Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Levesque | Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Louie Solomon, a native of Carson, Calif., adjusts an...... read more read more
The old slogan, “Join the Navy and See the World,” has always been a siren call to generations of future American Sailors. The lure of adventures on the high seas and exotic shores continues to bring in excited, wide-eyed recruits, such as Louie Solomon, a native of Carson, Calif., 12 years ago.
And just like countless other Sailors, Solomon, a Hospital Corpsman 1st Class and an X-ray technician at the Branch Health Clinic (BHC) Chinhae, a tenant command at Fleet Activities Chinhae (CFAC), Navy Region Korea (CNRK), has stayed and made a career in the Navy.
What a career it has been! “My job title is X-ray Tech, but I do a lot more,” said Solomon, who qualifies as a surface warfare specialist (SW), aviation warfare specialist (AW), and fleet Marine force (FMF) warfare specialist. “Working at Chinhae is like working on the ship. I am designated as a medical liaison, qualified as an emergency medical technician, pharmacy technician, general duty corpsman, supply petty officer, among other duties as assigned.”
Having been there and done a lot of that, Solomon recounts his Navy journey with fond memories. “My first command was at Balboa Hospital in San Diego as a labor and delivery corpsman,” said Solomon. “My second command was with green side, First Marine Expedition Force, 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, as a line corpsman.”
Throughout his 12 years in the Navy, Solomon spent six of those years living overseas, including Italy, Japan, and now Korea. “In September 2018, I was selected to attend advanced radiology and X-ray school in San Antonio, Texas, for a year and then reported to Sigonella, Italy, in my first overseas tour,” said Solomon. “I loved every moment of it.”
His next duty station was USS America (LHA 6), homeported at Sasebo, Japan. Being assigned to a forward deployed naval forces (FDNF) was “the most rewarding and humbling moment I’ve experienced as a Sailor,” exclaimed Solomon. “I met all kinds of people from different walks of life and saw how the Navy rates came together to accomplish our mission. I was genuinely happy to experience that with my ship’s crew for two years.”
The journey continued with his next set of orders to Navy Region Korea. “What brought me here to South Korea is my passion of ‘seeing the world,’ traveling as much as I can, and as long as I’m in the Navy. I want to keep taking advantage of what the Navy offers me especially when it comes to living in different countries and learning different cultures. South Korea is my third overseas tour, and I’m loving it. Life in Korea is great: it is safe and cheaper here; food is delicious; people are nice; and I can afford to travel to any country in the Pacific, like Philippines, Japan, or Thailand because of the low airfares.”
Most importantly, he has grown professionally. “Being a shore duty, this tour allows me the time to take college courses toward completing my master’s degree in healthcare administration in a year,” he said.
Solomon sets his immediate goal next year to apply for the Medical Service Corps In-service Procurement Program that provides a pathway to an officer commission for career-motivated active-duty enlisted personnel in pay grades E-5 through E-9. Being assigned to Navy Region Korea has allowed Solomon to take advantage of many opportunities like this.
“As I continue to grow as a junior first-class petty officer, I learn the ropes from my seasoned chiefs on how to be a well-rounded Sailor,” he said. “This duty station is the best place to grow as a Sailor and a healthcare professional by networking with the Tri-Service Team [Army, Air Force, and Tricare-approved local Korean hospitals] on the peninsula,” he observed.
“I would tell a Sailor who does not know anything about BHC or Korea that my job is very rewarding because it’s a small command where we get to meet and know everyone on base,” Solomon concluded. “Our medical team always stands out due to our diverse expertise and broad experiences. We truly believe in ‘Mission First, Sailors Always’ in taking care of our people.”
| Date Taken: | 08.20.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.19.2024 20:53 |
| Story ID: | 478987 |
| Location: | KR |
| Hometown: | CARSON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 127 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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