Navy Medicine's director for the Nurse Corps and Education and Training kicked off Navy Week Syracuse on June 6 by spending an evening with U.S. Naval Sea Cadets at Syracuse University.

Rear Adm. Rebecca McCormick-Boyle, commander, Navy Medicine Education and Training Command and director of the Navy Nurse Corps, met with members of the James B. Stockdale Sea Cadet division.

The Navy's top nurse explained to the Sea Cadets how Navy nurses, physicians, medical service corps officers and hospital corpsmen serve the Navy.

"America's Navy protects and defends our nation," McCormick-Boyle said. "Navy Medicine's role is to take care of the Sailors, the Marines, their family members and military retirees. We take care of our Sailors and Marines on the sea [aboard] ships, above the sea on aircraft, below the sea on submarines, and on the battlefield. No ship leaves the pier, and Marines do not go into combat without their 'doc.'"

McCormick-Boyle explained how caring for family members and retirees helps Sailors and Marines focus on their mission -- when they know their families are cared for in Navy hospitals and clinics in the U.S. and abroad, and know they can still count on Navy Medicine being there when they retire from military service.

During a brief audio-video presentation, McCormick-Boyle showed several short Navy and Navy Medicine video clips. She also posed for photos with the landlocked Sea Cadets, who seemed extremely pleased with the time she was willing to spend with each of them and their parents who accompanied.

Sea Cadet Seaman Recruit Tyler Houwland was one of several who jumped at the opportunity to have his photo taken with a Navy admiral.

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Houwland said. "I learned a lot about Navy Medicine. I learned that the Navy is not just about fighting wars; it's also about helping people. I want to be a corpsman."

Sea Cadet Seaman Recruit Evan Bittel said, "I thought it was an amazing experience. I got to meet the admiral."

Bittel was moved by a video McCormick-Boyle showed that explained hospital ship USNS Comfort's (T-AH 20) lifesaving role in the humanitarian mission to Haiti after the small island nation's massive earthquakes of 2010.

"I am just amazed at how much the corpsman care about people, not just in America, but in other countries like Haiti," said Bittel. "I was also amazed at how ready the Navy is to leave at to go and help others."

Melissa Hanavan, an Army Reserve platoon sergeant and mother of a Sea Cadet attending the presentation, laughed and said, "I'm ready to jump ship and go serve on that hospital ship. Humanitarian missions are some of the most rewarding missions for us serving in the Army in Iraq."

For Bittel, the motivation was not enough to alter his career plans.

"I plan to join the Navy after high school as a gunner's mate!" he added.

NMETC manages Navy Medicine's logistics, enlisted and officer education and training programs, and medical operational training for medical and medical support personnel deploying worldwide.

NMETC is part of the Navy Medicine team, a global health care network of Navy medical professionals around the world who provide high-quality health care to eligible beneficiaries. Navy Medicine personnel deploy with Sailors and Marines worldwide, providing critical mission support on the sea aboard ships, in the air, under the sea and on the battlefield.

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For more news from Navy Medicine Education and Training Command, visit http://www.navy.mil/.