Photos by Craig Coleman Maj. Gen. Carla Hawley-Bowland reviews paperwork with her aide-de-camp, Capt. Aaron Northup. Hawley-Bowland commands NARMC, WRAMC and the Army Medical Corps.

For Hawley-Bowland, having fun is at the center of mission accomplishment. ìIf youíre not having fun at work, why not?î She asked during an interview in her office in the WRAMC command suite. One of her greatest goals is to make working at WRAMC an enjoyable experience for the staff. ìI want to get the fun back into day-to-day practice,î she said. ìI want people looking forward to coming to work.î

ìShe does set the atmosphere and expects you to have fun,î said Col. Steven Jones, NARMC chief of staff, who has worked closely with Hawley-Bowland since her assumption of command in December. He said it takes time to get to know a new commander, but once you understand their philosophy, you should follow their lead. ìIf her personality is to have fun, then, by golly, you ought to reciprocate to yourself and to those you lead,î Jones said. There is a little levity in the [staff] briefings. We all need a little humor in our lives, particularly as we go through the day here.î

Hawley-Bowland grew up in Casper, Wyo. ìThe West is easy-going, lots of space,î she said, and the laid-back lifestyle of the West is reflected in her personality. ìI like to put people at ease,î she said.

After graduating with a bachelorís degree from Colorado State University, Hawley-Bowland chose to study medicine. ìIf you go to medical school, you can still have another four years to decide what your career path is,î she said.

The future Army general studied medicine on an Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship, originally gained through the Air Force. She met her future husband, Warren, while studying medicine at Creighton and changed her affiliation to Army when they were married. She laughs that in 1978, society saw working women in a different light than today. ìOne Air Force program director told me that I couldnít come to his program because I was married, and wouldnít have time to take care of my husband,î Hawley-Bowland remembered. ìMy answer was, ëWhy do I have to start taking care of my husband?íî

Her first assignment as an Army medical officer was at the general medical clinic at Fort Meade. Since assuming command of the entire medical region Hawley-Bowland has visited her old stomping grounds.

She soon worked her way into the Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) program at Walter Reed. ìMy call room is still there, and my bunk bed is still thereÖ itís probably the same mattress,î she laughed.

She later served on the staff OB/GYN staff at Darnall Army Community Hospital at Fort Hood, Tex.

Hawley-Bowland, whoís also chief of the U.S. Army Medical Corps, has delivered hundreds, maybe thousands of babies over the years. ìOne time I had five sets of twin on the board and delivered all five, so we had 10 babies that night,î Hawley-Bowland said. ìI delivered 45 babies in 72 hours over a weekend. I was just catchiní babies,î she laughed. Even when delivering babies, Hawley-Bowland keeps good humor in mind. She sings Happy Birthday to each newcomer in the delivery room.

ìHer passion for patients and families is evident at every turn,î said Col. Patricia Horoho, commander of the Walter Reed Army Health Care System. ìShe is very supportive of our programs that are helping to change and improve upon the caring culture at Walter Reed.î

Rebuilding morale is a major goal for Hawley-Bowland. She considers the negative publicity after a series of articles that pointed to shortcomings in the military medical system to be a catalyst for positive change.

ìI think it brought attention to something [the] medical [department] had been fighting a long time ñ this whole disability system, how long it took boards to get out, how long it took the PEB (Physical Evaluation Board). It was a huge frustration for everybody,î she said. ìWe needed some kind of catalyst, because this has been a frustration for years. It isnít just here, itís Army-wide.î

Changes made under the Army Medical Action Plan (AMAP), including the establishment of the Warrior Transition Brigade at WRAMC and units at other Army medical facilities have moved toward solving many of the problems, but Hawley-Bowland believes morale in the command has suffered.

ìIt was never about the medical care,î she said. ìIt just happened because we had the largest number of Wounded Warriors here that we were trying to get through an archaic system and bureaucracy that wasnít responsive to that.î

Col. Terrence McKenrick, WRAMC Warrior Transition Brigade commander, credits her depth of knowledge and experience with enabling continued improvement in the care of Wounded Warriors. ìHer energetic leadership style and commitment to high standards allows all of us in the Warrior Transition Brigade to look forward to continued improvements in our ability to provided the best possible care for Warriors and their Familiesî McKenrick said.

Her plans for the future include ìmaking it great fun to be at Walter Reed again.î She is also working to maintain an energized workforce until the transition to the new Walter Reed Military Medical Center at Bethesda. ìAll weíll be doing is changing to a better and newer facility,î she said. Hawley-Bowland said the goal is to take what was learned from AMAP and apply it to Department of Defense medicine.

She encourages staffers to continue striving to improve and enjoy themselves while doing it. ìIf theyíre happy to come to work, weíll be taking care of patients in the best possible way.î