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During her visit to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Vice Adm. Robin Braun, chief of the U.S. Navy Reserve, spoke with Sailors from Navy Expeditionary Medical Unit 14. She also visited the Warrior Transition Program at Sembach Kaserne and U.S. European Command in Stuttgart.
U.S. Navy Reserve Sailors serving at Sembach Kaserne and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center got the chance this week to chat with a senior leader about training, medical readiness and the future of their careers.
Vice Adm. Robin Braun, chief of the Navy Reserve, arrived at U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern Sunday after visiting U.S. European Command in Stuttgart. At Sembach, she saw firsthand how the Navy’s Warrior Transition Program supports Sailors returning from shore assignments in combat zones. During their WTP stay, Sailors check in gear, undergo mentoring and medical reviews, plus receive psychological support.
“The WTP is very valuable to the Navy Reserve because it allows our Reserve Sailors to take four days of down time before they go home, where they can take care of much of their outproccessing,” Braun said.
In December 2012, the Navy program moved from Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, to Sembach. The unit is located at the recently renovated Sembach Community Activities Center, where Sailors have access to recreation and dining. Sailors stay in barracks nearby. Having a Navy unit on an Army post may appear unusual, but it’s a great example of how the Defense Department can work jointly to care for service members, Braun said.
“We need to look to see where we can do things more jointly, especially in this fiscal environment,” Braun said. “Using the services on this Army post just makes sense.”
Afterward, at Ramstein Air Base, Braun greeted Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 15, a Seabee unit from Belton, Mo., on its way home after an Afghanistan deployment. At LRMC, Braun met with Sailors of the Deployed Warrior Medical Management Center and the Navy Expeditionary Medical Unit 14.
“It was just a marvelous afternoon she spent with us,” said Capt. Laura Wesley, a Navy Reservist from Alexandria, Va., who serves as NEMU-14’s deputy director. “She was very gracious and interested. She cares about every single Sailor she spoke to.”
At LRMC, 76 Navy Reservists are on staff, working in nearly every section of the hospital. More than a dozen work in the operating room. Others are in orthopedics, urology, the pharmacy and administration. Mobilized Sailors have supported LRMC’s mission for many years, Braun said. In many cases, those Reserve Sailors have medical backgrounds.
“They bring skill sets from their civilian jobs to the hospital at Landstuhl that may enhance what the hospital is able to do for our wounded warriors,” Braun said.
Braun also met with Sailors serving at U.S. European Command headquarters on Patch Barracks in Stuttgart and attended the chief petty officers’ pinning ceremony at the Patch Community Center. Her trip allowed Braun to speak directly with Reserve Sailors, learn the challenges they face and see what tools, training and assistance they need.
“Through town halls, we hear about the great work being done, but also about what we can do for them back in Washington,” Braun said. “We have so many dedicated Americans who volunteer their service as Navy Reservists. Working on their behalf is a real honor and a privilege.”
