Medical Service Corps Leader Development

07/26/2026

🎙️ NEW EPISODE Glass Ceilings & Faith | What if greatness isn’t about the rank you achieve… but the lives you impact?

In 2004, Brigadier General (Ret.) Dr. Sheila Baxter became the first African American woman in the history of the Army Medical Service Corps to achieve the rank of Brigadier General.

But that’s not the story that stayed with me.

The story that stayed with me was the young basketball player from Franklin, Virginia who simply loved serving people.

The lieutenant whose commander challenged her to write a 20-year career plan.

The officer who almost left the Army…

…and didn’t.

The leader who discovered that the higher you rise, the more humble you should become.

And the retired general who could have spent retirement anywhere but instead chose to serve unhoused veterans, build affordable housing, and continue changing lives.

In this conversation, we talk about:

▪️ Why passion matters more than titles
▪️ The mentors who changed the course of her life
▪️ How to stay humble while leading at the highest levels
▪️ What it really feels like to carry the weight of being “the first”
▪️ Why she believes Army leadership prepares you for anything in life
▪️ The importance of listening before making life-changing decisions
▪️ The transition from commanding thousands of Soldiers to serving veterans on the streets of Atlanta

One quote I haven’t stopped thinking about:

“The higher you go, the more humble you should become.”

This isn’t just an episode for Army leaders.

It’s for anyone trying to become a better leader, mentor, parent, teammate, or human being.

I left this conversation inspired and I think you will too.

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.



https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ZeezTggNqpldfVrRhHOYw?si=yyQjF1QiRWS1O7G-uAbVTg&utm_source=copy-link

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-all-you-can-be-msc/id1701344539?i=1000778455172

Army Medicine

07/26/2026

Gas from Above: UAVs Are Bringing Chemical Warfare Back to the Battlefield in Ukraine 🇺🇦

This article examines the role of drones in deploying chemical munitions in Ukraine. The phenomenon is underreported but poses significant legal, ethical, medical, and military challenges. While these chemical agents are often classified as less-lethal munitions, commonly known as tear gas and riot control agents, their use raises the specter of escalating the brutality of war and leaves open the question of the use of more lethal agents.

The most common tactic is to use the drone’s camera to locate a fortified position, hover over it, and precisely drop the chemical gr***de. Unlike explosive munitions, the chemical munitions documented in Ukraine are not designed to kill, but to disperse a cloud of irritant gas. The frequently documented K-51 gr***de releases enough gas to force unprotected individuals out of a 400m2room. This cloud fills the space of a position and forces the soldiers inside it out of cover. Once out of cover, these soldiers are easily picked off by either a second drone attack, mortars, or small arms fire.

A few additional thoughts.
• The more potent the agent in the chemical gr***de is, the larger the area the gr***de can clear of unprotected soldiers. Since there are no more potent, less-lethal gas gr***des available, using lethal chemical weapons seems a logical next step (by Russia 🇷🇺) in deploying chemical munitions via drones.
• Are U.S. Soldiers preparing for this type of threat?
• Preparing for these threats requires different tactics, training with the right protective equipment, developing and stocking medical countermeasures, and training on decontamination and the treatment of chemical weapons.

Let’s hope chemical munitions remain less than lethal while preparing for the worst.

🔗 in comments

Army Medicine U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence Journal of Special Operations Medicine Joint Trauma System Next Generation Combat Medic Army Reserve Medical Command CSIS | Center for Strategic & International Studies Operational Medicine Prolonged Field Care Tactical Medicine 335 Medical Evacuation Regiment Navy Medicine U.S. Air Force Medical Service - AFMS

07/20/2026

Coach, Counselor, Mentor

Leaders are responsible for the growth of their subordinates and do so through coaching, counseling, and mentoring.

All three roles may look alike, and distinguishing between them may seem like an exercise in semantics, but knowing when to fill each role is helpful for both the leader and the lead.

COACHING is a current activity of observation and feedback and the rater or supervisor “walks with” subordinates, sometimes providing specific feedback and other times using a mission command model of allowing the soldier to learn from experiences. Coaching is a balancing act of knowing when to remain silent, when to provide feedback, when to intervene, and when to take over the activity or give it to someone else.

COUNSELING involves a leader sitting with a subordinate to provide the good, the bad, and the ugly. This usually occurs after coaching, where the stage is set for counseling through other acts of feedback and the development of a relationship.

MENTORSHIP is a special relationship between an older and more experienced leader and a younger follower who has great potential that endures and grows over time. It is a mutually-agreed upon relationship and leads to the senior serving as a role-model and providing advice and guidance to the “Protégé.” Additionally, the Mentee proactively seeks to learn from the Mentor in order to grow and prosper - this is an active, two-way relationship.

At the end of the day, leaders and the led want communication and feedback and a vision for the future. Determining what role a leader is fulfilling, or what someone seeks from a leader, is less important than the active communication, honest feedback, and care for people. So lean in and provide good leadership - actively coach, counsel, and mentor!

