TACOMA, Wash. — Maj. John Wriggins, an Army Radiologist at Madigan Hospital, will receive the Meritorious Service Medal next week for outstanding achievement after he successfully spotted a cancerous tumor in a patient's brain that was the size of a softball, sources confirmed today.

“Madigan’s radiology department has been having problems in recent years making accurate diagnoses, so this is a sign of things moving in the right direction for that department,” explained Peter Cruz, a retired colonel and now military healthcare analyst.

Wriggins examined an MRI performed on the brain of a soldier who had complained of seizures and loss of coordination over the previous year.

With Wriggins’ promotion board for lieutenant colonel coming up in just six months, this award not only is a career plus for the soldier, but might have collateral benefits for his chain of command as well.