MCAS Cherry Point  –   The Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point community celebrated and honored the distinguished career of a Chief Petty Officer at a ceremony held aboard the base Thursday, November 2, 2023.

Chief Hospital Corpsman Felix Colon (Fleet Marine Force / Enlisted Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) retired after 23 years of service from the United States Navy during a ceremony conducted at Miller’s Landing attended by service members from the base and fellow staff serving aboard Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point.

“Chief [Colon] leaves the service having accomplished what a Chief does best.  He helped bridge the gaps between officer and enlisted, he advocated for his sailors, he held up our standards and provided mentorship all along the way, developing current and future leaders” said Navy Lt. Sara Cruz, RN, the Department Head of the clinic’s Patient Centered Medical Home.  During his time as a Medical Officer recruiter, Colon guided Cruz into a Navy Medicine career.
Colon, a native of Brooklyn, New York, and raised in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico, enlisted in the Navy in November, 2000.  During his 23-year career, he served with the 2nd Marine Division, in numerous Navy Medicine assignments and as a recruiter in Raleigh, North Carolina where he earned several honors to include the Medical Officer Recruiter of the Year for 2017 and the Diversity Recruiter of the Year in 2017.

“I have been blessed throughout the years to have met many wonderful people.  People that have helped guide me and molded me into the person I have become today,” said Colon.  “Always strive to be the best at what you do…continue to learn.”
Colon’s operational deployments include a 2005 deployment to Fallujah, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and a 2010 deployment to Basrah, Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn.

His service aboard Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point began in 2020, concluding as the Senior Enlisted Leader for the Directorate of Clinical Support Services and Directorate of Medical Services.  Duty positions where he was responsible for the delivery of patient care to service members assigned to MCAS Cherry Point and beneficiaries residing in the local area.

“Navy Chiefs are an unbreakable chain of leaders that bind the Navy together and hold us strong and stable through any storm” said Cmdr. Carlton Bennett, MSN, RN, the clinic’s Director for Surgical Services and the ceremony’s officiating officer. “You are and will remain one of the strongest links in that chain.”