Changes Coming for the AOAO Annual Meeting
AOAO Annual Banquet Changes
After much deliberation and study, the AOAO Board of Directors decided to change the Annual Banquet to a Reception for a two year trial period beginning this fall. The format will be essentially unchanged; however, the time and menu will change. The new AOAO Annual Reception will have the same program, and formal dress, but the time will be late afternoon and the menu will be cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Several other organizations have made this change and the membership has been happy with the results. This change has two main advantages: (1) it is less expensive and (2) provides an additional evening for members to spend as they desire. We hope this meets with membership approval and look forward to the change.
New Schedule for 2013 Annual Meeting, Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina, San Diego, CA
Thursday, October 17 – Saturday, October 19
This year’s Annual Meeting will begin on Thursday morning with a dynamic Keynote Speaker – Sergeant Matt Eversmann, at 7:00 a.m. PDT. There will be NO Sunday morning session. The preliminary program will be available by early summer. In the meantime, plan your trip and make your hotel reservations at the Sheraton San Diego.
Sgt. Eversmann is a testament to the true nature of war and heroism. He was immortalized in the epic film Black Hawk Down (his character was played by Josh Hartnett), which tells the heroic account of a group of elite US soldiers sent into Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993 as part of a UN peacekeeping operation. Young Rangers and veteran Delta Force soldiers fight side by side, outnumbered and surrounded, for 18 hours in the most hostile district of Mogadishu until a rescue convoy could be mounted to retrieve them. As a part of that mission, both as a survivor and a hero, Eversmann brings to life the horrors of his experience, what he took from it, and humanizes the creed by which he lived, “Never shall I fail my comrades…RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!”
Eversmann enlisted in the Army as an infantryman in December 1987, and was stationed at Fort Drum, NY, with the 10th Mountain Division. In 1992, he reenlisted and arrived at Fort Benning, GA, for his assignment in the Third Battalion, Seventy-fifth Ranger Regiment. He spent eight and a half years in the Regiment, serving as a squad leader, a weapons squad leader, the battalion air operations sergeant, the battalion liaison sergeant, and a platoon sergeant. Eversmann also was the officer in charge of the 75th Ranger Regiment’s Pre-Ranger Course that helped train future leaders to pass the grueling Army Ranger School.
While serving as a sergeant in the Ranger Regiment, Matt traveled the world. From Panama to England, Korea to Egypt, he met and trained with soldiers across the globe. In August of 1993, Matt and his company deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia, in support of Operation Gothic Serpent.
Eversmann has attended many military schools: Airborne, Ranger, Sniper, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape or SERE School, the Primary Leadership Development Course, the Army’s Basic Noncommissioned Officers Course, as well as the Advanced Noncommissioned Officers Course. He was the Leadership Award winner at Ranger School, the Primary Course, and the Basic Course. He also graduated from the Master Fitness School, Jumpmaster School, Special Operations Tactics course, and the Equal Opportunity Course. Eversmann wears the following awards and decorations: the Army Service Ribbon, the National Defense Service Ribbon, eight Army Achievement Medals, four Army Commendation Medals, a Meritorious Service Medal, the Ranger Tab, Master Parachute Wings, Royal Thai Jump Wings, British Jump Wings, Egyptian Jump Wings, and the Expert Infantryman’s Badge. For his service in Somalia, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor device and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge.
In August 2000, Eversmann was awarded an honorary bachelor’s degree from Hampden-Sydney College in recognition of his service to his country.
Eversmann has lectured on his experience in Somalia all over the world. He has given presentations to soldiers at all levels, from officer candidates at Fort Benning to colonels at the Army War College. He has represented the Army on Larry King Live and on Dateline with Stone Phillips, and has lectured the cadets and faculty at West Point, Annapolis, and the Air Force Academy. Eversmann’s list of presentations to the professional community is impressive. He has appeared before audiences at Ford, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Goldman Sachs, Merck, RAND, the Bakersfield Business Conference, USA Today, and the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce. Eversmann has been to many colleges across America, too, from Penn State to Notre Dame, Virginia Tech to Ball State, and he makes lasting impressions on every campus he visits.
Eversmann returned to the US after serving 15 months in Iraq during the surge. He retired from the Army as an Infantry Company First Sergeant after 20 years of service. He is the vice president of Accountable Care for Allegeant, a wellness-focused company in Maryland. Eversmann sits on the Board of Directors at The Baltimore Station and is co-author of The Battle of Mogadishu (2004).
Annual Meeting Schedule
Thursday, October 17 |
|
7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. |
Keynote Speaker: Sergeant Matt Eversmann |
8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. |
General Session: ER/LA Opioid REMS: Achieving Safe Use While Improving Patient Care |
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
Opening Luncheon with Exhibitors |
12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
Residents and Fellows Session |
12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
Pediatrics Session |
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. |
Awards Ceremony |
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. |
Cocktail Reception |
Friday, October 18 |
|
6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. |
Continental Breakfast with Exhibitors |
7:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. |
Foot and Ankle Session |
7:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. |
Spine Session |
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
Lunch with Exhibitors |
12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
Hand Session |
12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
Trauma Session |
Saturday, October 19 |
|
6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. |
Continental Breakfast with Exhibitors |
7:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. |
Adult Reconstructive and Arthritis Surgery Session |
7:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. |
General Session |
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. |
Lunch on Own |
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
Sports Medicine Session |
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
Shoulder and Elbow Session |