3d Theater Medical Command Desert Medics U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence Army Medicine U.S. Army Medical Command CSM Army Reserve Medical Command Medical Readiness and Training Command

07/06/2026

LEARNING AGILITY

With discussion about next generation warfare and Multi Domain Battle dominating many military publications, the fact remains that Soldiers remain central to the success or failure of any strategy or engagement philosophy.

The U.S. Army will establish overmatch by investing in its most valued commodity, the leaders of its irreplaceable Soldiers. The Company Leader provides a few thoughts on how learning agility provides the necessary framework to support leader overmatch in future conflict.

Learning Agility consists of an individual's ability and willingness to learn from a previous experience and apply relevant lessons to new situations. It is the combination of motivation to face new, ambiguous situations and the skill to discern quickly the consequences of these action determining what to do next.

Agile learners navigate through 4 modes of learning:
1. Observation and Concrete Experience
2. Reflection
3. Forming Hypotheses and Theories
4. Active Experimentation

David Kolb's Experiential Learning theory describes 4 learning styles: accomodators, divergers, assimilators, and convergers.

- Accommodators intuitively grasp information and favor being action oriented. They tend to seek new experiences and are more willing to take prudent risk using trial and error.

- Divergers tend to intuitively grasp information and then attempt to make sense of their feelings. Divergers view problem sets from many perspectives and tend to formulate several different possible solutions.

- Assimilators focus on the logic of an argument and use inductive reasoning to create theories.

- Convergers combine thinking and action into problem solving, decision-making, and pragmatism.

Understanding these learning styles enables leaders to leverage training and command climates to better coach, teach, and mentor others. As training objectives are shaped to develop and test learning agility, units build Army needs leaders capable of successfully leading diverse teams comprised of joint and coalition partners in ambiguous and complex situations. The behaviors associated with Learning Agility are compatible to those desired of U.S. Army leaders.

Are you creating a command and training climate the encourages and rewards the behaviors associated with Learning Agility?

Read the whole article here - it is worth your time!

http://companyleader.themilitaryleader.com/2018/02/12/learning-agility/?fbclid=IwAR2TWQX2hM0YYHrt54lIjWHO5O2u0u26CRhUXZYVYPHP5Xx0kR5nD9KDtn0

06/15/2026

🎙️ NEW EPISODE: Leadership, Life Strategy, and the Lessons You Don’t Learn in School

On this episode of Be All You Can Be MSC, I had the privilege of sitting down with recently retired Command Sergeant Major Erano “Buma” Bumanglag.

Buma served more than 31 years in the Army, culminating as the Command Senior Enlisted Leader for Joint Task Force–Civil Support, one of the nation’s premier consequence management organizations. His career spans Special Operations, the Office of The Surgeon General, medical brigades, global deployments, disaster response, and strategic-level leadership.

But this conversation was not just about rank.

It was about the human side of leadership.

We talked about:
▪️ Why senior leaders don’t have all the answers
▪️ The difference between tactical success and strategic success
▪️ Why ego destroys teams
▪️ The power of the officer and senior enlisted relationship
▪️ How to lead through failure and still learn
▪️ Why life needs a strategy, not just your career
▪️ His book, Life Strategies: S**t You Don’t Learn in School

One of my favorite takeaways from Buma:

“Remove the ego.”

Simple. Hard. Necessary.

This episode is for every Soldier, NCO, officer, and leader trying to grow not just in rank, but in wisdom, emotional intelligence, and impact.

🎧 Listen now to Be All You Can Be MSC.



https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-all-you-can-be-msc/id1701344539?i=1000772686781

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7fEj39RrkWvhikPSTKpNzB?si=XrD0Pd1BTfqO6DZp24xz3w

Army Medicine
U.S. Army Medical Command CSM
U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence
18th Theater Medical Command
3d Theater Medical Command Desert Medics
Medical Readiness and Training Command

06/11/2026

05/17/2026

🎙️ NEW EPISODE: “Translating Military Leadership to Civilian Healthcare Executive Roles”

In this episode of “Be All You Can Be MSC”we sit down with Neill Marshall and Kurt Mosley of HealthSearch Partners for one of the most honest conversations I’ve had about military transition, leadership, and executive credibility.

And candidly? Some of what they shared may surprise you.

We discuss:
▪️ Why healthcare boards hesitate to hire military leaders directly into executive roles
▪️ Why the FIRST civilian role matters more than most people realize
▪️ The biggest mistakes leaders make in their first 90 days
▪️ How relationships, not networking change careers
▪️ Why AI will increase the importance of human leadership, not decrease it

One of the most powerful moments: “You can be right and still fail if you don’t understand the culture.”

If you’re:

✅ transitioning from the military
✅ building toward executive leadership
✅ leading teams through change
✅ or trying to understand what influence-based leadership really looks like…
This episode is for you.

