OHSU - Great Lakes team reunites 20 years later

CHICAGO – Some reunions are about remembering the past. Others are about honoring a shared mission that changed lives forever.

On July 10 and July 11, members of the Operational Health Support Unit (OHSU) - Great Lakes gathered in the Chicago area to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their 2006 mobilization to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC), Germany. For those who served together during one of the busiest periods of the Global War on Terror, the reunion represented more than a celebration — it was a tribute to duty, sacrifice, friendship and the unbreakable bonds forged in service.

In 2006, service members from the Operational Health Support Unit - Great Lakes answered the nation’s call by deploying to LRMC in Germany.

Landstuhl served as the primary medical evacuation and treatment center for wounded, injured and ill U.S. service members arriving from combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. The hospital played a critical role in stabilizing patients before they returned to the United States or continued treatment elsewhere.

The members of OHSU Great Lakes brought together a diverse team of physicians, nurses, corpsmen, medical administrators, technicians and support personnel. This team included Rhonda McClain, a since-retired commander in the Nurse Corps of the U.S. Navy.

Regardless of specialty or rank, every individual shared a common mission — providing world-class medical care while offering compassion and hope to America’s wounded warriors and their families.

“The work was demanding. Patients arrived around the clock, many bearing visible and invisible wounds from the battlefield. Every shift required extraordinary professionalism, teamwork and emotional resilience. Medical personnel not only cared for physical injuries, but also comforted anxious families, encouraged recovering service members and supported one another through difficult days,” explained McClain.

Although separated from home by thousands of miles, the members of OHSU Great Lakes became a family. They celebrated milestones together, leaned on one another during challenging moments and discovered that service extends far beyond medical treatment.

“Sometimes the greatest medicine was a reassuring conversation, a shared laugh or simply standing beside someone during their most difficult day.”

Two decades have passed since that deployment, yet the memories remain vivid.

Many members have retired from military service. Others continued distinguished careers in medicine, healthcare, education or public service. Some have remained close friends, while others reconnected for the first time in years. The July reunion offered an opportunity to reconnect with teammates, remember those who were no longer around, share stories with families, celebrate the professionalism and dedication that defined the unit and preserve the legacy of military medicine for future generations. For many attendees, seeing familiar faces again felt like no time had passed at all.

“Military reunions are about much more than nostalgia. They remind us that history is written not only by commanders and policymakers, but by ordinary Americans who answered extraordinary calls to serve,” McClain added.

The legacy of OHSU Great Lakes lives on through every patient cared for, every life touched, and every teammate who carried the mission forward with excellence and compassion.
As members gathered in the Chicago area this July, they celebrated a remarkable chapter in military medicine — a chapter defined by courage, professionalism, sacrifice and unwavering commitment to those who wore the nation’s uniform.