Capt. Marvin L. Jones relieved Capt. David A. Bitonti as commanding officer of Naval Support Activity Bethesda (NSAB) during a change of command ceremony on the installation July 22.

Bitonti also retired during the ceremony, held in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center's Memorial Auditorium aboard NSAB, to close out a distinguished 30-year naval career.

Vice Adm. Matthew L. Nathan, 37th Surgeon General of the Navy and Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, was the guest speaker and senior officer present during the ceremony. Rear Adm. Yancy B. Lindsey, the 89th Commandant of Naval District Washington, was the hosting officer.
Jones is a Medical Service Corps officer and reports from a tour as commanding officer of Naval Health Clinic Charleston, South Carolina.

"The eyes of the nation have been focused on this installation as it has undergone Base Realignment and Closure and a major transition to a state-of-the-art military medical complex," said Jones to Bitonti during his remarks as NSAB's new commanding officer. "Through your leadership and strategic vision this installation fosters an environment that enables patients to heal, employees to thrive and guests to feel at home. I'm most fortunate to follow in your footsteps as its next commanding officer and assure you that the command will continue to build on the legacy and foundations that you've laid."

Bitonti served as NSAB commanding officer from September 2013 until July 2015 and was awarded the Legion of Merit for his leadership during the transformation of the National Naval Medical Center and Walter Reed Army Medical Center to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, exceptional delivery of installation support services to more than 40 tenant commands and activities, and numerous construction projects which ensured those commands met mission requirements, including lodging for wounded warriors and specialized treatment facilities for personnel exposed to the Ebola virus.

His efforts also ensured that the United Services Organization's new Warrior and Family Center provides a comfortable environment to aid in the healing process.

For more news from Naval Support Activity Bethesda, visit www.navy.mil/.