The views expressed in the manuscript are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense or the Unites States government.
As of late, I have had the great fortune of spearheading preparations for this year’s Mid-Atlantic Anesthesia (Resident) Research Conference (MAARC) to be held here at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. I have busied myself with thoughts of keynote speakers, graphics and Web design, breakout sessions and overall conference content. The focus of this year’s conference: military and operational anesthesia. It would seem that, though we are undoubtedly well represented by the ASA component society of the Uniformed Services Society of Anesthesiologists (USSA), many of my civilian resident colleagues remain somewhat unclear as to what it is exactly that we do. I have certainly fielded questions regarding our role in the Navy...