1st Infantry Division HeadquartersStory by Spc. Jason Kemp
That’s where Maj. Scott Williams, the United States Division-South and 1st Infantry Division psychiatrist, steps in and helps them shoulder their burden.
“He is the subject matter expert in the Army’s top priority right now, which is behavioral health,” Sgt. Jose Carrera, Behavioral Health Specialist, Operations Company, Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Inf. Div. said. “He is a very driven guy, very ambitious.”
That energetic drive and ambition has been with Williams since he was a child.
“I have wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember,” said Maj. Scott Williams, division psychiatrist for United States Division – South and the 1st Infantry Division. “My mother tells a somewhat embarrassing story of me strapping a first aid kit on the back of my first bike and riding around the neighborhood looking for people to patch up.”
Williams was
born in Bournemouth, England, near the location where the 1st Inf. Div. deployed from in support of D-Day during World War II. The Williams’ moved to Princeton, N.J., when he was young where he attended high school.
“I learned about the idea of ROTC in high school and applied for the Army ROTC Scholarship, all the while knowing that my eventual career goal was going to be a physician, and I wanted to do that in the military.”
While he was going to college to become a doctor, Williams served on active duty status and attended the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
“During my second year of medical school, we actually watched the 9/11 attack on our large lecture room screen,” said Willaims. “Having gone to school in Bethesda, Md., we were only a few miles from the Pentagon, so most of us went to the Bethesda Naval Hospital so see how we could help.”
The attacks on World Trade Center helped solidify Williams’ resolve to become a doctor and help his fellow Soldiers in need.
“Most of my military medical training, therefore, was post 9/11, and I have had the privilege of caring for hundreds of wounded warriors at Walter Reed Hospital as an internal medicine physician as well as a psychiatrist,” Williams said. “Going in to work during the early hours of the morning, it was inspiring beyond words to see the wounded warriors running outside around our track on prosthetic limbs.
“That kind of dedication makes it very easy to put in the extra hours to make sure the proper care is delivered.”
Getting a medical degree is tough, but Williams has two: a doctorate in psychiatric medicine and a doctorate of internal medicine.
“He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met,” Carrera said.
Hitting the ground running, Williams arrived at Fort Riley and had to turn around to pack his bags to be deployed to Iraq as the division’s psychologist. His wife, Jeannie, currently the head nurse of the cancer ward at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., stayed behind only to catch up with him once he returns home.
“Coming from a large hospital to an infantry division was a bit of a culture shock,” Williams said. “Despite a relatively steep learning curve regarding policies and procedures, it has been very rewarding. The professionalism that the Soldiers, NCOs and officers demonstrate on a daily basis is quite inspiring.”
Williams aspires to create programs within the 1st Inf. Div. and the Army that better care for Soldiers mental health and well-being now and in the future.
“The Behavioral Health Training Program that we are implementing across USD-S and back at Ft. Riley will take a while to establish, but it should pay great dividends in the future,” Williams said. “We will not see the full impact that this protracted war has taken on our servicemen for decades, and it is very important that the leadership instill a sense of trust and confidence in their formations that the medical professionals are always ready to stand by to support them.”
“I learned about the idea of ROTC in high school and applied for the Army ROTC Scholarship, all the while knowing that my eventual career goal was going to be a physician, and I wanted to do that in the military.”
While he was going to college to become a doctor, Williams served on active duty status and attended the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
“During my second year of medical school, we actually watched the 9/11 attack on our large lecture room screen,” said Willaims. “Having gone to school in Bethesda, Md., we were only a few miles from the Pentagon, so most of us went to the Bethesda Naval Hospital so see how we could help.”
The attacks on World Trade Center helped solidify Williams’ resolve to become a doctor and help his fellow Soldiers in need.
“Most of my military medical training, therefore, was post 9/11, and I have had the privilege of caring for hundreds of wounded warriors at Walter Reed Hospital as an internal medicine physician as well as a psychiatrist,” Williams said. “Going in to work during the early hours of the morning, it was inspiring beyond words to see the wounded warriors running outside around our track on prosthetic limbs.
“That kind of dedication makes it very easy to put in the extra hours to make sure the proper care is delivered.”
Getting a medical degree is tough, but Williams has two: a doctorate in psychiatric medicine and a doctorate of internal medicine.
“He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met,” Carrera said.
Hitting the ground running, Williams arrived at Fort Riley and had to turn around to pack his bags to be deployed to Iraq as the division’s psychologist. His wife, Jeannie, currently the head nurse of the cancer ward at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., stayed behind only to catch up with him once he returns home.
“Coming from a large hospital to an infantry division was a bit of a culture shock,” Williams said. “Despite a relatively steep learning curve regarding policies and procedures, it has been very rewarding. The professionalism that the Soldiers, NCOs and officers demonstrate on a daily basis is quite inspiring.”
Williams aspires to create programs within the 1st Inf. Div. and the Army that better care for Soldiers mental health and well-being now and in the future.
“The Behavioral Health Training Program that we are implementing across USD-S and back at Ft. Riley will take a while to establish, but it should pay great dividends in the future,” Williams said. “We will not see the full impact that this protracted war has taken on our servicemen for decades, and it is very important that the leadership instill a sense of trust and confidence in their formations that the medical professionals are always ready to stand by to support them.”
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