“Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.” ~Mark Twain (1835-1910)

COVID-19, often referred to as coronavirus, has dominated the news as this new viral threat spreads across the globe as the latest major pandemic. Pandemics are nothing new in world history: HIV/AIDS pandemic (at its peak, 2005-2012) 36 million dead, flu pandemic (1968) one million dead, Asian Flu pandemic (1956-1958) two million dead, flu pandemic (1918) 20 to 50 million dead, sixth cholera pandemic (1910-1911) 800,000 dead, flu pandemic (1889-1890) one million dead–and the sordid list continues into recorded history. Any student of medical history is not surprised by this latest plague beyond the fact that it did not happen sooner.

Yes, improvements in the general hygiene (in the developed world) of humans on this planet and the incredible contribution of vaccinations (thank you, Edward Jenner–smallpox vaccine, 1798) has improved general health and accounts for many human plagues being eliminated or at least uncommon.

“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine; it is lethal” ―Paulo Coelho

My wife, Pam, and I recently returned from a fantastic sailing adventure in the Bahamas aboard the Liberty Clipper, part of the Boston Harbor Liberty Fleet of Tall Ships. The 125-foot gaff-rigged schooner is a modern replica of the small merchant vessels that plied the American coast in the 18th and 19th centuries. While the steel-hulled ship caters to tourism in Boston during the summer, taking guests on short sails around Boston Harbor, it overwinters in the Bahamas out of Nassau, providing weeklong cruises throughout the islands for those looking for something different in cruising.

This cruise is more of an adventure tour. The food was outstanding—my glass was never empty—and the scenery was incredible (we sailed the isolated Bahama Exuma islands), although the cabins were consistent with a working sailboat. While we did have a private bathroom, we slept in bunks, and Pam and I could not pass each other in the cabin without one leaving the room.

“My mother used to say to me if you want to clean up the world, first clean up your room.”—S.E. Cupp, CNN interview aired Jan. 4, 2020, 1800 ET.

CNN reporter Sarah Elizabeth Cupp was interviewing Rabbi Joseph Potasnik concerning recent anti-Semitic attacks on members of the Jewish faith. My spouse, Pam, viewed the CNN interview and made me aware of Cupp’s quote used above from the broadcast. My wife and I have been discussing the ongoing challenges to the world’s environment due to the consequences of climate change, the horrifying ongoing bush fire disaster in Australia being the most current and poignant example. Unpleasant changes in our global environment from extremes in weather, animal species extinction or rising sea level seem to be routine on the nightly news.

“The two most frightening words in Washington are ‘bipartisan consensus.’ Bipartisan consensus is when my doctor and my lawyer agree with my wife that I need help.” —P.J. O’Rourke

I have been struggling with the idea of consensus-building for some time in my machinations within the Defense Health Agency to mold effective pain management policy for military beneficiaries. P.J. O’Rourke, one of my favorite modern authors and satirists, cuts to the heart of the issue with brevity and humor. I can easily identify with the feeling that O’Rourke’s comment on consensus evokes in my efforts to move forward on any front within pain medicine by forging agreement among military medical leaders.

As I have noted many times in this column, decisions for medical change are far easier to achieve during a hot war, when the necessity for action is made clear through the clarifying lens of servicemembers’ blood, injury and suffering.

“Treating mass casualties or performing emergency procedures in the middle of a firefight or while under chemical attack are not part of the ordinary medical school curricula.”

Rep. Constance A. Morella (R-MD) Constance “Connie” Morella was a Republican representative for Maryland’s 8th Congressional District from 1987-2003 during the Bill Clinton presidency and made the above comment in 1994.

At that time, Vice President Al Gore and a team of congressional leaders were working to reduce the nation’s deficit. They were planning the demise of the Uniformed Services University, suggesting that military physicians and nurses could be procured from civilian medical institutions through health professions scholarship programs at significantly less cost than graduates from America’s only military medical school. Clinton’s spending plan for the 1994 fiscal year called for the first significant steps to close the institution.

As I write this editorial, I am fully engaged in the Uniformed Services University’s Operation Bushmaster1 as a platoon team leader instructor. I have mentioned this activity numerous times on this editorial forum. The Bushmaster experience is perhaps the best example of why USU is clearly a unique medical university producing medical leaders for our military and our country. For the USU School of Medicine, Bushmaster is the culminating final exam where students exercise four years of military-specific training in leadership and battlefield trauma management provided through the USU Department of Military and Emergency Medicine, where I currently serve as a professor of anesthesiology.

“When discussing collaboration, people often talk about ‘breaking down silos.’ I object to that terminology because ‘breaking down’ is a negative image that implies destruction or tearing down of silos. Academically, silos represent our areas of expertise. Why would...

Gen. Mike Murray made this comment as he became the first commander of the Army Futures Command. The command’s website describes the mission of the organization with the following statement: “Army Futures Command leads a continuous transformation of Army modernization...