“I am Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Raul Haro, Jr., assigned to Naval Hospital Bremerton’s (NHB) Branch Health Clinic Everett.”
Haro, from Phoenix, Arizona, and 2014 graduate of Ironwood High School and currently enrolled in American Military University, was recently selected as NHB’s Sailor of the Quarter.
“Congratulations on your selection and thanks for your hard work, dedication and superior performance,” said Capt. Jeffrey Bitterman, NHB commanding officer.
“I was shocked when I found out I was selected for NHB Sailor of the Quarter,” said Haro, clinic manager for NHB’s Branch Health Clinic Everett.
After attending Navy Hospital Corps school, followed by Dental Assistant school and Field Medical Training Battalion, Haro first Navy assignment was with Combat Logistics Battalion 11 (CLB-11), part of the 1st Marine Logistic Group at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
His time with CLB-11 was rooted in his initial interest of pursuing a career in the Navy, and Navy Medicine in particular.
The opportunity to serve the Marine Corps was what made me interested in Navy Medicine,” Haro explained, adding that his most memorable time – so far – has been deploying with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Indo-Pacific and Central Command regions to such varied locales as Djibouti on the Horn of Africa to Malaysia in SE Asia.
“The relationship made with my Marines and other Sailors all during that times really formed a tight bond. That was a great experience,” Haro recollected, adding that Navy Medicine has taken him “physically to various locations around the world, and mentally prepared me for a long career.”
He counts the best part about his career so far is coming across individuals who have inspired him to be better. The most challenging aspect has been taking on new responsibilities. Handling his daily duties and providing support for patient-centered care have him ambitiously working to enhance his career.
“I take pride as a corpsman. Those who came before in our rate established such a high standard that I see my job as really just trying to keep up, and live up, to that tradition,” he explained.
The Hospital Corps is the Navy’s oldest enlisted corps, and Navy corpsman like Haro serve in scores of environments, from state-side training platform hospitals to fields of battle. They use the most advanced technology and science to support Sailors, Marines and their families. It’s no small wonder that Vice Adm. Forrest Faison, Navy surgeon general and chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, has consistently praised their collective efforts in providing care for casualties since Sept. 11, 2001 supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Freedom Sentinel, Operation New Dawn, and Operation Inherent Resolve.
“The heroism and capability of our hospital corpsmen on those battlefields is a main reason why we have had an unprecedented 97 percent survival rate caring for our wounded,” shared Faison at a visit recently to NHB and Naval Health Clinic Oak Harbor.
Navy Medicine has a renewed emphasis on readiness and will continue to rely on Haro and other hospital corpsman to support that goal.
“By training and preparing my shipmates for operational billets. Also, by helping increase operational dental readiness to ensure the warfighters are ready,” Haro said.
When asked to sum up his experience with Navy Medicine in one sentence, Haro replied, “Although I was skeptical of the journey at first, I am forever grateful for the opportunities I have experienced.”