{"id":538153,"date":"2025-07-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=538153"},"modified":"2025-07-17T09:23:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T09:23:11","slug":"family-legacy-inspires-captains-promotion-at-public-health-command-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=538153","title":{"rendered":"Family Legacy Inspires Captain’s Promotion at Public Health Command Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n LANDSTUHL, Germany \u2013 Public Health Command Europe recently hosted a promotion ceremony for Captain Christopher Harmon, who used the occasion to reflect on a long and proud lineage of military service that brought him to where he is today.
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LANDSTUHL, Germany \u2013 Public Health Command Europe recently hosted a promotion ceremony for Captain Christopher Harmon, who used the occasion to reflect on a long and proud lineage of military service that brought him to where he is today.<\/p>\n

Currently the assistant chief of Security and Operations at PHCE, Captain Harmon coordinates all orders and plans for brigade-level events and missions, enabling vital public health and veterinary missions across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.<\/p>\n

\u201cI joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps in college because I always knew I wanted to join the military,\u201d said Harmon. \u201cMy father sent care packages to my cousin while he was deployed in Iraq, so military service was always prevalent in my upbringing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harmon commissioned as a Medical Service Corps Officer in 2021 after graduating from the University of Houston with a history degree. He emphasized the importance of continuing his family\u2019s tradition of service.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stand on my family\u2019s shoulders; their legacy inspired me to join,\u201d said Harmon. \u201cI follow in their footsteps and those of all who have served before me. My family\u2019s service history can be traced back eight generations to the Revolutionary War.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harmon\u2019s decision to work in the medical field was solidified during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he witnessed the tremendous impact of healthcare professionals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t hold a medical degree, but I wanted to enable and maximize healthcare effectiveness,\u201d he explained. \u201cEvery job I\u2019ve had in the military has been vastly different, but I don\u2019t regret joining. I\u2019ve grown in so many ways, and it\u2019s incredibly rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Lt. Col. (Ret.) Stephen Harmon adjusts 2nd Lt. Christopher Harmon\u2019s rank after his commissioning ceremony.
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When faced with challenges, Harmon draws strength from his family\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne cousin served in Iraq and Afghanistan, my great uncle served in the 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions during World War II in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, receiving the Silver Star and Purple Heart, my grandfather was stationed in Okinawa during World War II as a First Sergeant, and one uncle was a Psychological Operations Officer with the 8th Special Forces Group in Panama during the 1960s, just to list a few of my family\u2019s service record\u201d he recounted. \u201cThey\u2019ve been all over and faced countless challenges, and that\u2019s what gives me strength in tough moments. They\u2019ve shown me that you either rise to the occasion or fall, and they always chose to rise.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n “My family\u2019s service history can be traced back eight generations to the Revolutionary War,” said Capt. Christopher Harmon. “Sgt. Thomas Prudhomme was one of my family members.”
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Previously, Harmon served as a medical platoon leader for the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade at Joint Base Lewis-McChord Washington State, where he oversaw medical support for 2,000 personnel as one of two medical planners.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first job in the Army was like drinking from a firehose of information,\u201d Harmon admitted. \u201cThe military taught me how to constantly learn, adapt, and challenge myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

He offered advice to those considering military service: \u201cIf you\u2019re able and willing to give something good to our country, please join.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LANDSTUHL, Germany \u2013 Public Health Command Europe recently hosted a promotion ceremony for Captain Christopher Harmon, who used the occasion to reflect on a long and proud lineage of military service that brought him to where he is today. (Photo Credit: Michelle Thum) VIEW ORIGINAL LANDSTUHL, Germany \u2013 Public Health Command Europe recently hosted a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":538155,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-538153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=538153"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":538159,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538153\/revisions\/538159"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/538155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=538153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=538153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=538153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}