From Survivor to Leader: BJACH commander shares lessons in resilience during Mental Health Awareness Month

Photo By Jean Graves | Col. Patrick Miller, commander of Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, speaks to employees during a Leadership Professional Development session focused on resilience, preparedness and active shooter response May 21 at the Bayou Theater at Fort Polk, Louisiana. During the session, Miller reflected on surviving the 2014 Fort Hood shooting and the lessons in leadership and teamwork that continue to shape his approach to Army Medicine today.  

FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, UNITED STATES

05.27.2026

Story by Jean Graves 

Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital

FORT POLK, La. — Most people attending Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital’s Leadership Professional Development session on May 21 expected to learn about active shooter response. What they received was also a first-hand lesson in resilience from someone who has lived through the unthinkable.

As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, BJACH employees gathered at the Bayou Theater for a hospital-wide session focused on active shooter response, situational awareness and preparedness. The event featured presentations from Mark Leslie, director of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort Polk, and Adam Lynn, the installation antiterrorism officer, who discussed behavioral indicators, emergency response considerations and the FBI’s RUN, HIDE, FIGHT principles.

The training’s message centered on preparation before a crisis occurs. Leslie challenged attendees to think differently about their surroundings and develop personal response plans before they ever need them.

“What we want you to do today, when you leave this block of instruction, is to change how you think,” Leslie told attendees. “When you go back to your work area, when you walk into a restaurant, I want you to be thinking, ‘What if an active shooter came in right now?’”

Lynn encouraged participants to incorporate those conversations into their daily routines rather than treating preparedness as a one-time event.

“As part of training, you can simply implement it into your weekly or daily process,” Lynn said. “If something happened right now, what would be my run plan? What would be my hide plan? If I had to fight, what would be my fight plan?”

The discussion emphasized situational awareness, personal preparedness and understanding available options during an emergency. Speakers encouraged participants to consider evacuation routes, identify potential shelter locations and be prepared to follow law enforcement instructions during a crisis.

For Col. Patrick Miller, commander of Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, those conversations carried personal significance.

On April 2, 2014, then-Maj. Patrick Miller was serving with 1st Medical Brigade at Fort Hood, Texas, when a Soldier opened fire inside brigade headquarters. Miller was shot at close range and critically wounded during the attack.

More than a decade later, he shared his experience with BJACH employees, describing the confusion of that day, the extensive recovery that followed and the perspective he gained through adversity.

Following the shooting, Miller endured multiple surgeries, weeks in intensive care and a long road to recovery.

While intubated and recovering in the intensive care unit, Miller wrote a message for his commander to relay to his teammates.

“Sir, how’s everyone doing?” the note began. “Let everyone know I’m doing good. We’ll all get through this as a family/team.”

The message revealed a perspective that continues to shape Miller’s leadership today: even in the midst of crisis, people come first.

“There are no bad days anymore,” Miller said.

Miller connected those lessons to BJACH’s C4 vision — a culture centered on being caring, compassionate, candid, trustworthy, committed, inspired and connected members and leaders of a team.

“When you hear the word team, when you hear C4, that’s because we care,” Miller said. “A cohesive, high-functioning team makes us more resilient and better prepared if something ever happens.”

The Leadership Professional Development session served as BJACH’s culminating Mental Health Awareness Month event, bringing together Soldiers, civilians and healthcare professionals from across the organization to discuss preparedness, awareness and resilience.

While attendees left with practical information about emergency response, they also heard a reminder that resilience is built long before a crisis occurs through preparation, trust and the strength of a team.

• Date Taken: 05.27.2026
• Date Posted: 05.27.2026 12:34
• Story ID: 566215
• Location: FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, US
• Hometown: BUFFALO, NEW YORK, US