On March 20, 2003, Operation Iraqi Freedom began. The initial airstrikes were followed by more than 60,00 “boots on the ground” with 15,000 Navy personnel on ships in the region.
One of those Navy personnel was 20 year old Carlos Villar. “I was a F-18 jet engine mechanic on the USS John F. Kennedy,” says Villar who was on his second deployment to the Middle East. “Shortly after enlisting in the Navy in 2001, I was first deployed on the USS George Washington during Operation Enduring Freedom.” This was the first stage of the large-scale Global War on Terrorism post 9-11.
“It was a tough time,” says Villar of the stress of active duty but the lessons he learned were invaluable. “It was quite an experience, like living and working in a large floating city where everyone came together over a common goal.”
There’s no doubt members of the military, like Villar, pickup tremendous skills during their time of service – which many of them then go on to put to good use in future healthcare careers.
In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, veterans are more likely than non-veterans to work in the healthcare field. “After my honorable discharge in 2005, I started working at Hackensack University Medical Center in the Environmental Services Department, assigned to the pediatric oncology unit,” says Villar of his first job post military life. “It was a unique and demanding experience.” But it was also an extremely rewarding experience that set the stage for Villar to go on to nursing school.
“I was so inspired by this special group of people who were able to handle the emotional challenges of treating critically ill children while also providing the best possible care and support,” says Villar, who not only became a registered nurse but has since risen within the same pediatrics department to the role of assistant nurse manager. “There are so many significant similarities between serving in the military and serving in nursing,” he says. “Both professions require dedication, discipline, teamwork, and a strong sense of duty.”
This Veterans Day, Hackensack University Medical Center is proud to recognize the many active duty, reserve, and retired service members, like Villar, who have chosen to put the tremendous skills they’ve acquired to work at the hospital.
“Their dedication to service and resilience make them valuable assets and their contributions are essential to providing high-quality care to patients,” says Jason Kreitner, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Hackensack University Medical Center, where he also serves as Executive Sponsor of the Veterans Team Member Resource Group. “With their courage, sacrifice, and dedication to our country, they have helped to make this world a better place and now they are doing the same at our hospital.”
This year, the theme for Veterans Day is “A Legacy of Loyalty and Service.”
For Villar, loyalty and service, he says, are at the core of everything he strives to do. “I’m proud of my military service and answering the call to duty.”
He says he will continue to answer that call at Hackensack University Medical Center where he now has the distinct honor of serving in a different way but still making a difference in the lives of others while contributing to a greater cause.
“That greater cause is to continue to improve the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and society as a whole.”