The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Texas Lottery Veteran Recognition: Raquel Bono
11.08.2019 | Football
First female, medical, three-star admiral in the history of the U.S. Navy to be honored during coin toss when Texas Football hosts K-State.
Raquel Bono's childhood ambition to become a doctor led to a call for leadership.
As a University of Texas undergraduate, Bono explored scholarship options for medical school. She competed for a military program scholarship that required active duty service following completion of the medical degree.
Bono went on to serve 36 years, and she retired as the director of the Defense Health Agency (DHA) and first female, medical, three-star admiral in the history of the U.S. Navy.
"The time went by quickly, in a blink," Vice Admiral Bono said.
As leader of the DHA, Bono organized operations that ensured medical readiness for the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. The DHA oversees all aspects of military health, including hospitals, research and health plans for service members, retirees and their families.
Bono served as a trauma surgeon during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and she credits those chaotic, austere environments as ample training for her transition into organizational leadership.
The best way for trauma teams to prepare for the unexpected is to make sure they are aligned to a common purpose: save, treat and care for as many people possible.
"We had to be single-minded as a group," Bono said. "When the collective unit sets the goal, it aligns behaviors and reactions."
Bono also served at the National Naval Medial Center in Bethesda, Maryland and the Naval Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. She was chief of the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and also command surgeon of the U.S. Pacific Command.
She transferred those clinical experiences and perspective into leadership and management. Bono's patient advocacy created the compelling vision that resulted in more than three decades of service.
"The focus was always getting the right care to the right people at the right time," Bono said.
Bono also credits her time on the Forty Acres as providing foundational experiences that sustained her success.
"I felt like I was prepared for anything the Navy could throw at me," Bono said.
Thanks to the Texas Lottery, great things are happening all across Texas. Every year, more than $1.5 billion of lottery revenue goes to good causes like public education and veterans' assistance programs.
Beginning with the first veterans' dedicated scratch ticket game in 2009, the Texas Lottery has now contributed over $123 million to the Fund for Veterans' Assistance.
Since 1992, the Texas Lottery has generated more than $30 billion in revenue for the state of Texas. Through strict adherence to their vision, mission and core values, the Texas Lottery is dedicated to ensuring that this support continues.