By Douglas Stutz
Naval Hospital Bremerton
BREMERTON, Wash., July 15, 2015 – Some coins are simply
worth more than money. Their face value is measured not in monetary worth, but
with professional significance, personal sentiment and, at times, even
historical relevance.
For Navy Lt. Cmdr. Carmelo Ayala, chief of the Naval
Hospital Bremerton internal medicine department, the best example he can
readily share is to reach into a uniform pocket and proudly display the
commemorative coin of the 25th chief of naval operations, Navy Adm. Jeremy
Michael Boorda.
To Ayala, the coin’s worth lies in the fact that Boorda was
the first sailor to rise up through the enlisted and officer ranks to become
the Navy’s top officer. Ayala also started out as an enlisted sailor and has
found his niche in the Navy Nurse Corps in his 28 years of naval service.
“I just love getting and also giving coins. I have received
a few over the years from mentors, hospital corpsmen, [independent duty
corpsmen], Navy Nurse Corps officers and others,” the Camden, New Jersey,
native said. “I am a firm believer that a coin is just a great way to say,
‘Thank you’ to someone for going that extra mile to help out.”
A Growing Collection
Ayala said his coin collection has grown to more than 3,000.
“I haven’t actually counted them in a while,” he added. “I get coins all the
time from friends, co-workers and beneficiaries from everywhere. Just this
week, there’s 13 new ones.”
That baker’s dozen of new coins also includes a special
addition that came about by happenstance, the nurse said. On the way up to his
department, Ayala said, he struck up a conversation with a man on the elevator
and they exchanged small talk about their military service.
“The gentleman shared that he had been in some wrong places
at the wrong times, because at some of those places, people didn’t return,”
Ayala said. The man said that the care and concern Ayala showed him was very
much appreciated, and he presented a very distinctive coin as a thank you.
The coin came from Vietnam War veteran Army Lt. Col. Bruce
P. Crandall, who received the Medal of Honor in 2007 for his heroic actions
during the Battle of Ia Drang while assigned to Alpha Company, 229th Assault
Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. During the battle, Crandall and his
wingman landed numerous times to evacuate more than 70 soldiers after other
helicopters refused to land on the hot landing zone.
“[It] just goes to show you that if you treat others the way
you want to be treated that they will appreciate it,” Ayala said. “What an
honor! How often does one get a coin from a Medal of Honor recipient? The least
I could do is return the favor and give him one of mine,” he said.
The origin of the military or challenge coin goes back to
the days of the early Roman Empire. Militaries throughout history have
presented a token with the unit’s logo or insignia on it to someone deemed
worthy by a special achievement on their part. The practice also now includes
exchanging coins during exercises, collaborations and assignments.
Morale-Booster
Yufeng Miller of Naval Hospital Bremerton’s internal
medicine department said she had witnessed active-duty personnel receive coins,
but never thought that she would receive one until Ayala presented his coin to
her last month.
“I never thought that I’d get one. It’s great. It makes me
feel more appreciated in our department,” Miller said. “I now have a few more,
and I even have a little display that was made for me on my work desk.”
Ayala attests that the best thing about any coin, for both
the recipient and the presenter, is that the simple gesture is a morale builder
and is all about service. “If you tell someone you got their back, they will
remember that,” the nurse said. “Whether it’s helping with paperwork, getting
an appointment, conducting a diagnosis, whatever the case may be, people can
tell when someone cares. As a part of Navy Medicine, and as a Navy Nurse Corps
officer, I’m in the caring business. It’s what I do. It’s what we do.”
A coin also has power, Ayala said. A coin can spark
motivation along with boosting morale. “It’s a small gesture, but it goes a
long ways. The only thing better than getting a coin is giving one,” Ayala
said. The most recent coin that Ayala presented was to Navy Seaman Josephine
Fabia, a personnel specialist in the hospital’s human resources department, for
her work in expediting paperwork for Ayala and his wife, Michele. He was
anticipating that it would take several days to complete the necessary
administrative requirements, he said. But 20 minutes later, Fabia contacted him
to say his documents were ready.
“That service was so professionally prompt and courteous
that I immediately tracked her down to say ‘thank you’ and present her with a
coin,” he said. For Fabia, it was her first coin.
“It was awesome to receive my first! I keep it in my car.
It’s good luck,” she said.
A Personal Design
Ayala’s self-designed coin has embossed raised lettering
around the edges on one side that reads, “I did it the hard way, I earned it,”
and “The price of greatness is integrity.” The middle portion revolves on two
hinges, with one side showcasing the Navy Nurse Corps emblem surrounded by the
words, ‘Nursing Excellence Up Through the Ranks.’
The flip side of the middle features a mustang horse --
“mustang” being an informal term for commissioned officers who began their
careers in the enlisted ranks -- along with the caduceus, the symbol of Navy
hospital corpsmen.
Ayala, who started his Navy career as an undesignated seaman
assigned to fleet oiler USS Cimarron from 1987 to 1990, said one coin has so
far eluded him: one from the USS Cimarron. He had the opportunity, he said, but
as a young sailor he could not justify the reasoning to purchase the coin from
the ship’s store at the time.
“I remember back then thinking, ‘Why would anyone want to
buy this little piece of brass?’ But, as I’ve gotten older, I realize that
there is such a connection to history and camaraderie,” he said. “For the past
20 years I’ve been trying to locate one. But what’s really cool is someone, and
I don’t know who, made this wood carving replica of the Cimarron coin for me.
No one is taking credit for it, and it’s great.”
Just as Ayala has been persistent in collecting coins, his
career has also been a study in perseverance. After high school, he wanted to get
into the state’s licensed practical nursing school, but due to fiscal
uncertainty in the program, he decided to join the Navy and set his sights on
becoming a corpsman.
On the Cimarron, he logged hours under instruction in the
ship’s small medical bay, he said. Then a freak accident while conducting
preventive maintenance resulted in a transfer to a base clinic. Fate
intervened, as his skill was noted by an admiral who helped get him selected
for corpsman school, where he excelled. After reaching the rank of senior chief
hospital corpsman, Ayala decided to continue his Navy service in the Nurse
Corps.
“Although nursing was my original goal, the main reason why
I went the commissioning program was to be able to better provide for Michele,”
he said. “The added schooling and training has increased my knowledge and
allowed me to be better able to care for her and care for my patients.”
As his career winds down, Ayala said, he believes he has
made an impact not only in the field of medicine, but also as a caring coin
giver and receiver, which, in some ways, is just as priceless.
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