Wounded warrior caregivers honored

Care for warriors is their solemn obligation.

Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune held a ceremony Tuesday to recognize sailors and civilians serving in the medical field for their contributions in caring for wounded warriors in honor of November, which has been deemed Warrior Care Month.

Warrior care is split into three areas: providing medical service and care on the battlefield; providing deployment preparation for sailors and Marines as well as restorative and rehabilitative care to causalities returning from theater; and ensuring that military families are supported before, during and after deployment, said Capt. Gerard Cox, commanding officer of Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune, during the ceremony.

"Every piece of it is part of a puzzle that fits together, and we couldn't complete our mission if we didn't have every piece of the puzzle," Cox said.

Rear Adm. William Kiser, commanding officer of Navy Medicine East, spoke at the ceremony and presented coins to those being honored.

"We have a special bond with our colleagues in the Marine Corps ... no Marine goes into harms way beyond earshot of a Navy corpsman," Kiser said.

For those who assist the wounded once they leave the battlefield, Kiser said their gift is unchallenged.

"You give them hope, you give them courage, you give them passion, you give them your heart - and for that ... I am eternally most grateful," he said.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonas Achombom was one of the sailors recognized in the ceremony, for his work in the ambulatory procedures unit and on a recent deployment to Iraq.

"To me it is an honor and a privilege," he said. "Why I do this job is because that is the way I serve the Lord."

Achombom, a native of Cameroon, Africa, had both his parents, his wife and his two children at the ceremony with him.

"Every one of the Marines that I have cared for, every one means so much to me and that is the closest to Christ that I can see," he said.

Julie Zeiler, ombudsmen for the naval hospital, was also acknowledged at the ceremony because she is "the hospital's first link to all our families at the naval hospital," Cox said.

"I think it's great that they're recognizing, they're making a point to show that we are taking care of our warriors," Zeiler said.

Caring for the families of service members, wounded or not, is a service to not only the families but the service member as well. If the family is taken care of, the service member has less to worry about, she said.

"There is help out there ... The naval hospital is here for you," Zeiler said.

Putting themselves second is one of the most important attributes those working with the wounded posses, Kiser said.

 "You have set aside that ‘It's all about me,' in a sense, so that it's all about them," Kiser said. "You quietly go about making a difference every day, in every circumstance and in every way imaginable."

Contact Jacksonville/Onslow government reporter Molly DeWitt at 910-219-8455 or mdewitt@freedomenc.com.