On Veterans Day we share our heartfelt gratitude to all Veterans for their service and honor the remarkable journeys of three Veteran employees here at Southcoast Health. Their dedication and service not only shaped their lives but also inspired their current passion as healthcare providers, committed to serving our community and improving the lives of our patients.

In the fall of 1989, I was a senior in High School. My Dad was Det-OIC of a project at Naval Air Station South Weymouth. He heard that the Navy had instituted the R.A.M.P. Program (Reserve Allied Medical Program) as they were running low on PT, OT, Surgical, Lab and X-ray techs. The Navy would pay 100% of all your schooling for two years in exchange for six years of Reserve time. I thought, “Why not! Dad seems to enjoy the camaraderie, and it’s only one weekend each month and two weeks per year.” 

During my 15 years of service, I was a Hospital Corpsman, PT Tech. I started at NAS South Weymouth, moved on to NAS Brunswick, then eventually the Naval Medical Clinic in Newport, RI. We were responsible for all the prep work for ground and flight physicals for the doctors. I learned a lot, including basic trauma care, drawing blood, giving shots and starting IV’s. The highlight of my time at NAS South Weymouth was providing medical care to civilians who attended the annual air shows and meeting the Blue Angels!

My two weeks of Active Duty in 1996 brought me to naval hospitals in Charleston, SC., Jacksonville, FL., Portsmouth and Norfolk, VA, as well as Tripler Army Hospital in Hawaii, where I had seen the very first “Robot” Pyxus Machine.

I was fortunate to spend some service time with my dad as a Corpsman in his Seabee Unit. In 1998, he retired after 30 years as a Master Chief, serving in both Vietnam and the first Gulf War. I was so honored to be a part of his ceremony and present him with his flag.

On September 11, 2001, I was on active duty in the Newport Naval Clinic overlooking the beautiful bay. That day, for all of us, remains etched in my core. In March 2002, we were all activated to backfill staff in NMC Portsmouth, VA. When we were called back again – this time to Afghanistan – I would miss this deployment as I was in my third trimester of pregnancy and was granted an Honorable Discharge while on maternity leave. This was a very difficult decision, but one my dad put into perspective for me. 

I started my journey with Southcoast in September 2021 as a PTA in the Critical Care Units seeing primarily open heart surgery patients. Today, I also cover telehealth, medical-surgical and orthopedic inpatient. My time on active duty has made me versatile and adaptable throughout all settings at Charlton Memorial Hospital.

The photo of me and my dad was taken in February 2022 following military honors for a friend’s great-uncle, a two-time WWII Purple Heart Veteran and French Legion of Honor recipient. Sadly, three months later, we would lose my dad to mesothelioma. I lost my Navy buddy, my confidant, my best friend.

Like all of us, I truly miss the camaraderie. There’s an unspoken bond between us all and a level of respect which most will never understand. While I was fortunate to remain state-side, my dad was always so proud of me and taught me to never minimize my accomplishments. Serving time with all my shipmates and my dad was a true honor.

I’m Trent Ainsworth, a Family Medicine physician practicing in Tiverton, RI. I have been working for Southcoast Health since 2022.

I decided to join the Navy at the end of my time in undergrad, commissioning into the Inactive Reserves through the Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program. This decision was prompted by a longstanding desire to serve the country via the military, coupled with a strong pull from family connections to the Navy.

After completing medical school, I transitioned to Active Duty service, completing my residency in Family Medicine at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, CA. For my first tour following residency, I was stationed overseas in Bahrain with my wife, Lindsay, an Active Duty JAG. In Bahrain, I was a staff physician on Naval Support Activity Bahrain, serving as a primary care physician for local service members and dependents, while also coordinating all obstetric care for pregnant beneficiaries in the region.

Following this tour, we relocated to Newport, RI to be closer to family. I completed two additional years at the Naval Health Clinic in Newport, this time serving as a primary care physician and department head, overseeing the operations of the primary care clinic. In 2022, I separated from the Navy to practice closer to home, though I think of my time in the Navy – by way of professional growth and personal experience – as some of the best years of my life!

I was born and raised in a small town in Puerto Rico. By the time I entered high school, I had very clear goals in mind. I liked science, I wanted to explore life in the military, I enjoyed cooking, and played a lot of basketball. I decided to join the US Coast Guard shortly after high school. I knew early on I wanted to do something that would open doors for me and my family in the future. It was a difficult decision because it entailed leaving my parents and siblings and moving into a country whose culture and language were unknown to me.

I went on to spend the next 11 years serving a country I deeply love and getting to know several different regions of the US. I was stationed in Seattle, Cape Canaveral, New Orleans and Rhode Island, finally setting in the Northeast.

Personally, my kids and grandkids know and value how my life in the military helped shape who they are today and who they will be as adults. Through family conversations they have learned what it was like to be deployed and away from loved ones. It helped them appreciate the “here and now” as life can change with the blink of an eye.

Today, I am honored to lead two very busy critical care units at Charlton Memorial Hospital. Our critical care team is guided by three very basic, non-negotiable principles adopted from my military career: professionalism, respect and teamwork. They know that the impact we have on our patients, their families and each other is by far the most powerful currency we have as humans.

Completing my Doctorate in Nursing Practice has been one of my greatest professional accomplishments. Balancing the demands of my current position, school and family was only possible thanks to the lessons learned from the brave men and woman I had the honor of serving with – and for that I will always be thankful.