🎧 Listen now and let us know your biggest takeaway.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-all-you-can-be-msc/id1701344539?i=1000767329783

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4nGtACOr9zn8MyznN0gWk3?si=j__bLOqyRGKLaA-NTCh9sA



Army Medicine

Podcast Episode · Be All You Can Be MSC · May 14 · 53m

05/15/2026

Interesting read on potential Russian support to Iran to defend against a US ground invasion.

Not new, we’ve watched this tactic in Ukraine for years.

How are you replicating in your training?

Are Medical Simulation Training Centers flying drones over medics while providing care to simulate sounds of the new battlefield?

Have we changed individual first aid and combat life saver kit adjusting to longer evacuation timelines?

The gray zone described creates challenges that we often do not train to.

Thoughts?

How are you addressing?

A leaked GRU document reveals Russia's plan to arm Iran with unjammable drones. Deniable by design. Dangerous by any measure.

05/09/2026

The Role of Commander's Intent in Writing Orders

"The material and moral consequences of every major battle are so far-reaching that they usually bring about a completely altered situation, a new basis for the adoption of new measures. One cannot be at all sure that any operational plan will survive the first encounter with the main body of the enemy. Only a layman could suppose that the development of a campaign represents the strict application of a prior concept that has been worked out in every detail and followed through to the very end."
- Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke (Chief of Staff of the Prussian General Staff, aka Moltke the Elder)

Or put more simply and re-quoted by countless leaders,

"No plan survives first contact with the enemy".

Orders, when written properly, are a critical component of mission command. However, the tendency of both writers and readers of orders is to focus in on the ex*****on paragraph. This quote, as well as doctrine and experience, teach that the most important part of an order is the commander's intent.

So what does this mean?

1. For the Commander: Spend time crafting your intent to be understood by junior leaders in the fog of war or when the ground truth changes.

2. For the Planner and Operations Officer: Do not guess what the commander's intent is - ask, clarify, and truly understand. Spend a disproportionate amount of time ensuring clarity of intent instead of developing pages of specified tasks.

3. For those Executing Orders: Do not be lazy and skip to tasks to subordinate units to learn what you are required to do. Read and understand the commander's intent. Ensure your subordinates understand the commander's intent.

This way, subordinate commanders or leaders can use mission command to navigate the shifting sands of the modern battlefield to take advantage of opportunities as they appear or make changes to the plan on the fly rather than waiting for new orders. Clear commander’s intent enables disciplined initiative, which is all the more crucial on a battlefield where we may be limited in communications abilities.

Read the whole article by the Angry Staff Officer here: https://angrystaffofficer.com/2018/10/29/wait-whose-intent-the-role-of-commanders-intent-in-army-order-writing/?fbclid=IwAR2B9k8O1d3Sv8tHNYcztTBTGdW0TWfLGIaQgWzPGsE49055ZZzbjC_jb2w

05/06/2026

Prolonged Field Care for the Combat Medic

COL Sean Keenan, a former Special Forces Group Surgeon defines prolonged field care (PFC) as "taking care of a patient who you know needs to be somewhere else for much longer than you are comfortable with.”

"Role I medical providers, whether that’s the platoon medic, or the Physician Assistant working in the battalion aid station (BAS) do not have patient holding capabilities. They have neither the equipment nor the space to take care of a patient who isn’t either being evacuated or returned to duty. PFC isn’t intended to create holding capability. PFC is meant to address the training gap which becomes apparent when MEDEVAC isn’t on their way and you are forced to hold your sick patient."

How Does this Match Up to the 68W MOS?

1. Monitoring. At a minimum, the average combat medic or corpsman should be able to measure a patient’s blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, and temperature without any advanced equipment.

2. Resuscitation. One of the principles of Remote Damage Control Resuscitation (RCDR) is aggressive fluid resuscitation with fresh whole blood (FWB).

3. Ventilation & Oxygenation. It all comes back to the basics with respiration. The goal here is to optimize ventilation and mitigate or prevent ARDS or other positive pressure ventilation associated illnesses.

4. Managing the Airway. While the “gold standard” for an airway is a cuff inflated in the trachea, evidence shows that even well-trained medics and corpsmen have difficulty achieving endotracheal intubation.

5. Controlling Pain. Medic carries the Combat Wound Medication Pack (CWMP) with acetaminophen, oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate (OTFC) lozenges, and IV/IO or IM Ketamine.

6. Patient Assessment. A basic assessment requires no additional gear, and knowledge weighs nothing in a rucksack. All medics should be able to perform a physical exam without the use of advanced diagnostics and develop an awareness of unseen injuries.

7. Ongoing Care. While there are few specific tasks associated with nursing care, it is a vital component of keeping your patient relatively healthy and happy.

8. Performing Procedures. Basic interventions save lives.

9. Calling for Help. Communication is a base-level warrior task in which all Soldiers should be proficient. What is said once communication is established, on the other hand, takes practice.

10. Preparing for Evacuation. Combat medics having the knowledge to effectively anticipate and prepare for common problems encountered with evacuation will pay dividends for patient outcome.

Read the entire article at: https://nextgencombatmedic.com/2017/06/15/prolonged-field-care-for-the-combat-medic/