Photo By Julius Evans | Capt. Edward J. Sullivan receives one last award as Naval Medical Logistics...... read more read more
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - With his wife and other family members and supporters present, Capt. Edward J. Sullivan accepted authority over the Navy Expeditionary Medical Support Command (NEMSCOM) at Cheatham Annex, Williamsburg, Va., in a formal transfer of authority June 6.
The change of command ceremony is a time-honored tradition that signifies the transfer of responsibility from one naval officer to the next, and is symbolic of passing the responsibility, authority and accountability of command to the new leader who will be charged with the overall care of that command’s human capital, financial resources and materiel.
On this day, Capt. Sullivan relieved Capt. Martin “Marty” McCue from his position of NEMSCOM’s commanding officer as he departs with orders to report to the Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va.
NEMSCOM provides comprehensive, shore-based medical support to U.S. and allied forces in the event of contingency operations anywhere in the world. It is responsible for designing, procuring, assembling, pre-positioning, storing, maintaining and providing life cycle support for Expeditionary Medical Facilities (EMF). This global involvement allows NEMSCOM to support combatant commanders with the right medical resources through configured expeditionary medical logistics capabilities tailored to meet clinical missions.
As he accepted the responsibility as the newest commanding officer, Capt. Sullivan reflected on his career, his previous assignments and several specific past tours of duty that prepared him for his current challenge.
"As I mentioned in my opening remarks, I have a few deployments under my belt and this has afforded me the opportunity to see first-hand the results of your efforts," he said, directing his comments to his new staff. "The level of support you provide and the confidence it instills in our troops is a precious commodity. EMF 44 in Kuwait – Top Notch! And by all rights, the NATO Role III in Kandahar should be called the NEMSCOM Role III – as you were ultimately responsible for equipping this facility with the finest technology available – not just for an austere environment in Afghanistan, but rather a level of sophistication that could go toe-to-toe with a hospital in a major metropolitan city anywhere."
In thinking of his wife’s responsibilities during his previous tours of duty, Sullivan quipped about how she handled ‘command’ of their home.
“To my lovely bride Jennifer, who tries her very best to look convinced when I tell her I did not volunteer for another deployment – it’s just the needs of the Navy and I was simply the best person to do the job,” he began his comments as the audience rumbled with laughter. “She does it because she knows this is what I love to do. It may also have something to do with her looking forward to yet another year of unsupervised shopping privileges.”
Son of Mary J. Sullivan and Edward J. Sullivan, Sr., of Kings Park, N.Y., Capt. Sullivan is a 1979 graduate of Saint Anthony's High School, formerly located in Smithtown, N.Y. In 1984, he graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics.
In that same year, he began his military career as a United States Marine Corps motor transport officer. He was promoted to the rank of major prior to accepting a Health Science Professionals Scholarship in 1996, at which time he transferred to the United States Navy. Subsequently, he graduated from Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with an O.D.
Throughout his career, Dr. Sullivan served in a number of unique positions that included Deputy Surgeon of the Combined Forces Special Operations Consolidated Command, Navy Medicine's logistics chief (M42), and as a Medical Logistics Fellow at the Center for Naval Analyses. As the Commanding Officer of 1st Medical Logistics Company his unit was responsible for procuring, staging and delivering all Class VIII (medical) supplies in support of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. They returned home in March 2007 from a successful, year-long deployment in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. As a direct result of his achievements in theater, he received the Robert A. Edgar Award as the Navy's Operational Medical Logistician of the Year.
Offering opening remarks during the ceremony, Capt. Mary Seymour, Naval Medical Logistics Command’s (NMLC) Commanding Officer, praised the outgoing naval officer for his accomplishments over the past two years.
“Capt. McCue, your mission here has been clear; NEMSCOM exists to save the lives of our Sailors, Marines, Soldiers and Airmen by providing the right medical resources to our combat support medical teams at the right time and at the right cost anywhere in the world,” she said. “When you look at NEMSCOM’s accomplishments over the last few years, it’s apparent Capt. McCue and his teams have contributed vastly to Navy Medicine’s ability to meet the needs of our fleet and operational customers. Under Capt. McCue’s leadership, NEMSCOM has been recognized for everything from the forward thinking concepts to top notch safety compliance.”
As Capt. McCue set a course for Quantico, Va., in his remarks, he thanked his family with comments designed to prepare them for their future to come.
“In closing, I would like to believe that my greatest accomplishment was providing an environment for the staff to work in that allowed for initiative and innovation, empowering them to be a part of a team that is always moving forward. I believe in this command and am confident your evolutionary spirit will make for a successful future,” he said. “And as my favorite philosopher Jimmy Buffett said, ‘People who think too much before they act, don’t act too much,’ that’s not a problem for these innovators!” He then turned his attention to his family.
“As many of you know, I have been a geographical bachelor for the past two years so this has been a challenging tour in that sense, but I want to let my family know something - that is all about to change. Daddy’s coming home!”
| Date Taken: | 06.06.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 07.02.2014 14:56 |
| Story ID: | 135143 |
| Location: | WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,159 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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