Ever since he was eight years old, Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Challis Miles knew he was destined to be part of the nation’s military.

“When September 11 happened it pretty much cemented my decision to join. I went to the recruiting office after high school graduation and signed up as a corpsman,” said Miles. “I had done my homework. I made sure the recruiters gave me Field Medical Service School in my contract, now referred to as Field Medical Training Battalion, so that I could go with the Marines.”

The Taylorsville, Utah native and Taylorsville High School 2007 graduate has also added specialty training as a radiologic technologist. He has traveled the globe providing crucial diagnostic imaging and therapeutic support to assist physicians in determining suspected illnesses or conditions.

In conjunction with National Radiologic Technologist Week November 5-11, 2023, and the theme “patients are our passion, safety is our priority,” Miles shared personal insight on his 16-year Navy career and specific ‘rad tech’ specialty training.

“I was interested in x-ray school when I was a junior Sailor because I had worked with a hospital corpsman third class at the Naval Academy and he told me about how much he liked his job and how good the pay was on the civilian side,” said Miles, currently assigned as leading petty officer of Naval Hospital Bremerton Radiology Department.

NHB’s Radiology Department provides medical imaging services using such modalities as computed tomography, diagnostic radiography/fluoroscopic imaging, mammography/breast imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine, radiation health and ultrasound. The department supports to the majority of the hospital, including the Urgent Care Center, Main Operating Rooms, Orthopedics, and branch health clinics located on Naval Base Kitsap Bangor and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

“Medical Imaging is incredibly important. We have a direct impact on patient care as we are the ones who most often interact with our patients during the examinations,” Miles stated.

The total volume for 2022 by Radiology Department helps to illustrate by sheer numbers the amount of service they provide. There were 19,130 total diagnostic exams conducted just last year alone, which included [all number approximate] 9,800 x-rays, 1,015 diagnostic CT exams, 115 cone beam CT scans, 1,640 mammograms, 1,450 MRI, 1,812 ultrasounds, 908 x-rays for Navy Medicine Readiness Training Unit Bangor, 1,250 x-rays for NMRTC Bremerton Puget Sound Naval Shipyard detachment x-rays and another 1,140 x-rays were handled at NMRTU Everett x-rays.

“We are also entrusted by our radiologists and radiation health officers to ensure we are using radiation responsibly,” continued Miles. “There are a lot of bones in the human body. Each one has a minimum of two x-rays needed. We have to know everything about how to position our patients because getting something wrong during the exam can make a sick person look healthy or a healthy person look sick.”

Miles’ tenure in the Navy has taken him far afield and across the open seas from his original roots. He’s been to 40 states, journeyed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Germany, France, Crete and Rhodes in Greece, Jordan, Oman, Estonia, the Netherlands, Norway and Iceland. Yet the best part of his Navy journey to date is centered on his time as a mentor for young Sailors in preparing them for their fleet assignments.

“I have been an instructor for rad techs and it’s always rewarding when a prior student reaches out to tell me they got their civilian licensing done. It makes me proud to have contributed to their career future and makes me think back to the instructors who taught me. It’s kind of a living legacy,” shared Miles, who strong advocates for other Sailors to consider his chosen specialty as a career choice.

“Being a radiologic technologist is a really rewarding career. If you like thinking on your feet, puzzles or solving problems, it’s probably something you would enjoy. Being a rad tech provides an excellent career opportunity for when you retire or separate. It gives you a foot in the door to work in other higher paying modalities such as computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, mammography and ultrasound.”

When asked to sum up his experience in Navy Medicine in one sentence, Miles replied, “I would quote the stoic philosopher Seneca, “We should give as we would receive; cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation.””