Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Hernandez | Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Cobin, a combat medic and the training and operations...... read more read more
TAMPA, Fla. – The National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning and United States Automobile Association honored an Army Reserve Medical Command combat medic during the “Salute to Service” and University of South Florida alumnus observance at the March 8 game versus the Boston Bruins at Amalie Arena here.
Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Cobin, who is also the training and operations noncommissioned officer for the AR-MEDCOM Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, said he was thrilled to take part in the dual recognition of his Army and USF experiences.
“This was a unique opportunity because it’s two of my strong interests and two of my loves,” said Cobin. “I love hockey and I love my time at USF, and being able to merge those together is a unique and interesting experience.”
The Tampa Bay area native with more than two decades of military service said he and his family are longtime fans and followers of the Tampa Bay Lightning team, stemming back from his childhood.
“I was 10 years old when the team started and played their first game,” said Cobin. “I grew up in Saint Petersburg, Florida, and I was able to watch the Tampa Bay Lightning and especially the season that they played in Tropicana Field back when it was then called the Thunderdome.”
Cobin said hockey was the central highlight of his childhood.
“It was a unique experience as a kid growing up through middle school and high school seeing the National Hockey League start to establish itself here in the state of Florida,” he said.
The Tampa Bay Lightning senior vice president for game presentation, John Franzone, said the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks was the impetus for the USAA-sponsored Tampa Bay Lightning “Salute to Service” observances.
“Many of these sports in-game salutes became a thing to incorporate into game presentations nationwide after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and into the ensuing Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom,” Franzone said.
“Even though our deployment presence in the Middle East is currently no longer what it was, Tampa Bay is a large military town for which these types of moments of recognition and appreciation are always relevant.”
Prior to his Army enlistment, Cobin said that he was attending USF to study biology and biomedical services.
However, the combat veteran of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom said the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks also influenced his decision to pause his undergraduate studies and enlist into the Army active component as a combat medic in the Army airborne community, deploying in combat tours with the 82nd Airborne Division and the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
“Originally, I started off as a medic with airborne infantry and I am a paratrooper,” said Cobin. “Wherever we were going, whether it is jumping off an airplane or out on patrol, I was there with them.”
Apart from his infantryman-embed exploits, the sergeant first class said he and his medical cohorts, in conjunction with the U.S. Agency for International Development, augmented medical services and infrastructures for Afghan nationals.
“Later on, I was in Afghanistan and part of the humanitarian medical engagements,” Cobin said. "We would do sick call for the local population, and then we also assisted USAID in building clinics around southern Afghanistan.”
Shortly after his 11-year stint in active duty, Cobin said he returned to Florida and re-enrolled into USF. Afterward, he completed his undergraduate studies at USF and earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology degree in 2015, then attended Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Bradenton, Florida campus and earned his Master of Science degree in osteopathic medicine in 2019.
Then, Cobin said he re-enlisted into the Army Reserve Troop Program Unit, or TPU program, prior to his accession into the Active Guard Reserve, or AGR program, and current AR-MEDCOM role for more than a year.
Cobin said he was both enthralled by and grateful for the voluminous cheers and chants of support from the arena audience.
“The experience overall was great, and the crowd reaction was probably louder than normal especially since it was USF night,” Cobin said.
“Overall, it’s good to see that the community supports the military as much as the USF community and the Lightning community,” he said.
In addition to the AR-MEDCOM “Warrior Medic” recognitions; the Tampa Bay Lightning interchanges honorees with U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Central Command, U.S. Marine Corps Forces – Central Command, Special Operations Command Central, U.S. Air Force 6th Air Refueling Wing, U.S. Air Force Reserve 927th Air Refueling Wing, Joint Communications Support Element, U.S. Marine Corps Assault Amphibian Battalion, USF ROTC, U.S. Army Recruiting Tampa and Coast Guard Station St. Pete, said Franzone.
Franzone said he is very appreciative of the Tampa Bay military community, and their service and sacrifice to the USA and citizens.
“It’s our privilege, and frankly we feel somewhat of a community responsibility, to incorporate a moment of recognition and appreciation into our Tampa Bay Lightning Game Presentation,” said Franzone.
“We would not be able to do what we do at Amalie Arena, without the sacrifices of military personnel and their families.”
| Date Taken: | 03.08.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.11.2025 16:17 |
| Story ID: | 492545 |
| Location: | TAMPA, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 93 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Tampa Bay Lightning honors Army Reserve combat medic, USF alum, by SFC Christopher Hernandez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
