On August 25, 2023, Capt. Douglas Stephens, MSC, USN, was piped ashore in a ceremony held at the Naval Memorial in Washington, D.C. It was a fitting venue for the 39-year veteran and the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) Chief of Staff, whose love of the U.S. Navy few could surpass.

The Naval Hospital Beaufort, South Carolina-born Stephens first enlisted in 1984 and it was not long before he was committed to life of naval service.

While serving as a hospital corpsman aboard USS Sampson (DDG-10), Stephens was promoted to Hospital Corpsman Third Class (HM3). A gift of a “crow” rating patch from his command master chief “sealed the deal” for Stephens. As he states, “I knew then I was going to do this forever.”

As ceremony presiding officer, Acting Surgeon General Rear Admiral Darin Via spoke of Stephens’ passion for the U.S. Navy, its history and its traditions. “This passion for the Navy is reflected in his extensive study of Navy leaders and naval history,” said Via. “When he talks about individuals like ‘Bull’ Halsey, James Stockdale, Mike Boorda, it is though he is speaking about dear friends. He has always been aware that those who wear the uniform share a kinship with those who serve and have served.”



Stephens acknowledged the impactful people in his life—his mother—a single parent of three boys who worked four jobs; his two brothers—who helped “cut a path for him to follow”; and the Chief’s Mess. “They taught me, led me, molded me,” said Stephens. “I often wonder where I would be if it were not for the Chief’s Mess – I doubt I’d still be in the Navy, that’s for sure.”

Admiral James Stockdale has also played a special role as mentor and inspiration for Stephens. He first learned about the aviator, Vietnam prisoner of war and Medal of Honor recipient while visiting the Naval War College as an E-1 and soon discovered (and adopted) this Navy icon’s philosophical outlook. While a second class petty officer in San Diego, California, Stephens met and befriended Stockdale and his wife. Stephens was later commissioned by him into the Medical Service Corps aboard the USS John Paul Jones.

Stephens has carried Stockdale’s guidance over a career that has included 16 duty stations, including seven years at sea across four fleet areas of responsibility.



Over the last decade, Stephens has served in an assortment of executive assignments including Officer in Charge of David R. Ray Health Center, Naval Station Everett, Washington; Deputy Chief of Staff for Total Force Manpower, Navy Medicine East (now Naval Medical Forces Atlantic); Executive Officer of Naval Hospital Naples; and Commanding Officer, Naval Hospital Cherry Point, N.C. Throughout these years Stephens built a reputation for impactful leadership, integrity, dedication of duty, and also as, many of his colleagues have noted, Navy Medicine’s foremost Van Halen superfan.

Admiral Via noted that Stephens’ love of the Navy was “only surpassed by his love of his family, friends and maybe the original lineup of Van Halen.”

Stephens has been known for “blasting” Van Halen after hours in his office while working through paperwork. And he arguably is the only officer in Navy Medicine to have both a framed photo of Admiral Hyman Rickover and a poster of Eddie Van Halen hanging in his office.

Admiral Via ended his remarks by paraphrasing Admiral Stockdale: “If personal integrity doesn’t come naturally to you…do yourself a favor and choose another line of work.”

“Doug, it probably goes without saying that you have chosen the right line of work and all of Navy Medicine is better because of it,” said Via.

For Stephens, the retirement from service is hard, but his love for service and the people he has served with will live on.

“It’s going to break my heart to leave the Navy, but I know the Navy will never leave me,” said Stephens.