The best way to get a feel for Navy life and to understand what having a career in the Navy is all about is to get the perspective of real Navy Sailors. So find out how some of these Navy men and women came to serve. See how far they've come and where they're going. And gain great insight through the inspiring words and stories they share.
“I get to do the job that I love, and I get to practice in a setting that helps me assist those who are protecting our country. If I had it to do all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
— LT Joshua Dettmer, DO, Medical Corps, USN
Read his story
“The Navy’s been very good to me. I've been able to progress through my career goals at a really fast pace. I’ve received phenomenal training. And I feel very prepared to function as a clinical cardiologist on my own next year.”
— LT Kate Love, MD, Medical Corps, USN
Read her story
“The facilities and resources that we have access to as physicians in the Navy are as good as it gets. Plus, I couldn't ask for better colleagues. Everybody has the same goals and interests in mind – and we really want to work together.”
— LT Russell Miller, MD, Medical Corps, USN
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“The opportunities to go beyond your little office practice and periodically go abroad, either in a humanitarian mission or in a facet of supporting an operational command, are unique experiences that you would never ever have as a civilian.”
— LT Luke Oakley, MD, Medical Corps, USN
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“I enjoy what I do in my professional life. And the military opens up doors for me to grow as a professional. That’s why I joined.”
— ENS Charlie Hardaker, RN, Nurse Corps, USNR
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“Being able to relate to patients I work with daily at the Veterans Hospital is really something that has enriched my professional life. It allows me to offer more comprehensive care. It helps me to be a better nurse.”
— ENS Jennifer Mitchell, RN, Nurse Corps, USNR
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“If all I did every day was research, I’d probably get a little bored. If all I did was anesthesia, I’d probably get a little bored. If all I did was teach, I’d probably get a little bored. But in this position, I get to do all three. And that’s pretty nice.”
— CDR Greg Nezat, CRNA, Nurse Corps, USN
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“I didn’t join because I wanted a weekend job. I joined because I wanted to be a part of something bigger, better, greater than myself. It’s my legacy.”
— LCDR Kathryn Wilgus, RN, Nurse Corps, USNR
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“I remember coming home from Prototype (Nuclear Power Training Unit) one day. I called my parents, and they asked, 'What’d you do today?' I said, 'Well, I brought a reactor critical this morning.' They were just blown away that we did that as students.”
— LT Dana Scott Canby, Nuclear Officer, USN
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“First day on the job, I was already a manager and a leader with the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. That’s a huge responsibility…very challenging and pretty scary. But you do your job right and others have a lot of respect for you.”
— LT Candace Childers, Nuclear Officer, USN
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“To put it in an unclassified way: The coolest operations I took part in are the ones I’ll never be able to tell my friends about.”
— LT Michael Huber, Nuclear Officer, USN
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“The Navy has allowed me to challenge myself in ways you won’t find in entry-level engineering jobs. You’re responsible for so much more in terms of equipment and people and decision making. It’s helped me to see what I’m capable of.”
— LT Walter McDuffie, Nuclear Officer, USN
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“If God is calling you to a ministry that is active and lives day-to-day life with your people, there is no greater place in our country to do that than in the Navy.”
— Chaplain Justin Bernard, LT, USN
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“A Chaplain’s effectiveness lies not in the fact that people come to them but that the Chaplain goes out to the people. If you go out to the workspace, and you start chatting with people, they’ll come to you with some of their deepest problems.”
— Chaplain Robert Crossan, CAPT, USN
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“The times when they come to you sad, you have a conversation, and they leave smiling...those are the immaterial things that satisfy ministry for me.”
— Chaplain Rean Frederick C. Enriquez, LCDR, USN
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“God’s grace can win over any kind of adversity.”
— Chaplain W. Robert Freiberg, CDR, USN
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“Think about it…who gets to lead a prayer or offer the Eucharist on the deck of a ship? Or to do it from the back of a Humvee surrounded by tanks? Or to work closely with others who may disagree theologically?”
— Chaplain Neil Moquin, CAPT, USN
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“Our job is to provide for our own, but we facilitate for others. We want to make sure that each person has the right and the ability to worship as their own faith dictates. And for me, that’s a sacred duty.”
— Chaplain Frank Riley, LT, USNR
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“I’m able to bring to the Navy a very pastoral presence. That’s an amazing gift to be able to bring — and my congregation supports me in it.”
— Chaplain Erik Young, LT, USNR
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“When I meet younger women in the Navy or considering the Navy, the biggest fear they have is that they won’t be able to be an Officer, an engineer, and also a mother and wife. I have found that you can do it. It’s hard work, but you can do it.”
— LCDR Jennifer Tetatzin, Civil Engineering Corps, USN
Read Her Story
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