Page 152 - JSOM Winter 2018

When the JSOM lost this funding, I was unable to continue to
provide SOMA with the JSOM for their membership. It took
a few years, but in 2013, around the time the SOMA confer-
ence became the Special Operations Medical Association Sci-
entific Assembly (SOMSA), then president COL Bob Mabry
approached me about the JSOM being the official journal for
SOMA. As a scientific assembly, they needed to have an aca-
demic publication. The JSOM continues to be published by
Breakaway Media.

Did the inclusion of Tactical Emergency Medical
Support (TEMS) come natural to the JSOM, or were
there difficulties?
The inclusion of TEMS was natural and continues to grow,
both domestically and internationally. It is an official forum
for professional discourse on global Special Operations medi-
cine that transcends the boundary between military and civil-
ian medicine by bringing forth practical and sensible ideas and
techniques to the provider currently operating in a tactical or What would you consider the most rewarding part
law enforcement environment. about your relationship with the JSOM?
The reward for me has been to be able to grow a concept into
What do you see as the role of the journal between the
military and civilian tactical medicine communities? something substantial and valuable and to still have it growing
18 years later. The JSOM is now subscribed to in 79 countries
I believe our role is to assist in saving lives by providing life- by SOF medical providers, TEMS (both Department of Justice
saving information to both communities. Both communities and special weapons and tactics [SWAT]), conventional mil-
practice medicine in unconventional environments and situ- itary and civilian emergency medical services, and university
ations. Protocols may be different, but the goal is the same. and military medical libraries. In addition, the advent of social
media has allowed us to expand our reach even further and
communicate in real time with not only our subscribers but
also an entirely new generation of Servicemembers and civil-
ians who are coming up and pursuing careers in operational
medicine and tactical casualty care. The primary goal has al-
ways been to save lives and to continue to put this information
in the hands of those who need it and use it in the field. I am
thankful we are able to continue to do this.

Do you have anything else you would like to share with
your readers?
The JSOM remains the only academic peer-reviewed journal
devoted to Special Operations medicine. Our goal is to aid
the subscriber to be the best they can be by being armed with
the most current information available. We thank you for
subscribing to, advertising in, and supporting the JSOM. We
flourish because of you and what you do.

150 | JSOM Volume 18, Edition 4 / Winter 2018