This Veterans Day, we want to take a moment to recognize and honor those among us who have served our country with unwavering dedication and sacrifice.

We extend our deepest appreciation to all Veterans, not only at Southcoast Health but across the nation, for their service, dedication, and sacrifice. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to safeguarding our freedom and our future.

Patricia R Camara-Bergeron, Clinical Educator, Imaging Services

While I was in Afghanistan, I stayed in touch with family and friends through a tablet. Being overseas wasn’t easy and our life was in constant danger, but fellow soldiers became family and made the deployment more bearable. Maintaining a routine was crucial during my time overseas. I wish civilians understood the sacrifices veterans made and the toll it takes on us mentally, emotionally, and physically.

I’m Patricia R. Camara-Bergeron, a Clinical Educator at Tobey Hospital’s Radiology Department. I’ve been with Southcoast Health for 8 years. From 2010 to 2018, I served as a Sergeant in the Army National Guard, with roles as a Supply Sergeant and Asphalt and Concrete Operator/Heavy Equipment Operator. I decided to join this branch to gain independence and not rely on my parents for education expenses. During basic training and job training, I worked full time with Recruiters for 4 years before my deployment. I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

While I was in Afghanistan, I stayed in touch with family and friends through a tablet. Being overseas wasn’t easy and our life was in constant danger, but fellow soldiers became family and made the deployment more bearable. Maintaining a routine was crucial during my time overseas. I wish civilians understood the sacrifices veterans made and the toll it takes on us mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Michael Nott, RN, Imaging Services

I’m Michael Nott, and I’ve been a registered nurse for 46 years and have worked at Southcoast Health for 23 years. I have experience in critical care, emergency and trauma, PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit), but have sent my time at Southcoast in the Cath Lab (Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory), Interventional Radiology, and COVID Vaccination clinics.

I joined the military at the age of 30 as a direct commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps, influenced by fellow nurses in the operating room. Growing up in a military family (my father was a Navy Veteran and WW II hero), I was always inclined to serve, as patriotism was instilled in our upbringing. I spent 21 years in the Army Reserve earning my Bachelors and Masters Degrees with the GI Bill. I was activated in 2006 for deployment to Iraq, where I spent time at a deployment station before being deployed in August 2007 with the 399th Combat Support Hospital. We supported the Central and Western Portion of Iraq in Tikrit, Mosul and AL-Asad. I was the executive Officer of the Tikrit Unit, caring for over 4000 war casualties, numerous fatalities, but thankfully only four US Soldiers deaths. We provided level 1 trauma care and combat medical care with two operating rooms with a four bed capacity. We even had a cardiologist on staff and did stress testing. I helped coordinating logistics, staffing, supplies, etc. and reported directly to the Hospital Commander.    

I remember the extreme temperatures (average daily l temperature was over 100 degrees, with summer temps occasionally at 140 degrees) of deployment. Days were long and included little or no sleep (not unusual to go 48 hours without it). We experienced trauma, as we were treating and triaging 100 casualties a day while managing limited space and supplies. We communicated with family via Skype when the internet satellites were working and weekly phone calls. Those who have not served may not realize the sacrifices made by veterans, and their families, too. Looking back, I miss the camaraderie and challenges. I stay in touch with a group of about 4-6 close friends and reintegrating into non-combat society after deployment remains a challenge. One of my favorite memories was celebrating Christmas in Iraq surrounded by soldiers sharing the same, and it actually snowed!

For more Southcoast Health staff stories, please visit at Staff Profiles Archives | Southcoast Health.