A Legacy of Saving Lives: From Lifeguard to Comptroller One Man’s Unique Journey into Navy Medicine

Story by Jennifer Goulart

Naval Medical Forces Atlantic

NORFOLK, Va. – For Gavin Wente, the comptroller for Navy Medicine Forces Atlantic (NMFL), a lifetime of service has always been about one mission–saving lives. From his early days as a lifeguard on the beaches of Myrtle Beach, to search and rescue missions in the Coast Guard, and now ensuring Navy Medicine has the resources to keep war fighters healthy and ready.

“I never had any medical experience during my Coast Guard career, so when I applied for a Navy Medicine budget job after retirement, I never expected to get hired,” Wente said. “Yet, after my first interview, I was in—and found myself stepping into one of the most complex financial roles in the Navy, overseeing the budget for the largest military medical center.”

That assignment at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) placed Wente in a critical leadership position, where he quickly realized the profound impact of Navy Medicine on the fleet. Sitting at the table with future Surgeon General of the Navy, Rear Adm. Darin Via, and other rising leaders, Wente learned that every financial decision played a role in keeping war fighters medically ready.

Wente’s most current position, as NMFL’s Comptroller, plays a critical role in ensuring Navy Medicine is postured to deliver expeditionary medical capabilities worldwide. His financial oversight helps align resources with operational readiness and force health protection, ensuring that medical platforms, personnel, and support structures are fully mission capable.

This work directly supports one of the Surgeon General’s Line of Efforts: Deliver Expeditionary Medicine Systems, reinforcing Navy Medicine’s ability to provide rapid, high-quality care in austere and contested environments.

“Resource management is like solving a puzzle,” said Wente. “If you don’t like challenges, you won’t enjoy this job. But for me, I love working with the team to find creative financial solutions that ensure our expeditionary medical platforms are fully equipped and ready to deploy with Sailors and Marines anywhere in the world.”

Wente said his work ethic was forged in his childhood in Wheelersburg, Ohio, where he spent summers as a young boy riding alongside his father, a Royal Crown Cola delivery driver. “I’d wake up before sunrise, spending 12-hour days in the heat, unloading and delivering hundreds of cases of soda,” Wente recalled. “It was tough work, but it taught me about perseverance.”

His father also taught him another valuable lesson about loyalty and dedication. During one season of their life, after long hours of work, his father would drive to visit his mother in the hospital. His mother had suffered from an aneurysm, and at that time, the hospital was at least 100 miles away from their home. “Watching this is where I learned about loyalty and dedication,” he said and explained the values his father taught him helped carry him through his Coast Guard and Navy careers.

Wente said this foundation also helped him navigate some of Navy Medicine’s toughest financial challenges, including the monumental transition of the Navy’s healthcare delivery mission to a readiness-focused (operational) structure.

There is also a quote, he said by Winston Churchill, he kept at the back of his mind for inspiration, “To each, there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared for that which could have been their finest hour.”

“I can point to several times during the past 50 years when I have been tapped on the shoulder,” Wente said. “I’ve had my share of ‘bad days’ where the challenges seemed overwhelming.” But, he explained, he quickly found just the thing to keep him anchored to the mission.

During those challenging times, Wente would often find his way to the main hospital of the campus where NMFL is situated, and visit what was known as the Patriot Inn, a rehabilitation and recovery center for Wounded Warriors.

“After talking with those young Sailors and Marines who were recovering from traumatic injuries – many from the battlefield – all the sudden my day wasn’t so bad, and my challenges seemed minor. Those Sailors and Marines put everything into perspective for me,” he said.

It became clear to Wente, Navy Medicine is more than just hospitals and clinics—it’s an operational force multiplier.

“Our mission isn’t just about providing care; it’s about ensuring that every deployed Sailor, Marine, and war fighter has the medical support they need to execute the mission,” he explained. “Whether it’s a corpsman embedded with the Marines, an expeditionary medical team on a ship, or a hospital staff keeping veterans, and families healthy at home. We are an essential part of national defense.”

In fact, it was his own experience, witnessing military readiness firsthand that has shaped his deep appreciation for Navy Medicine’s role in the broader defense strategy.

“When my family moved to Hampton Roads in 2001, we lived near a Navy auxiliary airfield where jets from Naval Air Station Oceana trained for carrier landings. At first, the noise was overwhelming, but after the incident of September 11, 2001, when those jets flew nonstop, it became a comforting sound—I knew they were ready, they had the watch,” Wente said. “That’s what Navy Medicine does—we ensure that when the Navy fights, we have their backs.”

As Wente prepares for retirement, he reflects on 50 years in life-saving professions—from life guarding to the Coast Guard, and now, ensuring Navy Medicine has the resources to support operational readiness.

“It’s been an incredible journey,” Wente said. “People sometimes overlook the critical role of support personnel in Navy Medicine. But whether you’re a doctor, a corpsman, or a comptroller like me, every role contributes to the mission. We don’t just support healthcare; we support the war fighter.”

His next chapter will take him to the Outer Banks, where he and his wife have found a home with deep historical ties to the Coast Guard’s life saving legacy. While initially there were challenges in acquiring the land, his wife felt compelled to continue pursuing it, and eventually the couple was able to make the purchase two years after their first bid.

Shortly after moving onto the property, Wente’s daughter made an amazing discovery. On their grounds she discovered the burial place of Capt. L. S. Wescott, a Coast Guard hero of the late 1800’s. Westcott had conducted one of the most daring rescues in that area’s history. It was a powerful reminder to Wente, the call to save lives transcends time, and occupation.

“My wife said to me shortly after we found the grave, ‘now we know why we were supposed to be here,’” he said.

As Wente passes the torch to those who will come behind him he offers inspiring words to anyone considering a career in Navy Medicine. “This career has been full of surprises, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” he said. “Serving in Navy Medicine has been an honor, and I hope others see what an incredible opportunity it is—not just for medical professionals, but for anyone who wants to make a real impact on national defense and the war fighter.”

NMFL, headquartered in Portsmouth, Virginia, delivers operationally focused medical expertise and capabilities to meet Fleet, Marine and Joint Force requirements by providing equipment, sustainment and maintenance of medical forces during combat operations and public health crises. NMFL provides oversight for 21 NMRTCs, logistics, and public health and dental services throughout the U.S. East Coast, U.S. Gulf Coast, Cuba, Europe, and the Middle East.

Navy Medicine – represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the war fighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.