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U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Ernesto Santa Ana, with the Naval Medical Research Center, collects blood samples from a Marine participant with the COVID-19 Health Action Response for Marines (CHARM) study on Camp Johnson, N.C., Mar. 3, 2021. - U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Ernesto Santa Ana, with the Naval Medical Research Center, collects blood samples from a Marine participant with the COVID-19 Health Action Response for Marines (CHARM) study on Camp Johnson, N.C., Mar. 3, 2021.

Naval Medical Research Center continues research in fight against COVID-19

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Naval Medical Research Center is continuing their ongoing study to determine the long-term effects of the COVID-19 disease to support Marines in the COVID-19 Health Action Response for Marines CHARM 2.0 at Camp Johnson, North Carolina. CHARM 2.0 is a continuation of an initial study that NMRC began at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in May 2020. The study is a volunteer progression-based assessment to monitor possible health related issues as a result of COVID-19 recovery, and the team has resumed evaluating the initial volunteers from across multiple Camp Lejeune tenant commands. U.S. Navy Cmdr. Andrew Letizia, the principle investigator for the CHARM study said the research provides a critical approach to understanding the long term effects of the disease. “This study helps understand the long term effects of COVID-19 amongst Marines,” he said. “It will also assist in understanding how a Marine’s immune system would be able to fight off new and emerging variants of the various SARS-CoV-2 strains, the virus that causes COVID-19, that are coming from around the world.” Letizia said the CHARM studies began in 2020, with revisits this year to assess the original group of recruits, now Marines. With the most recent update to the testing, the team is tasked with scouring across the country to continue research on Marines from the original study. “The study was conducted from May to Nov. 2020, and it followed Marine recruits entering boot camp,” he said. “We wanted to better understand all the Marines that had COVID-19 after infection, regardless of symptoms. Then we evaluated them for six weeks to see how their immune system has made progression.” The research team is currently reassessing the Marine volunteers, across military installations as part of the CHARM 2.0 study. This week the team reached out to leaders on Camp Lejeune to allow time for any original study participants to continue with their follow-ups. “All participants from the first study were eligible to continue the research,” said Letizia. “We’re hoping following up with these Marines will allow us to better understand the long term effects of COVID-19 on an individual’s health, in particular their heart, lungs, their mental health as well as their immune system.” One of the original participants, U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Jada May, a supply chain and material management specialist student at Ground Supply School, volunteered for the follow-up study. “I volunteered because as a twin I wanted to see if COVID would affect me differently as well as others,” she said. “I started in the program last August as a recruit and during the assessment learned that other Marines had an immunity built up which greatly helped with the study.” May said that she’s hopeful the research will benefit the effort to understand and fight COVID-19. Researchers are hoping the clinical results over time will benefit the understanding of healthy individuals during the pandemic. “This was a unique opportunity not just for the Marine Corps, but also for the whole Department of Defense to better understand the effects on our active duty population,” said Letizia. The CHARM projects have only improved the understanding of how Naval Medicine can impact COVID-19 relief efforts as well as support the health and readiness of the Marine Corps as an organization. “CHARM 1.0 as well as 2.0 show the power of Navy Medicine to deploy and support the Marine Corps especially during this pandemic,” said Letizia. “We really need to understand our foe as well as the ability of the individual Marine to fight off that infection, and we at the Navy Medical Research Center are proud to help with that.”

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U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Johnny Reynolds, left, a pool program specialist from Recruiting Station Nashville, tosses a freshly cut tree branch to Gunnery Sgt. Matthew Coppersmith, the administrative chief at RS Nashville, as they work together to clear fallen trees and debris on March 6, 2020. The Marines worked with local authorities and volunteers to assist with the clean-up and recovery efforts in the local area after severe storms and tornados blew across Middle Tennessee on March 3rd, 2020, which caused death, injury and widespread property damage. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Devin Phommachanh) - U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Johnny Reynolds, left, a pool program specialist from Recruiting Station Nashville, tosses a freshly cut tree branch to Gunnery Sgt. Matthew Coppersmith, the administrative chief at RS Nashville, as they work together to clear fallen trees and debris on March 6, 2020. The Marines worked with local authorities and volunteers to assist with the clean-up and recovery efforts in the local area after severe storms and tornados blew across Middle Tennessee on March 3rd, 2020, which caused death, injury and widespread property damage. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Devin Phommachanh)

Nashville Marines Support Tornado Recovery Efforts

Sirens sounded across Middle Tennessee late Monday evening through early Tuesday morning. Several

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SMP hosts Araha Beach cleanup

Waves gently washed ashore during a sunny day in Okinawa, Japan as Marines, sailors and their

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Japanese schoolchildren pose for a photograph with U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Jonathan M. Wyble, left, the Combined Arms Training Center (CATC) Camp Fuji sergeant major, and Sgt. Maj. Vincent F. Young, the Marine Corps Installations Pacific sergeant major, during the National Chuo Youth Friendship Center's third annual English camp at CATC Camp Fuji, Shizouka, Japan Aug. 24, 2019. 30 children from the local community were chosen out of over 300 applicants to participate in the English camp. - Japanese schoolchildren pose for a photograph with U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Jonathan M. Wyble, left, the Combined Arms Training Center (CATC) Camp Fuji sergeant major, and Sgt. Maj. Vincent F. Young, the Marine Corps Installations Pacific sergeant major, during the National Chuo Youth Friendship Center's third annual English camp at CATC Camp Fuji, Shizouka, Japan Aug. 24, 2019. 30 children from the local community were chosen out of over 300 applicants to participate in the English camp. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Marvin E. Lopez)

Local children learn English, experience American culture with the help of CATC Fuji based Marines and sailors

U.S. Marines and Sailors with Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji participated in the National

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Col. Joseph M. Murray, commander, Marine Corps Installations National Capital Region-Marine Corps Base Quantico, presents Jeff Galloway with a plaque during a Marine Corps Hall of Fame dinner and ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Reagan National Airport in Crystal City, Va., Oct. 23, 2015. Galloway was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame for his contributions to the marathon over the years. Galloway, a retired Navy lieutenant and founder of the Run-Walk-Run program, has been involved with the marathon for 20 years and has completed 12. He travels the nation hosting running clinics and encouraging runners to be safer and easier on their bodies. - Col. Joseph M. Murray, commander, Marine Corps Installations National Capital Region-Marine Corps Base Quantico, presents Jeff Galloway with a plaque during a Marine Corps Hall of Fame dinner and ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Reagan National Airport in Crystal City, Va., Oct. 23, 2015. Galloway was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame for his contributions to the marathon over the years. Galloway, a retired Navy lieutenant and founder of the Run-Walk-Run program, has been involved with the marathon for 20 years and has completed 12. He travels the nation hosting running clinics and encouraging runners to be safer and easier on their bodies.

Marine Corps Marathon adds two long-time volunteers to hall of fame

News anchor Chas Henry and Olympian Jeff Galloway were inducted into the MarineCorps Marathon Hall

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