HM2 James Bowes

Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class James F.L. Bowes likes to give back.

While deployed to Iraq, Bowes worked with his home church in Memphis to collect winter coats for more than 100 children in Habbaniyah.

At home, Bowes has donated more than 600 hours of his time to the Naval Sea Cadets Corps leadership program, said Cmdr. R.L. Kay, officer in charge of the Naval Branch Health Clinic. Bowes ran a uniform drive that saved the group $1,000.

And when this fifth-generation sailor broke his neck while body-surfing during a vacation in Hawaii, he took only a month off and returned to work with a neck brace so he could be a “good example” for the kids he mentored. He also passed the physical readiness test just five months after he was injured.

At work, Bowes’ efforts as leading petty officer of the preventive medicine department directly resulted in zero discrepancies during the command’s last inspector general inspection, according to Kay.

Also, Bowes’ department was recognized for its environmental program.