Corpsman Care during Atlantic Ocean ops on MSC ship

Photo By Douglas Stutz | A stitch in independent duty corpsmen time... Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Cristi A.H. Bussard renders acute care for a Military Sealift Command civil service mariner who sustained an injury on the expeditionary fast-transport USNS Trenton (T-EPF 5), currently employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet conducting operations in U.S. Naval Forces Africa area of operations (Courtesy photo).  

ATLANTIC OCEAN

07.18.2022

Story by Douglas Stutz    

Naval Hospital Bremerton/Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Bremerton

There’s a reason why U.S. Navy independent duty corpsmen are found assigned on isolated platforms from the wide expanse of the Indo-Pacific Theater to the far reaches of the Atlantic Ocean.

Their responsibility to the ship – and submarine – crew is to provide and handle any medical support, especially when emergency care at sea is required.

Which is exactly what happened when a Military Sealift Command civil service mariner sustained an injury which required immediate medical attention by Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Cristi A.H. Bussard on the expeditionary fast-transport USNS Trenton (T-EPF 5). The Trenton is currently employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet conducting operations in U.S. Naval Forces Africa area of operations.

Bussard’s handiwork caring for the injured crewmember prompted an appreciative correspondence note from his wife, a retired Navy captain, sent to the corpsman’s command, Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command Bremerton.

“I am writing this email to send a big Bravo Zulu to Bussard for the outstanding medical care she provided to my husband. He had an accident which resulted in a deep cut on the bridge of his nose and required stitches. Bussard quickly took charge of the situation and did an outstanding job with steady hands. I was so impressed when my husband showed me the stitches and told me how calm and reassuring she was during the procedure. We are so very, very blessed she was there to render medical care. Please relay our deepest thank you. I really thought a physician assistant treated my husband but he told me no it was an HM1. Wow,” wrote M. David.

Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Romualdo Humarang received the email and immediately shared with NMRTC Bremerton leadership.

“Would you expect anything less from a Sailor who hails from Corvallis, in western Montana? I’m very proud as a commanding officer and fellow Montanan. What a great testament to the skills and versatility of a U.S. Navy independent duty corpsman,” exclaimed Capt. Patrick Fitzpatrick, Naval Medicine Readiness Training Command Bremerton commanding officer, Naval Hospital Bremerton director and Missoula, Montana native.

USNS Trenton arrived in Mindelo, Republic of Cabo Verde for a brief stop for logistics during a schedule port visit, July 20, 2022. Cabo Verde, part of a volcanic archipelago approximately 350 miles from the closest northwest African coastal nation of Senegal, is an important partner of the United States in promoting peace and security in Africa. U.S. Naval Forces Africa ships routinely ply the waters as far as the southern Atlantic partnering with host nations to support African-led maritime security initiatives.

As part of the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command which is the premier provider of ocean transportation to the Department of Defense, USNS Trenton is one of approximately 125 civilian-crewed ships. MSC handles providing on-time logistics, strategic sealift and specialized missions in contested and uncontested environments. The ships conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea across the globe, as well as transport military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners. The MSC civil service mariners are not active duty service members but are federal civil service employees.

A number of Navy Medicine personnel are readily familiar with probably the most visible – and notable – of the MSC’s United States Naval Ships, the two hospital ships, USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) and USNS Comfort (T-AH 20).

Just as a contingent of medical personnel currently deployed on Mercy are providing tailored medical care and other support with host nations as part of Pacific Partnership 2022, the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific region, so is a solitary independent duty corpsman on Trenton offering immediate support when needed.

• Date Taken: 07.18.2022
• Date Posted: 07.25.2022 19:58
• Story ID: 425775
• Location: ATLANTIC OCEAN