PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Petty Officer 1st Class Kendra Dobson, a native of Varnville, South Carolina, is playing a critical role in the U.S. Navy’s efforts to maintain a healthy and ready fighting force in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic.
As a hospital corpsman working at Navy Environmental Preventive Medicine Unit Six, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Dobson’s skills are vital to maintaining the health of the sailors in the Pacific area, and by extension, the readiness of the Navy’s operational ships and submarines on which they serve.
“The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic brought an invisible enemy to our shores and changed the way we operate as a Navy,” said Adm. Mike Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations. "The fight against this virus is a tough one, but our sailors are tougher. We must harden our Navy by continuing to focus on the health and safety of our forces and our families. The health and safety of our sailors and their families is, and must continue to be, our number one priority.”
As part of the Navy medicine team, Dobson protects sailors and their families, many of whom deploy around the world supporting national interests here at home.
“It made me appreciate the training I have received and my job a lot more,” Dobson said. “A lot of the prevention and controls that were put into place in order to flatten the curve for COVID are all things that I have been taught throughout the career. To see the effects of the measure put into place reassures me that sometimes, it’s okay to go back to the basics, and that something simple can make a huge difference.”
Dobson is a 2004 Wade Hampton High School graduate. According to Dobson, the values required to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Varnville.
“I have learned that community is important,” Dobson said. “Being there for people, whether family or not, is the best thing for any organization. We are all trying to survive in this world and the best way to get though it is together.”
U.S. Navy Medicine is the most decorated career field in the Navy. Navy Hospital Corpsmen have earned 22 Medals of Honor, 179 Navy Crosses, 959 Silver Stars and more than 1,600 Bronze Stars. Twenty ships have been named in honor of corpsmen.
In its century of service, the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps has supported millions of sailors and Marines in wartime and peace around the world. As the years have progressed, technological innovations are transforming medical training for the next generation of hospital corpsmen, according to Navy officials.
“Consistency in maintaining the standards that have been set before me is important now as it was then, even as the world continues to change,” Dobson said.
As a member of the U.S. Navy, Dobson, as well as other sailors, know they are a part of a service tradition that dates back centuries. Their efforts, especially during this time of challenge brought on by the Coronavirus, will have a lasting effect around the globe and for generations of sailors who provide the Navy the nation needs.
“The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic brought an invisible enemy to our shores and changed the way we operate as a Navy,” said Adm. Mike Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations. "The fight against this virus is a tough one, but our sailors are tougher. We must harden our Navy by continuing to focus on the health and safety of our forces and our families. The health and safety of our sailors and their families is, and must continue to be, our number one priority.”
As part of the Navy medicine team, Dobson protects sailors and their families, many of whom deploy around the world supporting national interests here at home.
“It made me appreciate the training I have received and my job a lot more,” Dobson said. “A lot of the prevention and controls that were put into place in order to flatten the curve for COVID are all things that I have been taught throughout the career. To see the effects of the measure put into place reassures me that sometimes, it’s okay to go back to the basics, and that something simple can make a huge difference.”
Dobson is a 2004 Wade Hampton High School graduate. According to Dobson, the values required to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Varnville.
“I have learned that community is important,” Dobson said. “Being there for people, whether family or not, is the best thing for any organization. We are all trying to survive in this world and the best way to get though it is together.”
U.S. Navy Medicine is the most decorated career field in the Navy. Navy Hospital Corpsmen have earned 22 Medals of Honor, 179 Navy Crosses, 959 Silver Stars and more than 1,600 Bronze Stars. Twenty ships have been named in honor of corpsmen.
In its century of service, the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps has supported millions of sailors and Marines in wartime and peace around the world. As the years have progressed, technological innovations are transforming medical training for the next generation of hospital corpsmen, according to Navy officials.
“Consistency in maintaining the standards that have been set before me is important now as it was then, even as the world continues to change,” Dobson said.
As a member of the U.S. Navy, Dobson, as well as other sailors, know they are a part of a service tradition that dates back centuries. Their efforts, especially during this time of challenge brought on by the Coronavirus, will have a lasting effect around the globe and for generations of sailors who provide the Navy the nation needs.