Vol. 30, No. 11
May 31, 2013
New USAG Commander Excited About New Challenges BY NICK MINECCI
USAG PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Growing up in Baltimore, Col. Steven P. Middlecamp, the new commander of the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Detrick, couldn’t wait to leave the area. There was a world to explore, and he wanted to get out and discover it. “I went to Mount Saint Mary’s College not far from here, and in 1988 I was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps, then it was off to Fort Sam Houston,” he said, starting the journey that would bring him home 25 years later. Middlecamp’s first duty assignment was as a platoon leader with the 142nd Medical Battalion on Fort Clayton, Panama. “This was an amazing assignment, I went to the Columbian Ranger school, and was also a young platoon leader during Operation Just Cause,” he said. Just Cause was the U.S. invasion of Pan- Col. Steven P. Middlecamp, Commander, ama on Dec. 20, 1989, in order to bring its U.S. Army Garrison Fort Detrick Courtesy USAG VI president, Manuel Noriega, to justice for drug trafficking. Middlecamp said that to this day he prefers “We treated [Panamanian Defense Force] the face-to-face approach rather than email. soldiers who were wounded and set up a “You get so much more out of the pertreatment area for treatment of [Enemy Pris- sonal one-on-one interaction,” he said. oners of War] during the operation, to proAfter an assignment as the Deputy and vide them a daily sick call,” Middlecamp said. then Chief, Patient Administration Division “That is one thing we do as U.S. soldiers, at Gorgas Army Community Hospital in even when we are fighting someone, we Panama, Middlecamp served in the 187th treat their wounded,” he added. Medical Battalion, Fort Sam Houston, and Following the battle, Middlecamp said then was assigned to the 67th Combat Suphe had an amazing experience working with port Hospital in Wurzburg, Germany. members of the Panamanian Ministry of During his time in Germany, MiddleHealth, travelling the country and treating camp deployed as the Task Force Patient the Panamanian people. Administration Officer during Operation “I spent the next six months taking my Joint Endeavor, the NATO peacekeeping platoon out 10 to 15 days a month, meeting mission to Bosnia. the people and helping them. It was during After several tours in William Beaumont this time I learned a lesson that has stuck and Tripler Army Medical Centers, Middlewith me through my career,” he said. camp deployed to Iraq in 2009 as the com“I learned that as a culture, we, as Amermander for Administration, 47th Combat icans, can learn a lot from other cultures Support Hospital in Tikrit. and how they do business. In Panama they His last assignment before arriving at do things in person. Now this was before Fort Detrick was as the Northern Regional email,” he said with a laugh, “but it is how Medical Command Patient Administration they do things there. That stuck with me,” he said. See CHALLENGES, continued on page 6
BY NICK MINECCI
USAG PUBLIC AFFAIRS
The U.S. Army Installation Management Command joined the National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research, known as the NICBR, a consortium of seven federal agencies working in concert at Fort Detrick, Md., to secure the health and wellbeing of the nation through cutting-edge research, information sharing and technological innovation. During a May 30 meeting, the NICBR’s board of directors formalized IMCOM’s membership. IMCOM, which is based in San Antonio, Texas, on Fort Sam Houston, supports the United States Army’s warfighting mission by working to provide standardized, effective and efficient services, facilities and infrastructure to Soldiers, civilians and families. Fort Detrick falls under the IMCOMAtlantic region. Established April 22, 2003, the NICBR is a consortium of agencies from four cabinetlevel departments: Defense, Homeland Security, Agriculture and Health and Human Services. Some of the agencies operate research facilities located at Fort Detrick. Each has distinct but complementary research missions and capabilities. The NICBR facilitates interagency cooperation in areas of mutual interest, encouraging collaboration across scientific disciplines and facilitating sharing of technical expertise, scientific services, best-management practices and certain infrastructure.
Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho, U.S. Army Surgeon General and Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command signs a new amendment of the National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research with Dr. Daniel M. Gerstein, Deputy Under Secretary for Science & Technology, Department of Homeland Security, during a meeting at Fort Detrick, Md. May 30. Per this amendment, the U.S. Army Installation Management Command becomes a member of the NICBR. Witnessing the signing is Col. Steven P. Middlecamp, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Detrick commander. Photo by Jeffrey Soares, USAM-
RMC public affairs
Superhero: A Poem by Amanda Grebenok, 17 years old from Eagle Pass, Texas
Some people choose Batman While others pick Superman There are those who want super-strength And those who’ll take spider webs When someone says, “Green Lantern” Someone else will say, “Flash” But there is another superhero so rarely idolized They don’t have Clark Kent’s alterego strength Or Batman’s millionaire civilian life These superheroes are completely and honestly normal They don’t have super strength They don’t have flying powers And they don’t get a flashing icon in the night sky
But they face dangers that are more real than those in Marvel Comics For them, the fight is every day, wherever they are Whether it be taking on gunfire Or surviving a roadside bomber And they may not be supernatural But they exhibit great acts of courage and perseverance And they give the most to protect their “Gotham City” So, who are these silent heroes? They are the brave men and women that have fought, are fighting, and will fight to protect our country and all it stands for They are MY superheroes And to my superheroes, I say, “Thank you.”
What’s Inside
Social Media Find Garrison on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr! www.facebook.com/DetrickUSAG www.twitter.com/DetrickUSAG www.flickr.com/DetrickUSAG Find MRMC on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr too! www.facebook.com/USAMRMC www.twitter.com/USAMRMC www.flickr.com/people/usamrmc
IMCOM Joins Multiagency Partnership at Fort Detrick, Maryland
Armed Forces Week, p.2
SMRC-IND Team Conducts Annual Training, p. 4
Bike to Work Day at Fort Detrick, p.6