3 Rivers Defense
Written to the employees of Palmetto Health (in response to public backlash against corporate sponsorship of 3 Rivers Music Festival); Spring 2003

   It has come to our attention that emails distributed by an area nonprofit are encouraging individuals to contact sponsors of this weekend’s 3 Rivers Music Festival to express their dissent over the inclusion of rapper Ludacris in the three-day festival’s lineup. In fact, some Palmetto Health employees have expressed concern that we appear to be sponsoring something that does not align with our mission. 
   This message is to notify all employees that Palmetto Health’s involvement in the event is, in fact, expressly aligned with our mission. Our sole purpose over the course of the weekend (and the extent to which our organization is associated with the festival at all) is to partner with Richland County EMS in offering first aid and/or medical assistance to anyone who might need it. We are not paying sponsors of the event, and the 30 employees staffing the first aid booths this weekend have volunteered to do so. Any large gathering like 3 Rivers (thousands of people will be in attendance) obviously requires the availability of expert medical aid. While we might not agree with the choice of performers for a particular event, our mission is to ensure that the members of our community have the medical help they need, when and where they need it.

The Help Desk
One in a series of six weekly announcements that ran in Palmetto Page (an electronic newsletter published each Thursday morning for the employees of Palmetto Health).

True Story: Someone Once Called the Help Desk and Asked …
     “Can you help me move my desk?”
     Probably not what Information Technology had in mind when the department placed skilled analysts on standby to help employees resolve technical difficulties. From their adjacent cubicles at the IT outpost on Parklane Road, the support specialists are actually at the ready to navigate computer- and phone-related complications. Most of their calls concern email, network access and accidental deletes, but all manner of technical problems are fair game. Now, it’s even easier to dial up Palmetto Health’s IT gurus; all you’ll have to do is pick up a phone and dial HELP (that’s 4357) regardless of which campus you’re on. After June 30, the old Help Desk number will no longer work. (By the way, if you need help moving a desk, try calling Environmental Services.)

Questions later featured in the series included: Do y'all refund money lost in vending machines? Is this the number for the Ford dealership in Seattle? and What is the Help Desk number? All were actual Help Desk calls.

New book examines military oath, role of faith in combat 
   Throughout history a great diversity of men and women have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Thousands of patriots from all walks of life have stepped forward year after year and courageously vowed to serve and protect their fellow Americans … each for his or her own, deeply personal reasons. They have different backgrounds, different opinions … come in different colors, shapes and sizes … with different religious beliefs, accents, attitudes and dreams. But they all share one thing in common. 
   They all began their military careers by raising their right hands and swearing an oath, and, whether they’re soldiers, sailors, airmen or Marines, that oath ended in the same four words: “… so help me God.” Every uniformed service member fighting on the shores of Normandy, amid the rice paddies of Vietnam or in today’s global War on Terror ended his or her military oath with a simple prayer, thereby binding them to a higher authority. 
   Brian Bohlman, an armed forces chaplain and founder of the “So Help Me God” Project, examines the relevance of that prayer in his patriotic handbook, So Help Me God: A Reflection on the Military Oath. The book, carefully designed to fit in the pocket of the military uniform, considers the history of the military oath, examines the power of faith during times of trouble and helps prepare military members and their families for the challenges their commitment will almost certainly present. 
   Jeffrey W. Oster is a retired lieutenant general in the U.S. Marine Corps. He said, “The military oath of office has great meaning to me. It anchored my 35 years of active service. Despite the importance of the oath, little has been written about this subject. Chaplain Bohlman fills this gap in his superb work that will challenge and encourage you as you serve in the defense of this Nation.” 
   U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson, a colonel in the South Carolina Army National Guard, agrees. “Chaplain Bohlman’s challenging message about verbal integrity and commitment is both inspirational and informative. So Help Me God is a must-read for all men and women in uniform.” 
   Bohlman’s message is timely and poignant. In a post 9/11 world, not long after the Pledge of Allegiance came under fire for including the words “under God,” his book helps bolster faith, pride and patriotism. With war looming, So Help Me God encourages military men and women to reconsider their spoken promise, their source of strength and their personal commitment. 
   The book’s appendix also contains several helpful references, including a list of common oaths and affirmations, inspirational quotes, the core values of the U.S. Armed Forces and a copy of the Code of Conduct. Special, limited editions of the book include So Help Me God: A Musical Reflection, a five-song patriotic and inspirational mini-CD that includes Bohlman’s increasingly popular “So Help Me God” ballad.

The “So Help Me God” Project is a non-profit patriotic organization for the preservation of core vales within the U.S. Armed Forces. Its goal is to offer service members spiritual resources that reinforce character, inspire faith and preserve core values. The project’s vision is to encourage service members to seek divine intervention everyday as they serve in the armed forces.