Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jennifer Benedict | Back in the fold...After the Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command Bremerton’s...... read more read more
The guidon for Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command Bremerton’s Directorate of Administration went missing recently.
Until it was hand delivered –in a framed display case - to a very surprised Capt. Maria Edusada, outgoing DFA director upon completing her final directorate uniform inspection, May 8, 2025.
“Wow! Thank you all. This is amazing,” said Edusada, addressing the assembled active duty personnel.
Upon receiving her customized framed guidon from Hospital Corpsmen 1st Class Oscar Torres Ruiz and Zoe Fuleki, Master Chief Hospital Corpsman Joshua Akins explained “on behalf of your entire directorate, this is just a small token of appreciation. With added flair.”
“It’s bittersweet leaving our hospital,” Edusada said, noting that for nearly three years she has appreciated the opportunity to work with her team.
“This command, this hospital, cannot function without our directorate. Without you. We have so many ranks, rates and specialties, we’re involved in everything,” stated Edusada.
With nearly 110 officer and enlisted personnel – augmented by approximately 50 civil service staff members - the DFA provides a wide array of crucial services for the military treatment facility, such as combined food operations, nutrition management and bachelor enlisted quarters, emergency management, facilities management, civilian human resources, active duty human resources, information management, material management, patient administration, staff education and training, and security.
It’s been a week of sudden surprises for Edusada.
At the end of an award ceremony several days earlier, Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Gustavo Roldan Castillo, Hospital Corpsmen 2nd Class Kaden Bridges and Miracle Suzuki formed a flag detail.
Edusada was unexpectedly requested to step forward before the command.
“I know everything that goes on around here. How this got planned without me knowing…” openly wondered Edusada.
“Capt. Edusada is an important figure to our NMRTC Bremerton family. She is getting ready to embark on a new adventure. The entire DFA directorate would like to send her off with a special flag and ceremony, consisting of a special rendition of the 13 folds,” read Atkins, acting as master of ceremony.
The trio of Sailors proceeded to ceremoniously fold the Directorate for Administration flag, emblematic of the Medical Service Corps in its inception August 4, 1947. The MSC has historically been recognized as the most distinctive Navy Medicine corps, comprised of health care administrators, clinicians and scientists in 31 specialties.
Each fold represented a symbolic – and historical significance - of the MSC, including “The first fold honoring the creation of the U.S. Navy Medical Service Corps, born out of the pharmacist mates’ specialty.”
The second fold honored the 251 officers who were commissioned in the MSC. The fourth fold recognized the initial contributions of the MSC during the post-World War II period. After the war, the Navy MSC began building a more robust medical system, supporting military hospitals and providing care to veterans, laying the foundation for modern Navy Medicine.
The sixth fold remembered the MSC role during the Korean War, where they provided frontline surgical care, refined mobile hospitals, and perfected helicopter evacuation, significantly improving the survival rate of soldiers and Marines wounded in combat. The seventh fold honored the pivotal role of the MSC in the Vietnam War. The use of clinicians in mobile surgical teams and forward-deployed trauma units set the stage for modern military medicine, saving lives through innovative trauma care protocols.
Other folds honored the MSC commitment to undersea medicine, preventive medicine, multiple scientific and research disciplines and many clinical fields.
The folded flag was then presented to Edusada from recently retired Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Arlene Alonzo, as a favor returned after having Edusada as the presiding officer at her retirement ceremony.
Although her myriad duties at NMRTC Bremerton are coming to an end, Edusada is still acting as a Medical Service Corps specialty leader for her entire corps and her multi-tasking ability will continue to personify the MSC flag.
One fold at a time.
| Date Taken: | 05.08.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.08.2025 15:24 |
| Story ID: | 497434 |
| Location: | BREMERTON , WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 302 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Flags, Folds, Farewells for NHB DFA, by Douglas Stutz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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