Page 10 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Fall 2017

from the
SOMA PRESIDENT

Greetings SOMA members, family, good show. On the research front, 70
friends, and volunteers, Steven Viola abstracts were accepted for platform
Command Master Chief (SEAL) (Ret) and poster presentation. The educa-
hope that all of you enjoyed the 2017 ATP, NREMT-P tion and collaboration provided by
I SOMSA in Charlotte, North Caro- the Scientific Assembly are an essential
lina, as much as I did! From inception component in assisting the Special Op-
to execution, it was an outstanding week to share ideas, ex- erations and TEMS communities in confronting the challenges
change knowledge, and get caught up with old colleagues. To they face every day. BRAVO ZULU to all hands!
that end, SOMA and its venue of SOMSA are the free market
of ideas, discussions, and disagreements. These concepts are SOMA’s Annual Membership Business meeting also takes place
typified in the belief of point of injury care framed up where during the Scientific Assembly and is a time when members
we are today. Coupled with the ethical belief system to do no can meet the Board of Directors and learn about the activities
harm, the substructure of the exchange of thoughts and ideas, that have taken place over the past year and the plans for the
and the intrinsic value of human life, those are all values that future. The 2016–2017 Board of Directors was composed of:
transcended world views, rank, and position and lend them-
selves to what SOMA is all about. President – Command Master Chief (Ret) Steve Viola
Military Vice President – MSG (Ret) Harold Montgomery
The skills and experience of the SOMA members are diverse, Civilian Vice President – Dave Callaway, MD
to say the least, and make us a great team. This year’s Assem- Secretary/Treasurer – MSG (Ret) John Dominguez
bly gathered more than 900 military and civilian medics, phy- Immediate Past President – COL Robert Mabry, MD
sicians, and professionals from across the country and around Board Members-at-Large
the world. SOMSA attracted 180 international participants COL (Ret) Russ Kotwal, MD MPH
representing 28 nations. Those in attendance were able to view COL (Ret) Craig Llewellyn, MD
the latest innovations and technologies in our sold-out Exhibit COL (Ret) Gary Gilbert, PhD
Hall featuring 155 companies. If you missed out on this event, COL Sean Keenan, MD
be sure to keep an eye on the Vendor Directory located on
SOMA’s website. During SOMSA, all companies were listed Civilian Vice President, Dave Callaway and Board Members-
in the directory that is available to all SOMA members and at-Large Russ Kotwal and Craig Llewellyn completed their
many have chosen to extend their listings throughout the year. terms this year. We are grateful for their dedication and ser-
vice to the SOMA membership. Newly elected board members
In addition, more than a dozen companies provided sup- taking office through May 2019 are Civilian Vice President
port for SOMSA and the pre-Assembly labs. Their support Don Heath and Board Members-at-Large Ethan Miles and
makes all the difference in the quality of the educational Ted Redman.
experience that we are able to provide. SOMA is proud to
offer a unique venue where lessons learned from TCCC, SOMA also added two new members to our roster of Senior
PFC, JTS, and a host of others come together to help in- Advisors to the board, SEAC (Ret) Bryan Battaglia and COL
crease the survivability of the combatant. The strategic (Ret) Craig Llewellyn.
speaker, the 17th Surgeon General, Richard H. Carmona,
MD, MPH, FACS, was informative and inspirational for the If you are a SOMA member, and haven’t done so already, take
way ahead in tactical medicine and the tyranny of distance; a few minutes to read the 2016 Annual Report posted on the
it will be challenging to be sure. The Wounded Warrior Talk Association Business page of the SOMA website. The report
presented by SSG James Lee was by far the best one I have demonstrates the caliber of our members and what they can
ever seen—the ability to focus on what’s important and what’s accomplish.
a priority were singularly personified in his talk. For those
in attendance, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. A record Speaking of SOMA members . . . well . . . they are changing
number of participants attend the pre-Assembly labs that were the world every day. This is a requirement to being a part of
extended to include Sunday afternoon as well as Monday. I our culture—if you are not passionate about making things
personally participated in the active shooter lab (as the “un- better for our medics, and humanity, you will hate it here. If
dercover boss”), where I was blown away by the joint venture you don’t exude passion, creativity, commitment, and fun, you
of the local EMS, vendors, and SOMA members to put on a will have a hard time fitting in.

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