Landstuhl Reservists give steadfast service

Command Sgt. Maj. Craig A. Layton
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center command sergeant major


***image1***When you look at the staff of Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, it’s hard to imagine that more than 500 of our Soldiers are from Reserve components.

That number soon will decrease as Soldiers from the 349th General Hospital in Los Angeles return to their home duty stations after serving here for the past year. However, the number still will remain near 300 as Soldiers from the 328th Combat Support Hospital, Salt Lake City, recently arrived to replace them.

It’s hard to imagine these Soldiers as coming from a Reserve unit because they have blended in so well that many of us view them as permanent party. Many Soldiers here will be surprised when 349th Soldiers leave. Section chiefs, nurses, medical technicians and many others have performed their jobs so well and seamlessly that many of those around them had no clue they were from a Reserve component. These Soldiers never approached their jobs with anything less than pride and commitment.
What I want to make clear is that this hospital could not function and carry out the mission at hand without the help of our Reserve Soldiers and Airmen.

I cannot say enough about the job they have done or how proud I am to have been their command sergeant major.

Although I will soon be leaving LRMC, I have the utmost confidence in the Reserve component from the 328th Combat Support Hospital. The reason our Reserve Soldiers do so well here (aside from their former training) is because LRMC has an outstanding transition system.

During their orientation, we make new Soldiers feel welcome and help them get their family affairs in order so that their minds can focus solely on the mission.

We train them on their new jobs by using a system called, “right seat ride.” This allows the new Soldiers to observe the Soldier they will end up replacing.

Questions are answered, job skills are assessed, and as they feel more confident, they do the bulk of the workload themselves as the outgoing Reserve Soldiers oversee their actions.

We then place the new Soldiers in the left seat and the workload begins. I will say time and time again how proud I am of what the Reserve component has provided Landstuhl.

I am proud to serve as a Soldier in LRMC and proud of this organization, which the Reserve Soldiers help keep running smoothly.