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Tripoli Earns Second Green ‘H’ Award

07 June 2022

From Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Malcolm Kelley and Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Peter Burghart, USS Tripoli Public Affairs

PACIFIC OCEAN - The Health Services Department aboard amphibious assault carrier USS Tripoli (LHA 7) earned the Force Health and Wellness Unit Award (Green “H”) the second consecutive year.

The Green H is an annual award from Commander, U.S. Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMNAVSURFPAC) that recognizes and promotes general health, physical fitness, and mental readiness of active duty Sailors assigned to COMNAVSURFPAC units.

“It takes a lot of work behind the scenes to even be eligible for the award. We issue monthly notifications on healthy promotion and fitness-focused programs for starters,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Bryan Escueta, a member of Tripoli’s health services team. “We take pride in our mission so it does not seem like work to meet all the eligibility criteria. At the end of the day, it’s all about taking care of our shipmates.”

Escueta added that this is an internal competition instead of one against other ships and commands. Keeping the “Green H” involves more than just the Health Services Department, which can be a challenge.

“You have to coordinate with entities besides Health Services, for example Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR),” said Escueta. “We have to collaborate with every single department to make sure it benefits everyone, not just medical.”

Tripoli’s Health Services Department encouraged all hands to maintain physical readiness by providing resources such as brochures and health awareness fairs, said Lt. Jonathan Tablada, USS Tripoli’s medical administration officer.

“We oversee the whole operation when it comes to health readiness,” said Tablada. “We make sure Sailors are healthy, ready to get in the fight, and that they have access to all the resources they need to take charge and take care of their health.”

Other health resources for Sailors and Marines include websites like www.med.navy.mil, (the Navy and Marine Corps public health center), Center for Disease Control guidelines, and resources available on the ship, said Tablada.

“We have the annual physical health assessment,” said Tablada. “When we do that, we cover a lot of topics, including smoking cessation and eating healthy.”

Having earned a second consecutive award, Tripoli’s Health Services team is focused on the next one.

“Earning the award makes me feel proud of the department and the ship itself. It shows that we are focused on health promotion, which is both an individual and team effort,” said Escueta.

Tripoli is currently underway conducting routine operations in U.S. 7th Fleet.

  
 

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