Lt. Commander Veronica O’Leary Handeland spoke at the Timber Lake Elementary School Veterans Day program on Nov. 11. The Topic asked her to share her speech with our readers.
Good morning and thank you all for having me. It’s an honor to get asked to speak at this event. I am so happy to be here today. You all have done such a great job and I have enjoyed all the hard work you all have put into making this great program. I wrote down a few notes because I have a tendency to get off track. I want to first take the time to thank all of the Veterans here with us today for your service. I don’t feel like thank you is ever enough for the gift of freedom in this great country.
My name is Lieutenant Commander Veronica Handeland but around these parts I’m known as Ella, Lily, and Liam’s mom and a Fan of the Timber Lake Panthers. I serve as an officer with the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. That’s a mouthful to say but our mission is essentially to Protect… Promote….and Advance the Health and Safety of our Nation. Think of us as the Nation’s Army against disease. We have 8 uniformed service branches and the ones that are more familiar to everyone are typically the armed branches such as the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. And there is a newly added armed branch called the US Space Force.
Those of us in the uniformed services are not armed with guns but armed with vaccines and medical care. We set up hospitals in times of crisis and without a lot of resources. Many different medical professions work with the Public Health Service.
I thought a lot about how to explain what Public Health is to you all and here is what I came up with. I am going to ask you all a few questions and you raise your hand if you have heard any of this. Raise your hand if you have went to the doctor and got a shot? Raise your hand if you have ever heard to wash your hands and sing Happy Birthday or the ABC’s? Raise your hand if you have ever participated in a Quit Smoking Coloring Contest? Raise your hand if you have ever gotten in a car and put your seat belt on? These are all ways Public Health is promoted and the goal for prevent disease and our nation’s safety is promoted. Some examples include - washing your hands thoroughly is a way to prevent viruses and bacteria from spreading, drinking water instead of sugary drinks like pop to prevent Diabetes, moving your body throughout the day as another way to prevent Diabetes, getting a shot at the doctor to prevent sicknesses, and anti-smoking campaigns help us to be healthier. These are all areas that we would promote for a happier and healthier nation. And then we provide direct patient care as well in our daily work.
As Commissioned Corps officers, we serve daily in uniform in areas such as Indian Health Service which is where I work and we can also be deployed to areas away from home to help. This means at times that I have to be deployed away from my family but it is to help others during a time of need. I deployed this past April and May in support of what was called the “Unaccompanied Children Mission” to assist with the crisis at the Border. The best question my kids asked when I called was “what did you do with the kids today, mom” as I was providing medical services and taking care of kids from countries as far away as Latin America and South America. I was thankful that they knew that if I had to be away from them that it was to help others.
During the time that I attended the University of North Carolina, I received a scholarship from Indian Health Service as it was very expensive to attend this school. And as a part of receiving this scholarship, I was asked with Indian Health Service for 2 years following my graduation. I decided to stay with Indian Health Service past the 2 years because I enjoyed the work and I have now been with IHS for 15 years.
Early on in my career, I started working with IHS as a civilian and worked closely with Public Health Service officers and learned more about this uniformed branch. What I learned was that I could serve my country, continue to work in the job that I went to school for, and help others. I had many family members who joined the Army and I took a lot of pride in having family members serving our country. One of those family members happened to also be a graduate of Timber Lake, Tanner O’Leary and he gave his life for our freedom. And the one comfort I have always had was that he loved serving our country and he loved the work that he was trained to do.
There’s a quote that is meaningful to me from a guy named Mr. Rogers. Raise your hand if you know who Mr. Rogers was or if you have ever heard of him? He had a TV show when I was a kid and was a household name much like TikTok is today. He was an icon for kindness. One of his famous sayings was “There is only one person in the whole world like you, and people can like you just because you’re you.” And another famous quote that he said was “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” So when there is anything going on in the news, I always know that there are people there helping and often times that include officers with the Commissioned Corps. From responding to hurricanes, to assisting with the COVID pandemic, to caring for patients in West Africa with Ebola, to providing mental health services at sad times for communities, providing medical care on the front lines at 9/11, and the list goes on. We are there providing medical care and caring for others. And sometimes with health it includes not just our physical body that we can see and feel but it includes out mental and emotional health. Our mind and how we are feeling. So anytime there is something going on in our country, take comfort in knowing that service members in all the different branches are there helping in different ways.
We have helpers in our own community from our volunteer firefighters to EMT’s to our teachers who are educating all of you to go out and do amazing things. And you all can be those helpers to your community as well. Even right now at your age. It can be in simple ways. If you are walking down the street and see trash on the ground, take the time to stop and pick it up. This is a way to help our community. We all can help in our own ways.
And those of us who joined these uniformed services, we have different missions but ultimately we joined to help others and serve our country. Our Veterans have given us freedom, security and the greatest nation on earth. It is impossible to put a price on that. So it’s important to always remember them and to give thanks to them. And what makes events like these so important to offer our thanks and remembrance.
I just want to end by saying God Bless to all of you, God Bless to our Veterans, and God Bless to the United States of America.