By Don Roth
In a formal ceremony before a packed auditorium at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Loma Linda University graduate Loree Sutton was promoted to the rank of brigadier general of the U.S. Army.
Sutton is assigned to the general staff of the U.S. Army at the Pentagon.
Because of ill health, her mother, Lavaun Sutton of Loma Linda, was unable to attend the ceremony held May 9. Lavaun Sutton died May 30.
Lt. Gen. Eric Shoomaker, the surgeon general of the U.S. Army, hosted the ceremony, and Gens. Benjamin Grifffin and Barry McCaffrey conducted the pinning ceremony.
Loma Linda residents who took part in the program included Wilber Alexander, retired dean of the School of Religion of Loma Linda University and longtime Sutton family friend; and Milford Harrison, former mayor of Loma Linda, another longtime family friend. Sutton’s sister Cheryl and seven other local residents attended the ceremony.
Brig. Gen. Loree Sutton is a soldier and psychiatrist. Her professional interests include warrior and family resilience, holistic fitness, addiction, psychological health and traumatic brain injury.
Before her assignment as special assistant to the assistant secretary of defense (health affairs) and director of the Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, she served in a variety of leadership, policy and operational roles.
Sutton graduated from Loma Linda University School of Medicine in 1985. Her mother, Lavaun Sutton, was a member of the well-known LLU heart team and served as head cardiac intensive care nurse.
Sutton has received many awards including the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Order of Military Merit and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. She has served in a variety of operational positions both in the United States and overseas, including deployment to Operation Desert Storm and as commander of two Army hospitals.
She not only holds a medical degree from Seventh-day Adventist- owned Loma Linda University, but also earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Pacific Union College in Angwin, Calif., also an Adventist college.
She completed her internship and residency training in psychiatry at Letterman Medical Center at the Presidio of San Francisco. Board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Sutton is licensed to practice medicine in California and New Mexico. She is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, a distinguished graduate of the National War College and a former White House Fellow.
She has earned the Expert Service Medal, the order of Military Medical Merit and the German Armed Forces Efficiency Training badge and is authorized to wear the US Army 9th Infantry Regiment Manchu Warrior Belt Buckle.
Other honors include the Colonel Robert Skelton Award as the outstanding officer in training at Letterman Army Medical Center and the Sandoz Award as the outstanding graduate medical student at Loma Linda University in the field of psychiatry.
At the ceremony, she told the audience, “Today’s ceremony is dedicated to the legacy, service and sacrifice of our wounded, ill, injured and fallen warriors as well as those courageous enough to love them. Please accept my sincere appreciation for all of you who through your participation and presence, whether in person or in spirit – honor my family and me today. We are truly all in this together.”
(c) 2008 Redlands Daily Facts. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
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