that one of the most valuable things he has learned at NHCC is being a better leader.

“Something that I learned from doing this job is that if you're going to be a leader, you shouldn't ask someone to do something that you are not willing to do yourself,” Johnson said. “I think that's very important”

Powell-Searcey said that she likes Johnson because of how much he cares about the work he does.

“What I like the most about him is that he cares,” she said. “He may not always try to show it but he cares deeply about what he does. He dedicated himself 100 percent to any task he is doing and is very involved and it shows in his quality of work.”

Johnson has plans to separate from the military in order to become a paramedic or firefighter.

“As of now I plan to get out of the Navy next April,” he said. “My biggest goal is to move to West Palm Beach, Florida with my wife and to enroll into the firefighter and paramedic program there and hopefully to get a job in Palm Beach as a firefighter and paramedic.”

• Date Taken: 04.23.2021
• Date Posted: 06.08.2021 15:17
• Story ID: 398426
• Location: JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, US