Leaders uncase colors for the Medical Readiness Brigade, NCR

Photo By Bernard Little | Outgoing commander Army Col. Sabrina Thweatt, of the Medical Readiness Brigade, National Capital Region, commends Soldiers of the unit, and welcomes Army Col. Kevin Mahoney (right) as its new commander during a redesignation and change of command ceremony held June 30 on Naval Support Activity Bethesda, home to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.  

UNITED STATES

06.30.2023

Story by Bernard Little 

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

By Bernard S. Little
WRNMMC Command Communications
Troop Command, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) was redesignated the Medical Readiness Brigade, National Capital Region (NCR) during a ceremony June 30 at Naval Support Activity Bethesda (NSAB), which also saw the leadership of the unit change hands.
Outgoing commander, Army Col. Sabrina R. Thweatt, and incoming commander, Army Col. Kevin J. Mahoney, cased the colors of Troop Command, WRNMMC, and then unfurled the colors for the Medical Readiness Brigade, NCR, before a formation of Soldiers of the unit on the NSAB sports field.
The brigade traces its roots back to Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH), opened May 1, 1909, and named for the noted Army researcher known for leading the team credited with proving the theory that yellow fever is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito rather than by direct contact. An order by then Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army in 1923, Gen. John J. Pershing, established the Army Medical Center at WRGH, creating Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC).
The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) law closed WRAMC, realigning it with National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) to form Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), which was dedicated Nov. 10, 2011.
Troop Command, WRNMMC was officially activated on July 27, 2011, at WRAMC, to provide command, control and comprehensive administrative support over the approximately 1,500 Soldiers who would move to WRNMMC with WRAMC’s closure.
In July 2020, Troop Command, WRNMMC assumed operation control to Troop Command – Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, bringing the unit’s personnel strength to approximately 2,000 Soldiers.
Medical Readiness Brigade, NCR, ensures operational readiness for all Army Medical Department (AMEDD) personnel assigned or attached to Walter Reed, Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center (Fort Belvoir Community Hospital), the Pentagon Health Clinic, and the Joint Pathology Center, with a focus on providing a responsive battlefield force supporting day-to-day operations at the military medical treatment facilities.
Army Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Mary Krueger, commanding general of Medical Readiness Command, East, commended both Thweatt and Mahoney during her remarks at the redesignation/change of command ceremony.
“Since 1775, Army medicine has conserved the fighting strength of the U.S. Army, providing safe, high-quality care to our Soldiers, families and civilians, deployed and at home,” Krueger said. “Over the past two years, Col. Thweatt has led this team with consistently answering the call during one of the most dynamic periods in Army medicine’s rich history. In the midst of the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, contingency operations in the Middle East and Europe, as well as national disasters and a shortage of health-care providers, Col. Thweatt’s exceptional leadership ensured the Medical Readiness Brigade was ready and responsive.”
Krueger credited Thweatt with implementing “numerous first-time training opportunities” for Soldiers in the brigade, including brigade, battalion and company levels multi-days field training exercises, and German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge and Expert Field Medical Badge events. She said these efforts ensure that if Soldiers of the unit “ever hear the call of ‘Medic’ on the battlefield, they will be ready.”
Thweatt is now moving on to serve as chief of staff for the Medical Readiness Command, East for a year, before taking command of the 62nd Medical Brigade at Fort Lewis, Washington. She credits the Soldiers in the Medical Readiness Brigade, NCR for the success of the unit, stating, “You all have been phenomenal teammates who put in the work to get our unit to the level of excellence I charged you with.”
Krueger said she’s confidence Mahoney will sustain that legacy of excellence in the Medical Readiness Brigade, NCR, and that he will serve it well.
Mahoney comes to the brigade after serving as the chief of operations at the Office of the Surgeon General and U.S. Army Medical Command. He said he was “raised with a respect for both the Army and medicine,” because his dad is a retired chief warrant officer three, and his mother is a retired nurse.
“Capital Medics, I’m proud to be a part of your team. Take care of your patients. Take care of your Soldiers. Take care of yourselves and your families. We’ll work the rest out together,” he concluded.

• Date Taken: 06.30.2023
• Date Posted: 06.30.2023 17:06
• Story ID: 448441
• Location: US