PURSUiNG MEdicAl cAREERS AFtER SERviNG thEiR cOUNtRy

Otis’ first permanent duty station was Davis-MonthanAir Force Base in Arizona, where he supported thetraining operations of the 355th Fighter Wing whilecontinuing his military and non-military studies.When the 355th unit was preparing for a tour toBagram Air Base in Afghanistan, Otis volunteered andtrained for the deployment. Days before the 355thunit departed for Bagram, he received orders to go toOsan Air Base, Korea.“Osan was an interesting place, the work hours werevery long and the training was tedious at times, butlooking back now I’m am very fortunate to have spentthat year of my life there,” Otis saidOtis was discharged from active duty in April 2008.“The military taught me respect on a level most peoplewouldn’t understand. It showed me what my limitswere, and it showed me how to surpass those samelimits,” Otis said. “I am fortunate for my time inservice, and I possess the utmost respect for those menand women who have served in Afghanistan, Iraq, andall other foreign conflicts.”Otis says his time at the doctor’s office as a childconvinced that him he wanted to become a doctor.“I was always at the clinic, and there was this guy thattook care of me,” Otis said. “He wore a white coat andknew all the answers, and always impressed me. Hewas super cool and gave me assuring taps when I camein, and I could talk to him just about anything. Ilooked at him and was like “wow, I want to do that.”– Jeff MaletRear Admiral Clinton E. Adams, DO, Medical Corps,United States Navy, Endowed ScholarshipThrough a generous donation of $200,000 from 1991 College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific(COMP) alumnus Dr. James M. Lally, the Rear Admiral Clinton E. Adams, DO, Medical Corps, UnitedStates Navy, Endowed Scholarship was created.Lally, MMM, DO, President & Chief Medical Officer of Chino Valley Medical Center, thought thatthrough this endowed scholarship, he’d be able to offer support and recognition to veterans of allbranches of service who are enrolled in COMP.“Part of living is giving back,” Lally said, “If it were not for Dr. Pumerantz’s dream to build anDean Adams and James Lally, DO osteopathic college in Pomona, who knows where I might have ended up. Education, particularlymedical education, has helped me to provide myself with a nice lifestyle, so it is only appropriate thatI give back to any school that I attended, to the community that supports me, and to the profession that has made this all possible.”During COMP’s 14th annual Armed Forces Commissioning Ceremony and Recognition Dinner at the Pasadena Convention Center May 14, 2012, Lally said hewanted to name the scholarship in honor of COMP Dean Clinton Adams because “you need to respect those who are ahead of you. You need to honor those thatare behind you.”He said Admiral Adams has embraced COMP as his family and that the endowed scholarship needed to be named after the person that best represents the virtuesand qualities that make a military officer, especially a military medical officer.Adams recognized Lally by presenting him with a special wounded warrior statue from the Franklin Mint in recognition of Lally’s endowed scholarshipcommitment.“I think Dr. Lally -- not only carrying on his back the patients that he cared for in the military, but also the residents, the students and the profession -- canremember and relish in the fact he’s made a difference for a lot of people, one at a time,” Adams said.– Jeff Malet16 Western University of Health Sciences