Awarding Three Years of Hard Work: Bryan's Rota Award Ceremony

Time is ticking by, and our long to-do list before our move is getting shorter and shorter with each passing day. But there's one thing on that list that I have to take a minute to brag on my husband!

On April 17, the Rota Dental Department hosted an award ceremony, awarding Bryan with the Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal for his service to the Rota Community over the past three years! This is the highest honor that Bryan could earn at this command, and it was a privilege to attend the ceremony! (Especially after I missed his award ceremony in Japan because of my early PCS move!)

Witnessing so many of Bryan's co-workers congratulate him and share such kind words meant the world to me! I knew I married a stud, but it's nice hearing those words of praise from B's colleagues and mentors. We were blessed to have our good friends Aidan and Jaime attend his ceremony as well, and Beth even drove over to join in for the celebration.

You know I wasn't letting Bryan get off the hook without more photos, so I snuck a picture of him in his main operatory here in the dental clinic! This is the room where he conducted most of that hard work that earned him the high honor of another star for his ribbon rack! (And man, does he look good in a uniform!)

Bryan and I have made wonderful friends during this tour, and I know we are beyond blessed! It was here that Bryan developed a deeper love for oral surgery and found dental specialists who encouraged him to apply and to seek out additional training. It was at Rota Hospital that Bryan was challenged to take on major command roles within the dental department to grow his skill set and test his leadership skills. And I have loved seeing his excitement for what's to come with our future.

Seeing everyone in the hospital's courtyard today was one of those ah-ha moments where I got to see the big picture. Great friends, wonderful memories made, and three years of living our best lives in Rota, Spain.

Congratulations, Lieutenant Commander Johnson. Nugget and I are beyond proud!

with love,

Katie