Sometimes, those of us that served in the submarine force (or any combat arm for that matter) tend to have a low opinion of our military support folks. I mean, some of these folks in the staff corps rarely go to sea (our beloved Chops excepted) and a number of folks with advanced degrees come in to the service with ranks of O-3 or above without so much as signature on a contract. I usually view these folks as civilians who happen to work for the military.
Every once in a while a staff corps officer stands head and shoulders above his peers. 61 year old orthopedic surgeon Bill Krissoff decided to seek a commission in the Navy Medical Corps after his son, a Marine 1st Lieutenant, was killed in Iraq.
Dr. Krissoff needed a little help to get around the age limits of the Navy. After running into a wall of DoD red tape, he went all the way to the top; CinCUS aka the Prez himself.
My admiration of Dr. Krissoff, now LCDR Krissoff, MC, is on many levels. To have raised a son with the sense of duty to serve his country is only the beginning. You see, LCDR and Mrs. Krissoff raised two sons that joined the Marines and now the father wants to go down range.
I rest easy knowing that this country has dedicated men willing to serve like Lieutenant Commander William Krissoff, Medical Corps. If you ever run into him in the fleet, give him a big BZ for exemplifying the spirit of No Slack, Fast Attack. He's already earned it.
No comments:
Post a Comment