PHYSICIANS ON THE FRONT LINE
20 YEARS BEFORE THE MAST
AUTHOR Michael Flynn, MD
I
n early July 1963, I saluted the guard at the
gate of the Military Ocean Terminal, Bay-
onne, N.J. to begin two years of active duty
in the US Navy. This was a large sprawling
supply base operated by the Navy from
1942-1967, and by the Army from 1967
until its closure in 1999. It was located on
the west side of lower New York Bay and lov-
ingly referred to as “where the debris meets
the sea” by military and civilian personnel at the base.
The medical facility personnel consisted of two Medical Officers
of Navy Lieutenant rank, a Chief Petty Officer and around 20 Navy
Corpsmen with first, second and third class Petty Officer ranks.
We provided primary care to all navy personnel and dependents
on the base and in the surrounding area. All civilian employees
were initially evaluated for work-related injuries and events. Navy
personnel from the ships supplied from the base were seen for sick
call and annual physical exams. We had a pharmacy, lab and x-ray
for basic support (CBC, chest x-ray, etc.). Specialty referrals went
to the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Hospital Staten
Island or the Navy Hospital at the Brooklyn Navy Yard across the bay.
After discharge from active duty, I moved from New Jersey to
Baltimore, Md. to begin a surgical residency at the University of
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LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
Maryland Hospital. Initially, it was my intention to remain in the
Naval Reserve but after a year or so, it became clear that the demands
of surgical training, as it was conducted at that time, were not com-
patible with the requirements of the Naval Reserve. Rather than be
subject to unsatisfactory performance, I resigned my commission.
In 1982, after a surgical residency, a two-year fellowship at M.D.
Anderson in Houston and the establishment of a surgical oncology
practice in Louisville, my commission was re-activated at the rank
of Lieutenant Commander.
The next 16 years provided a wide variety of activities and expe-
riences, some compatible with medical/surgical practice and some
unique to the military. The fundamental purpose of a military reserve
force is to provide trained manpower to the active duty forces during
war or conflict. This could take the form of backfilling deployed
active duty manpower in Naval facilities, or actual deployment
to the conflict/combat zone or nearby environment. The essential
activity of the reserve force is to train for this possibility.
The drill requirements for a Naval Reserve Medical Officer
involved the equivalent of one weekend each month (Saturday
and Sunday) and two weeks of active duty annually. There was
considerable flexibility in how these requirements were met; we had
multiple opportunities for more extended assignments. During my
active duty years, I had taken two short cruises on Navy ships: two