JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- A select group of Brooke Army Medical Center volunteers received the President's Lifetime Achievement Award on May 30 for their thousands of service hours aiding patients and staff.
The award is presented to individuals who have contributed 4,000 or more hours of service in their lifetime.
"We couldn't do what we do without our volunteers," said BAMC Commanding General Brig. Gen. George Appenzeller.
Last year, BAMC volunteers gave more than 79,000 hours of their time, he noted. And since BAMC started tracking hours in 1994, volunteers have given over 2 million service hours -- an "incalculable" contribution to service members and their families, he said.
"I can't think of another place with this kind of commitment," the general said. "What you give to us is immeasurable."
While all of BAMC's award recipients had contributed well over 4,000 hours, a few volunteers managed to clock an astounding 12,000 hours of service to BAMC, said Michael Dulevitz, chief, Office of Volunteer Services.
Shirley Adcock, age 92, has served over 12,000 hours since 1996. She has volunteered as a tour guide, a ward listener and, currently, as a greeter for the Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center intensive care unit. Adcock also has crocheted hundreds of dolls for pediatric patients.
"Shirley has an irrepressible spirit and strives to make the world around her a better place for all," Dulevitz said.
"This is my way of saying thank you," Adcock said.
Jerry Day, a ward clerk for the 2 North surgical ICU since 2001, also has contributed more than 12,000 hours to the BAMC mission. Along with the presidential award, Day received the Commander's Award for Public Service for his many hours of selfless service.
A few husband and wife teams also have clocked an impressive number of hours. Carl and Rieko Johnson are dual-hatted as Department of Ministry and Pastoral Care's Post-Anesthesia Care Unit greeters and Fisher House hospitality volunteers. Between both jobs, they have each give over 7,000 hours of service.
Ed and Barbara Bowles, library technicians, have followed the Medical Library through four moves, each contributing over 4,100 hours of service. Jack and Martha Rips also have given 4,100 hours of service as Fisher House volunteers.
These are just a few of the many exceptional volunteers at BAMC, Dulevitz noted. "I want to thank all of our volunteers for what they do and have given on behalf of our healthcare mission," he said.
Other recipients of the President's Lifetime Achievement Award include:
-- Dr. Hal Allen, ward listener trainer and ward listener, Department of Nursing, 5,000 hours,
-- Debra Aparicio, clerk, Nursing Operations, 5073 hours
-- Diana Battan, Hematology/Oncology Clinic and patient transport, 6,000 hours
-- Marguerite Blankenship, Department of Ministry and Pastoral Care greeter, post-anesthesia care unit, 5,100 hours
-- Aida Braley, Department of Ministry and Pastoral Care greeter, post-anesthesia care unit, 7,000 hours
-- Ron Burc, information desk greeter, 6,000 hours,
-- Joe Campbell, Red Cross volunteer, BAMC's Optical Fabrication Lab, 6,800 hours
-- Will Salvador Campos, ward listener, 6,000 hours
-- Joyce Earnest, ward clerk on 2T and president, BAMC Retiree Activities Group, 5,900 hours
-- Erika Feaser, information desk greeter, 4,800 hours
-- Ann and Stan Fritz, greeters, Burn Center Intensive Care Unit, 5,500 hours each
-- Dr. Joyce Habina, Caremobile driver, 6,000 hours
-- Robert. T. Hansen, clerk, Internal Medicine Clinic, 7468 hours
-- Ursula Hoglund, main pharmacy greeter, 6,500 hours
-- Heidimarie Hundley, patient library, 4,400 hours
-- Jerry Jarvis, ward listener coordinator/ward listener, Department of Nursing, 5606 hours
-- Curtis Jungman, Department of Ministry and Pastoral Care administrator, 6,700 hours
-- Catherine Killinger, ISR Burn Center ICU greeter, 4,400 hours
-- Phil Lewis, PACU greeter and on-call chaplain, 7,058 hours
-- Torrance McKenna, main pharmacy greeter, 4587 hours
-- Tony Meyer, Center for the Intrepid tour guide, 7,500 hours
-- Willie Noles, greeter/medic, Cardiothoracic Surgery Clinic, 5,500 hours
-- Irene Orozco, greeter, Eucharistic Minister of Holy Communion for Catholic patients, 4320 hours
-- Margarita Potter, Fisher House, 4084 hours
-- Pedro Rivera-Ortega, patient transport, 5,100 hours
-- Norbert Schneider, Caremobile driver, patient transport, 7,800 hours
-- Patrick Spencer, Medical Mall information desk greeter, 10,200 hours
-- Margaret Swartz, clerk, Logistics, Materiel Branch, 5,323 hours
-- Josephine Twedell, BRAG volunteer, 3 South ward clerk, 6,500 hours
-- Barbara Williams, community/refill pharmacy volunteer, 4,800 hours
To become a volunteer or for more information about volunteer service at BAMC, call 210-916-5388/5381.
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