Commander's secretary reflects on 60-year career

By Elaine Sanchez, Brooke Army Medical Center Public AffairsFebruary 5, 2015

Commander's secretary reflects on 60-year career
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Commander's secretary reflects on 60-year career
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SAN ANTONIO (Feb. 2, 2015) -- While a daunting task for most, Carolyn Putnam can rattle off her career numbers with ease.

As a commander's secretary, this sharp-as-a-tack Army civilian has worked for 13 generals and eight colonels in her 55 years at Brooke Army Medical Center, also known as BAMC, with another five years of service across town at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

This all adds up to a distinguished 60-year civil service career. But for Putnam, it's not about the numbers; it's about the people she's met along the way.

"What a fantastic journey it's been," said Putnam with a smile, impeccable in her characteristic colorful skirt suit. "From the bosses to my co-workers to staff throughout the hospital, I've loved every minute of my time at BAMC. This place is a part of me."

THE EARLY YEARS

The years have flown by, said Putnam, recalling her childhood in San Antonio. She was the youngest of five girls in a family of nearly all government civilians. Her oldest sister was the exception; she was an Army nurse.

Putnam was 10 years old when she started her long association with BAMC. It was 1945 and World War II was nearing its end. Her sister, who had caught malaria while serving in the Philippines, was hospitalized at the then-Brooke General Hospital. Putnam was eager to check on her hero big sister; however, "back then you couldn't visit family unless you were 12, so the nurses sneaked me up the main hospital stairs so I could see her," she recalled with a laugh.

That sister, Lillian Dunlap, went on to become a brigadier general and the 14th chief of the Army Nurse Corps, Putnam said proudly.

As a student at Incarnate Word High School, Putnam found she had a knack for typing and shorthand and set her sights on secretarial work. After graduation in 1953, she took the civil service test and scored a job-- a clerk/typist in the Finance and Accounting Office at Lackland Air Force Base. She stayed there for five years, moving up to become a military pay clerk in the Officer Pay Section in 1954.

BAMC LEGACY BEGINS

It was in 1960 that Putnam's 55-year BAMC legacy began.

After a yearlong hiatus to care for her newborn son, Chip, she accepted a clerk-typist job in the Department of Surgery at Brooke General Hospital. Over the next decade, she served in various positions in the General Surgery Service and became secretary to the chief, Thoracic-Cardiovascular Surgery Service, in 1964. She recalls many afternoons studying surgeries from behind the observation glass.

"I transcribed operations and there were some very complex, long medical terms," she said. "I kept my medical dictionary handy and learned more and more over time. I certainly honed my shorthand skills."

In the '70s, Putnam continued to rise up the ranks. During the Vietnam era, BAMC swelled up to 1,000 beds to care for the wounded, and she saw a constant influx of drafted Vietnam-era doctors.

Putnam crossed paths with a few high-profile guests at that time, including President Lyndon Johnson, who would stop by for checkups when staying at his Texas White House ranch near Stonewall, and movie legend John Wayne, who would visit burn patients. When Wayne came, the staff gathered at the main hospital's lobby to greet the star, but Putnam managed to make her way up to the fourth row. "I swear he looked right at me and said, 'Howdy," she said with a grin. "Of course, all of the ladies fell out right on the spot."

NEW CHALLENGES

With years of hospital-wide experience under her belt, Putnam felt ready to tackle the pinnacle of her career. On Dec. 27, 1981, she became secretary-stenographer for BAMC Commander Brig. Gen. Tracy E. Strevey Jr.

"I was scared to death," she recalled. "The job was entirely different. I had to keep an activity-filled calendar, learn protocol and how to deal with DVs [distinguished visitors], all while figuring out who to call for what.

"I was blessed and fortunate to have help from many people," she added. "I started to make contacts and learn how things worked. The most important lesson I learned, which still holds true today, is to be flexible."

In 1996, with Brig. Gen. Robert Claypool now in command, Putnam joined the staff in the new 450-bed BAMC hospital building. Up until then, the hospital had been scattered in buildings throughout Fort Sam Houston.

"That was an exciting time," Putnam said. "Many commanders had fought hard to get this beautiful new building. It was very special to finally all be housed under the same roof."

HERE TO STAY

Other opportunities cropped up over the years, but Putnam dismissed them all without a second thought. "I could never leave BAMC," she said with tears in her eyes. "I love my job, the people, the sense of patriotism, being around the wounded service members and other patients … I've always been happy here. Every single day, no matter how small the task, I feel a sense of contribution and reward."

Maj. Gen. Joseph Caravalho Jr., BAMC commander from 2009-2011 and now deputy surgeon general, has high praise for his former secretary.

"Carolyn is a true American patriot, a virtual icon within the halls of Brooke Army Medical Center, and one of the finest young ladies I have ever known," Caravalho wrote in an email. "I consider it a true privilege to have been one of her generals during her more than 50 years at BAMC."

Today, Putnam, wearing her favorite jeweled BAMC pin on her suit lapel, sits at her desk in the command suite, waiting for her current boss, Col. Evan Renz, to call her in for a calendar update. She's surrounded by small artifacts and cards that represent her travel, family, friendships and her beloved San Antonio Spurs.

Now that she's hit the 60-year mark, people often ask her if she intends to retire anytime soon. Her answer is always the same.

"I find I can still work and spend fun, quality time with my family, especially my grandchildren, Joshua and Amanda, so I don't have any plans to retire," she said. "I still feel excited to come to work every day. As long as I feel I'm still able to contribute and do a good job, I'm happy to stay right where I am."

Related Links:

Army.mil: Human Interest News

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