Hospital unveils logo, motto with message
Brig. Gen. Eric Schoomaker reveals the banner showing the new motto and logo for Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center.
Photo by Charmain Z. Brackett
Caring from the heart may be a simple phrase with only four words, but the new motto of Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center packs a lot of meaning for its staff.
"At the end of the day, it's not power, it's not prestige and it's not money that motivates us," said Brig. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, the hospital's commanding general, at Friday's ceremony announcing the new motto and unveiling the new logo. "We have a deep conviction to serve."
The logo further reinforces the motto's message.
The caduceus and staff of Aesculapius, time honored symbols of healing, have been slightly altered as the necks of the serpents in the caduceus have been enlarged and arched to form a heart with an American flag in the middle. The heart is on a background of a red-bordered cross.
"There were over 40 suggested mottos and three votes by the senior staff. I wondered later why it had been so hard," Brig. Gen. Schoomaker said.
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The new motto is a modified version of the suggestion made by retired Col. Frank English, a former staff judge advocate at Fort Gordon, who is now a contract employee at the hospital.
Mr. English had suggested "Caring for the Heart of American Soldiers and Families."
Mr. English didn't make his suggestion lightly.
"I researched the Eisenhower family, its motto and his inaugural address," he said. "It occurred to me the motto ought to relate to that."
In his inaugural address Jan. 20, 1953, President Eisenhower said "For this truth must be clear before us: whatever America hopes to bring to pass in the world must first come to pass in the heart of America."
The new motto and logo will be integrated throughout the hospital, including on identification badges and the commander's coin.
Reach Charmain Z. Brackett at (803) 441-6927 or czbrackett@hotmail.com.