Heroes Among Us: U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman Nestor Palma Provided Life Saving Medical Support
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The Florida Panthers and CBS4 News honor U.S. Navy retired hospital corpsman Nestor Palma in today's Heroes Among Us, where we put the spotlight on men or women who have gone beyond the call of duty for our country.
Petty Officer First Class Palma served in the United States Navy for 20 years, from 1996 to 2016. He became a hospital corpsman where he provided medical support for the Navy and The Marine Corps. He says he had the best of both worlds.
He did two deployments and humanitarian missions twice to Haiti and once to South America where they assisted in 200 surgeries and his second deployment was off the coast of South Africa.
"When Marines, sailors, or other service members get hurt, we are the quick reaction team to provide surgical intervention. The ship runs 24 hours a day there is never a dull moment. If somebody gets hurt there we react quickly. We took that oath to protect our patients and I proudly earned the title of doc. I just wanted to do my part for my nation and I would do it again in a heartbeat," said Palma.
Petty Officer First Class Nestor Palma was honored at a Florida Panthers game and as the fans gave him a standing ovation, he too stood and thanked the crowd for this well-deserved recognition.
On behalf of the Florida Panthers and CBS4, we would like to say thank you to U.S. Navy retired hospital corpsman Petty Officer First Class Nestor Palma and your 20 years of service and dedication to our country.