Commander's Blog

It's not surprising that, each year, many of us stay busy throughout the month of May, as it's always jam-packed with a surplus of special occasions and events. Personally, I'm honored to be serving our country as an Army Soldier, and I am always grateful to those who thank me for my service, especially during National Military Appreciation Month each May. I'd also like to thank each and every Service Member who puts on a uniform like I do, as this unified dedication helps to keep our nation strong and ready at all times. For most, if not all of us, military life is much more than a career – it's truly a vocation that adds a great deal of meaning to both our lives and our families.

Along with this annual celebration during May, we also observe Mother's Day, Memorial Day, National Nurses Week, and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month – to name only a few special events. And starting with the latter, I'm proud to announce that USAMMDA will host a celebration in honor of our Asian American and Pacific Islander population on May 23 at 11:30 a.m. in Building 1520. We hope to see a large turnout to acknowledge the great contributions of our wonderful colleagues and friends to our country, the Department of Defense and all of our Military Service branches. We certainly are well represented here at USAMMDA, and we're very grateful for what these professionals bring to our organization, and to our USAMMDA family. I am sincerely humbled to lead the celebration to honor all of those tied to the rich culture and history of this storied region.

This past week, we honored our professional nurse workforce during National Nurses Week. Without question, this group – both inside and outside of the command – certainly deserves our gratitude for the work they do in helping to sustain our military and civilian populations on a daily basis. Nurses play a critical role in the Army Medical Department mission, serving as key clinical experts in the treatment of Soldiers far forward and in our medical treatment facilities throughout the world. They help us to quickly deliver medical solutions to our military personnel, which in turn helps us to fulfill our USAMMDA mission of supporting and sustaining Service Members worldwide. We certainly couldn't accomplish this without their dedication and enthusiasm.

Turning to another topic, many of us consider the Memorial Day weekend the official start of summer, and with good reason in light of the very warm temperatures we've been seeing lately. This holiday is often the biggest travel time of the year, so please stay alert and safe on the roads if you're heading somewhere. Water sports and activities such as boating, swimming, surfing and water skiing are usually brought to the forefront, so please be careful when you're near lakes, rivers and swimming pools, and at the shore. Wear plenty of sunscreen, use sunglasses, and if you like to paddleboard, watch out for dolphins – I hear they can get pretty aggressive in some areas!

Finally, we've kicked off the Change Management training sessions, and this will continue through July, to ensure we're poised to continue with our critical mission. We're very excited to merge our talented group with the equally talented team from the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency, as this will help to create a stronger force to help support our Warfighters. Although I may talk about this merger often over the coming months, I'm a firm believer that you can never over-communicate change. So don't be surprised to hear this again from me in future blogs, Town Hall events, staff meetings, etc. People are our greatest resource, and fully informed people are always the most productive – and effective – people on the team!

Let's always remember that we're saving lives with everything we do here at USAMMDA!

COL Ryan Bailey