Navy Day At The Alamo
by U.S. Navy MC1 David Kolmel
April 18, 2022

The Navy was well represented during Fiesta as the Naval Technical Training Center (NTTC)-Lackland hosted Navy Day at the Alamo April 7, 2022. The day is an annual Fiesta event in which Navy units from around Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) demonstrate their various missions.

Rear Adm. Cynthia Kuehner, commander of Naval Medical Forces Support Command (NMFSC), was the keynote speaker for the event that celebrates the Navy’s continuous presence in Texas. As the senior Navy officer assigned to JBSA, the admiral felt honored to represent the many Navy commands located here.

“It is a privilege for Sailors in our Navy to be a part of the San Antonio community, and I am honored to represent each of them by my presence here today,” said Kuehner. “I graduated from Winston Churchill High School, just up the road, and I can tell you quite sincerely, I never imagined that just a few years later, I would be standing at the Alamo, speaking to you on a beautiful April morning, in the uniform of a Navy Admiral.”

The Navy has a rich history in Texas, reaching back as far as the battle of San Jacinto, according to Dr. R. Bruce Winders, former Alamo Director of History and Curator. This small fleet provided a crucial role in preserving Texas’ independence, disrupting Santa Anna’s supply lines and capturing materiel resources for use in Texas’ defense. Each of the Republic of Texas ships saw military action, and numerous battles occurred along the Gulf of Mexico, prior to Texas’ annexation in 1845.

“There is no doubt that the bold actions and dominance of the Texas Navy shaped the foundational Maritime Strategy of the United States,” said Kuehner. “The Navy has been present here ever since, and relevance of our Navy in the Lone Star State persists. Today, the Naval Forces, including our Marine Corps brothers and sisters make up about 11 percent of the active duty forces assigned aboard Joint-Base San Antonio, or JBSA.”

That tradition is still alive today as the Navy continues to support national objectives to keep the entire nation safe.

“When you consider the history and the legacy of our United States Navy, San Antonio may not be the first ‘Fleet Concentration Area’ that comes to mind,” Kuehner said. “Perhaps you think about San Diego, California; Norfolk, Virginia, or the Puget Sound in Washington State. However, like the Alamo behind me, a Navy presence in Texas and San Antonio is long-standing and enduring.”

The admiral’s role at NMFSC is to oversee all Navy Medicine training, as well as wear a separate hat as Director of the Navy Nurse Corps. One of the units the admiral is responsible for is the Navy Medicine Training Support Center (NMTSC) located on Fort Sam Houston, which is responsible for the training of all Navy Hospital Corpsmen.

Sailors assigned to NMTSC were present for Navy Day at the Alamo and recited the poem “I’m the one called ‘DOC,’” by Chief Hospital Corpsman (Ret.) Harry D. Penny.

Kuehner pointed out that several other local Navy command leaders were present, and highlighted just of few or the Navy’s service contributions, impacts, and opportunities for Sailors in San Antonio.

“For instance, Navy Information Operations Command (or NIOC), delivers information warfare capabilities to support the numbered fleets,” said Kuehner. “Under the command of (Navy) Capt. Errol Laumann, NIOC provides and deploys, trained personnel, expertise, and equipment to support operations for naval, air, surface, sub-surface, expeditionary, joint and Department of Defense (DoD) forces.

The Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) San Antonio serves as one of eight subordinate research commands in the global network of Navy laboratories. NAMRU ensures that research and development for combat casualty care, craniofacial, and directed energy innovation improve survival, operational readiness, and safety of Department of Defense personnel engaged in routine and expeditionary operations, added Kuehner.

“The Navy’s Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) in San Antonio is responsible for recruiting talented young men and women in our Navy to fill the many, diverse professions that ensure our Navy’s success in global operations,” said Kuehner.

In fact, Laumann swore 20 future Sailors into the delayed entry program during the Navy Day celebrations.

Master-at-Arms (MA) from NTTC-Lackland presented an Oleoresin capsicum (OC), or “pepper spray,” course as a Sailor sprayed with OC must complete a five-station course demonstrating offensive and defensive techniques. MAs also performed a demonstration with military working dogs (MWD), which included the obedience training MWDs receive and how they are used in the field.

Additionally, during the ceremony Sailors assigned to Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) conducted a demonstration of military funeral honors. NOSC Sailors conduct, on average, 16 military funeral honors for Sailors each year in the San Antonio area. A solemn occasion that requires dedication and reflects the proper military honors each Sailor has earned.

“Finally, my command, Medical Forces Support Command falls under the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, and my boss is the Navy’s Surgeon General,” said Kuehner. “Here in San Antonio, I work with joint medical partners from all of the service branches and the Defense Health Agency to ensure that medical training and support for Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen and others meet their needs - and the needs of those in their care.

“The United States Navy is your Navy --- our Navy. It is strong, because reflects our America,” said Kuehner. “Our Navy pursues talent relentlessly, recruiting from the eligible, qualified and incredibly diverse pool of America’s sons and daughters - who commit on day one to serving our Nation, in both peace and in conflict.”

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