MCAS Cherry Point –
One of Commander Stacy Swindells’ most cherished memories of Summer 2025 is coloring with children in Panama.
Swindells, a native of Cobleskill, New York, completed a tour of duty aboard the USNS Comfort as part of Continuing Promise 2025, deploying May and ending in August, 2025. During Continuing Promise, the Comfort visited Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago, according to U.S. Southern Command.
“In Panama, I went ashore to be the nurse manager at the clinic. There was a group of rambunctious kids waiting to see our two pediatric providers,” said Swindells. “I grabbed some paper and colored pencils and just started drawing with them. After I walked away, one of the little girls came to find me and showed me her picture [of me].”
Swindells served as the Comfort’s Senior Nurse of the Day, responsible for managing the workflow of patients coming onto the ship for surgery and other medical procedures. She communicated across five departments to coordinate admission, transportation, movement on the ship between units and the operating room and patient discharge.
Sailors aboard the ship spent a lot of time returning to the fundamentals of patient care, especially paper charting and basic procedures, said Swindells. It was critical, she said, to get everyone confident in making decisions and having independent critical thinking to solve problems and anticipate challenges.
Swindells has since returned to her duties aboard Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point as the facility’s Director for Healthcare Business, where she leads a team aiding patients with their referrals and insurance needs while also providing clinic leadership insights into patient care and enrollment trends.
“Be prepared for constant change. Missions don’t ever go as planned,” recommends Swindells to other Sailors considering serving on a mission like Continuing Promise 2025. “Be willing to accept life with minimal amenities and be thankful for the things you do have.”