JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas – A deep-rooted family tradition in Navy medicine gained another chapter recently at the graduation of the Navy Medicine Training Support Command’s (NMTSC) Hospital Corpsman Basic Course (HCB) Class 190-25.

Hospitalman Jaylen Rico is now the fourth generation of his family to serve in the Navy, and joins his mother, father, stepfather and grandfather as a Hospital Corpsman.

“It feels great to continue the family tradition,” said Rico. “Corpsman was pretty much the only rate I wanted coming into the Navy, because I grew up around them and they all modeled a life of service, not only for their country but for their fellow shipmates.”

Rico’s mother, Yvonne Mangaran, served in the Navy for 20 years and retired as a Hospital Corpsman Chief Petty Officer, expressed pride in his choice.


"I am so proud and really honored that he chose this path because he could have chosen anything else," she said. "The Navy will allow him to continue our family’s legacy."

Rico's father, Hospital Corpsman Chief Petty Officer Albert Rico, a manpower analyst at the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED), echoed the sentiment, noting the decision was entirely his son's own.

"I wanted Jaylen to pick what was best for him and what he wanted to do in the Navy," Albert Rico said. “I look forward to watching him grow, whether he stays enlisted or goes officer, I know he’ll do well for himself and succeed. He has every tool at his disposal and most importantly has us -- all of us.”

Among those celebrating was Rico’s stepfather, Force Master Chief PatrickPaul Mangaran, the 17th Force Master Chief for Navy Medicine and director of the Hospital Corps, whose father was also a Hospital Corpsman.

“This achievement reflects not only a family legacy, but also the proud tradition of a great institution," Mangaran said. “The U.S. Navy has been training Corpsmen since BUMED established the first school in Naval Hospital Norfolk, Virginia in 1898. Today, NMTSC continues this mission, producing the most capable and lethal Hospital Corpsmen [medics] in the world.”

Rico looks forward to putting his training to use at his first duty station at the Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Cherry Point, North Carolina.

“I can’t wait to see what opportunities lay ahead, to expand my knowledge and to serve others,” Rico said. “Cherry Point is actually where my grandfather served as a lab tech and where my stepfather was born, so it’ll be a great experience and an honor.”

Mangaran shared words of wisdom for his son Rico and fellow HCB classmates as they prepare to navigate challenges and celebrate triumphs in the Fleet.

“When you’re out there, don't let challenges define you; let them refine you,” he said. “You may not control the situation that you're in, but you can control your responses -- and as always, change your socks, change your perspective on things.”