DVIDS – News – The Meaning of a Navy Medicine Family

Across the U.S. Navy, many servicemen say they have two families. There are individual families, people who are related by blood or marriage. And then, of course, there’s the “Navy Family.” This is another seafarer united by a shared mission and career experience.

For some who work in naval medicine today, the term naval family can take on a literal meaning.

Capt. Jill Mardarelli-Dray is a 22-year Navy veteran who serves as the Assistant Director of Policy and Practice for the Nurse Corps at the Bureau of Medicine (BUMED). her sister, Lieutenant; Karen Maldarelli is a 9 year Veteran serving as a Planning, Operations and Medical Intelligence Officer (POMI) at the Naval Medical Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

“We come from a family where medical care has always been looming large. Drey followed suit, after attending Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia and working at the Virginia Hospital Center (then known as Arlington Hospital), she decided to enlist in the Navy. In 2014, Karen joined the Naval Medical Service Corps as a medical administrator.

“Growing up as Jill’s sister, I learned a lot from her. I expected a lot from her,” said the lieutenant. Mardarelli. “It was exciting just to see Jill in action in the Navy.”

Her sister’s profession was not in her cards, but healthcare has always been an aspiration for this self-proclaimed “black sheep” of a family with deep nursing roots. He worked in transportation policy in the House of Representatives and then in finance in the private sector before earning a master’s degree in health care administration and a master’s degree in business administration.

Throughout their careers, the Mardarelli sisters have concurrently served on staff, clinical duty, training command, and on board the Fleet Surgical Team, at a military treatment facility (MTF) ashore, operationally, and temporarily on BUMED.

In 2022, this personal Navy family connection grew when first cousin Lieutenant Kira Leschinski (Jr. Grade) won a commission in the Navy Nurse Corps. Lescinski, who now works as a nurse at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, is the youngest of his 16 grandchildren on his mother’s side. She credits her Mardarelli sisters with inspiring her own naval trek.

“I was always interested in the navy,” said Leszynski. “At family gatherings, I often asked Jill and Karen about their careers.

During their tenure, their career paths mysteriously intersected with another Mardaleri, believed to be related through his great-grandfather.

Command Suzanne Mardarelli, who is currently the Chief of Staff Education and Training and the Chief of Market Education and Training at Naval Hospital Jacksonville, first met Capt. Jill Mardarelli-Dray, both at NMC Portsmouth. When I was a young nurse engaged in labor and delivery. The two then attended North Her University of Florida together for full-time compulsory education (DUINS). Meanwhile, Jill and Karen’s great-grandfather Francesco (Frank) Mardarelli immigrated to the United States from Bari, Italy. Mardarelli’s grandfather, Giorgio (George), was from Naples, Italy and immigrated to the United States at a young age in the 1910s.

For Cmdr, despite not having the same healthcare roots as her “other family members,” Maldarelli’s always had expectations of military service. Due to injuries and age, her grandfather was not accepted for military service during World War II, but all five sons served in and represented the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air National Guard. Suzanne’s older brother served in the Marine Corps and inspired her to join the Navy Nurse Corps in 1999.

Throughout their careers, whether nurses or healthcare administrators, care and support remain at the core of their work and, after all, a hallmark of what family is all about.

“At the end of the day, your family is the people who love you and support you,” said Captain Maldarelli-Drey. “What I have always loved about naval medicine, and especially nursing, is that in addition to taking care of each other on a daily basis, there are many things you can do in case you or your family need care in an inpatient or outpatient setting. , it’s our fellow Naval Medicine colleagues who provide that care. ”

“Family is also your crew,” said the commander. Suzanne Mardarelli. “This is never as obvious before or after a vacation, especially if you’re abroad. Families really make sure you’re taking care of them and they’re taking care of you.” ”