The Naval Health Clinic New England’s (NHCNE) Triad and leadership personally congratulated and immediately pinned eleven personnel who were advanced to the next higher paygrade through the Meritorious Advancement Program (MAP) on Wednesday, April 10.
The special moments were captured on video and then consolidated into a 26 minute video collage to post on the NHCNE Facebook page for all NHCNE staff, friends and family members to witness the pinning of the recipients command wide. Hospital Corpsman First Class (HM1) Mark Gregg (Surgical Department, NHCNE Newport) filmed and produced the video of this very special event.
The four NHCNE medical sites are dispersed throughout New England and are located in Groton, CT, Newport, RI (headquarters), Portsmouth, NH, and Saratoga Springs, NY.
Captain Marnie Buchanan, Commanding Officer, Captain Rachel Myaing, Executive Officer, and Command Master Chief Randy Swanson personally visited each Sailor in Groton and Newport to deliver the exciting news and face timed the three Sailors in Portsmouth and Saratoga Springs.
This is the fourth year Sailors assigned to shore commands have been able to promote through MAP. The program is intended to give commanding officers the ability to advance eligible personnel in pay grades E-5 and below to the next higher pay grade, acknowledging those personnel who have demonstrated they are ready for the next level of responsibility.
CMDCM Swanson said, “Having the opportunity to recognize and meritoriously advance Sailors at the command level is such an amazing tool for leadership and being a part of that process is such a humbling experience.”
Hospital Corpsman Third Class (HM3) Kayla Deveno at NHCNE Newport said, “I love the way they did it this year. None of us knew about it ahead of time. I had no idea why all of these people were coming into my office and then Capt. Buchanan said, ‘Congratulations Petty Officer Deveno,’ and my heart dropped. It was such a nice surprise.”
Petty Officer Donta Williams was asked if he would like to be a First Class today, and his response was, “I would love to be a First Class today,” and he was pinned immediately by his Chiefs at NBHC Groton.
“It was such an honor to be a part of MAP announcements. All are much deserving and ready to lead at the next level,” said Captain Myaing, NHCNE Executive Officer.
The eleven advanced Sailors from NHCNE are: HM1 Donta Williams (NBHC Groton), HM2 Vidal Rodriguez (NHCNE Newport), HM2 Zachary Cornwell (NBHC Groton), HM2 Andrew McClelland (NBHC Saratoga Springs), HM3 Kayla Deveno (NHCNE Newport), HM3 Johnathan Shinoda (NHCNE Newport), LS3 Theadore Jordan (NBHC Portsmouth), HM3 Nathaniel Gonzalez (NBHC Saratoga), HM3 Kassandra Betancourt (NHCNE Newport), HM3 Sammantha Sharpe (NBHC Groton), and HM3 Lorenzo Camacho (NBHC Groton).
NHCNE Commanding Officer, Captain Buchanan, summed up the events of the day saying, “This is one of our highest honors as a commanding officer to be able to recognize the most deserving sailors and promote them on the spot. The video is the perfect way to memorialize and share this very special day!”
To view the MAP video visit the NHCNE Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NHCNE/.