Page 18 - JSOM Spring 2020

from the

SOMA PRESIDENTOMA PRESIDENT

Greetings to the SOMA Member- • Participate in Shaping the Fu-
ship and JSOM Readers – I hope ture – SOMA members will
the New Year finds you doing well. have the opportunity to pro-
Harold Montgomery, MSG (Ret)arold Montgomery, MSG (Ret) vide important feedback and
H
The Special Operations Medical input through periodic sur-
Association’s 2020 Training, Education, Scientific As- veys, participation at the annual business meeting at
sembly and Exhibition (SOMSA2020) program is lit- the Scientific Assembly, etc.
erally just around the corner. Registration and travel
information can be found on the SOMA website. Lock SOMA now offers an expanding number of benefits
in your calendars for 11–15 May 2020 in Raleigh, North primarily accessible through the website (www.special
Carolina. operationsmedicine.org).

SOMA Membership For those who are not yet SOMA members, take the
time to join and be part of a personal and professional
I know most of you are busy updating your calendars, so group dedicated to bringing together the unique blend
I would like to gently remind you of a saying in SOF, “if of prehospital, tactical, wilderness, austere, disaster, un-
you wait to the last minute, then it only takes a minute.” conventional, and deployed medicine. All of those make
If you have not yet taken advantage of continuing your up Special Operations medicine, they are all SOMA, and
participation in the world’s most interesting medical so- SOMA is the people who make up the organization. It’s
ciety, do so today by renewing your 2020 membership not just about joining; it’s really about what you bring
dues for the Special Operations Medical Association. to SOMA. Each member’s unique experiences, back-
ground, and talents are what make the organization
Here are some of the benefits that you won’t want to into what is needed to support the greater mission. If
miss: you want to effect change for tomorrow or change in
SOMA, then start by being a member of SOMA.
• SOMA’s official journal – the Journal of Special
Operations Medicine (JSOM) is published quar- If you have any questions about your membership re-
terly. Don’t miss out on a single issue! newal or membership opportunities, please contact our
• The 2020 Scientific Assembly (SOMSA) in Raleigh, Executive Office staff at SOMA@kellencompany.com.
North Carolina, is right around the corner! By
maintaining your SOMA membership, you will be Feel free to reach out to me as well with any questions
eligible to register at a discounted rate. or concerns that you have about SOMA membership at
• Scholarship Opportunities – Enlisted medics who President@spec-ops-med.org.
join SOMA and maintain their membership for
two years have the opportunity to earn thousands As always, Stay Safe out there and continue saving lives
of dollars in cash scholarships to attend higher on the battlefield, wherever that is in the world…
medical education.
• Second Half Initiative Resources – This webpage, Harold “Monty” R. Montgomery
available exclusively to SOMA members, provides President, SOMA
resources for medics hoping to start a new career MSG (Ret), SO-ATP
in medicine, dentistry, nursing, etc. The Second
Half Initiative helps former SOF medics and tacti-
cal EMTs transition into new careers.
• Leadership Opportunities – SOMA has a number
of work groups and committees such as the Pro-
longed Field Care Working Group that are tack-
ling real-world SOF medical challenges.

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