MILLINGTON, Tenn. – Cmdr. Frank Cornejo, a native of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, serves the U.S. Navy at Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Rota, Spain.
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| Cmdr. Frank Cornejo, a native of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, serves the U.S. Navy at NMRTC Rota, Spain. |
Cornejo graduated from Carmel High School and later earned a degree from the University of Nebraska Medical School.
Cornejo began a career in Navy Medicine, despite never having thought of joining the service.
“I went to the recruiter to provide moral support to my roommate who wanted to change his life,” Cornejo said. “I realized I was at a crossroads of my own and ended up joining on the ‘buddy’ program. I chose hospital corpsman because it seemed interesting. My friend never showed up to ship out! It was a very happy accident!”
Lessons from Carmel-by-the-Sea continue to shape Cornejo’s service.
“I credit my mother with fostering in me several key lessons that have served me so well throughout my entire career and to this day,” Cornejo said. “The value of hard and honest work, always be more quick to listen than to speak, and don’t wait to be told to do things; anticipate and just do them.”
With Navy Medicine, Cornejo supports Navy missions worldwide. From the USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul as a submarine independent duty corpsman to the USS Dwight Eisenhower as a surgical technician, from forward-deployed to Afghanistan with the Marines to a 5th Fleet deployment in support of the Navy SEAL team, Cornejo understands the role Navy Medicine plays.
“I currently serve as a healthcare provider in the medical homeport in Rota, Spain, where together with a cadre of dedicated and professional hospital corpsmen, nurses, nurse practitioners and physicians, we deliver high-quality healthcare to active duty members and their families as well as other populations that make up our community,” Cornejo said.
Cornejo, who has served in the Navy for 35 years, has witnessed Navy Medicine’s impact firsthand.
“Over my career, I’ve seen time and time again how much positive impact Navy Medicine makes at every level, whether it’s performing preventive medicine, delivery of acute care or trauma resuscitation,” Cornejo said. “Be it undersea on a submarine, in the furthest reaches of the field with the Marine Corps or even aboard Air Force One, Navy Medicine is there and ready to respond.”
According to Navy officials, NMRTC’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high-quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research.
NMRTC Rota serves as a force multiplier in Navy Medicine’s strategic global medical support mission throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East while also supporting operational readiness and maintaining a strategic repository of expertise at the Naval Hospital Rota Military Treatment Facility within the Iberian Peninsula.
Navy Medicine – represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below and above the sea and ashore.
This year, the Navy is commemorating its contribution to the nation’s defense as the United States celebrates 250 years of independence.
According to Navy officials, for more than 250 years, the Navy has sailed the globe defending freedom and protecting prosperity.
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
When reflecting on Navy career, Cornejo has many highlights to choose from.
“There are so many experiences that I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of,” Cornejo said. “I’m most proud when I see sailors who I’ve worked with choose to advance their careers and take opportunities to become nurses, nurse practitioners, physician associates, physicians and other professions like fighter pilots.”
Cornejo serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“It continues to remain a very special honor for me to continue to serve in an organization so steeped in a history filled with bravery and daring acts,” Cornejo said. “The Navy has provided me with so many amazing experiences, adventures and opportunities, most of all, offering a pathway to increase my education and the ability to serve and lead at higher levels.”
Cornejo has had many memorable moments while serving in the military.
“Here are three: one, before joint operations were common, I was on USS Eisenhower when she took an Army brigade with trucks and Apache helicopters to Haiti,” Cornejo said. “Two, as a junior sailor, I got to stay in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, for 30 days by myself while serving as a medical escort. I was trusted with a great responsibility of assisting in the care of a patient as a sole U.S. medical representative and had a lot of fun at the same time. Three, I enjoyed a meal in a royal palace as a guest of King Abdullah of Jordan while serving on presidential duty.”
Cornejo understands that Navy Medicine is different from civilian healthcare.
“Navy and military medicine in general is the only health system that picks up and deploys to locations all over the world,” Cornejo said. “The ability to flex one’s medical training in all different environments makes for a very well-rounded healthcare professional while gaining incomparable personal experiences at the same time.”
Cornejo encourages others interested in a career in health care to consider Navy Medicine.
“Navy Medicine offers the chance for anyone to become a much better practitioner at their medical trade by flexing their skills at the highest level and in many varied locations around the globe,” Cornejo said.