Growing up, math, math was it for me.  I had never considered joining the military or the military as an option until I heard about the NUPOC Program.

An F/A-18C Hornet returns from a mission supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

The littoral combat ship Independence (LCS 2) underway during builder's trials. Builder's trials are the first opportunity for the shipbuilder and the U.S. Navy to operate the ship underway, and provide an opportunity to test and correct issues before acceptance trials.

An Operations Specialist monitors a status board in the combat information center aboard the amphibious dock landing ship.

Aviation Ordnanceman moves a skid of "Sparrows" to the "Bomb Farm" on the flight deck for holding.

Information Systems Technician checks on a computer in the Automatic Data Processing shop aboard an aircraft carrier.

An Electronics Technician adjusts an interface card used to listen to aircraft during flight operations, aboard an aircraft carrier.

A Hospital Corpsman uses a pipette to mix a red blood count suspension to confirm the donor’s blood type.

The all-Navy men's team took second place in the Armed Forces Cross Country Championship behind the U.S. Air Force.

A dental officer reviews dental X-rays while examining a patient.

A U.S. Naval Academy midshipman is passed along by fellow midshipmen during the 109th Army-Navy college football game.

Ship's Navigator renders honors to the national anthem during a commissioning ceremony for the first of two littoral combat ships designed to operate in shallow water environments to counter threats in coastal regions.

A Hospital Corpsman listens to the lungs and heartbeat of an ill child during a medical civic action project.

Special Warfare Crewmen conduct live-fire immediate action drills.

Aviation Airman runs to position another aircraft on the catapult as an F/A-18C Hornet is launched from a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.

A fast attack submarine is moored at the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first submarine polar transit completed.

A drone is launched from an amphibious dock landing ship for a scheduled missile exercise.

Commanding officer of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier and Command Master Chief salute the troops.

Chief Aviation Machinist's Mate waits near an F/A-18C Hornet on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier as the strike fighter is prepared for a mission.

Air Traffic Controllers walk to the main gate.

Aviation Structural Mechanic Airman loosens screws inside an HH-60H Seahawk to remove the vibration absorbers for maintenance aboard a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

Flight deck personnel prepare to launch the next aircraft in the launch cycle, after successfully catapulting an F/A-18 Hornet from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.

Fire team members support each other while charging the fire hose prior to conducting a confined fire space scenario during an annual two-week exercise to ensure emergency response efforts are well coordinated in case of an actual emergency.

Petty Officer assigned to Mobile Diving Salvage Unit puts an American flag on the site where an American WWII military aircraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean.

An E-2C Hawkeye makes an arrested landing during flight operations aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.

Exterior view of the new Atlantic Fleet Drill Hall at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes. The new hall includes administrative offices, recruit drill area and classrooms, building equipment and furnishings.

Navy divers and special operators conduct Training with the nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine for material certification. Material certification allows operators to perform real-world operations anytime, anywhere.

A guided-missile cruiser and guided-missile destroyers set up information during a sea power demonstration for Sailors and their family members aboard an nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

Assistant director of the U.S. Navy Europe-Africa Band gives a guitar lesson to children.

The diversity director looks over policy and is a recent winner of a Blacks In Government 2007 Meritorious Service Award, given to federal employees and military members who have significantly contributed to the global war on terrorism through outstanding support to the mission of their organization.

Sailors man the rails during the homecoming of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.

Navy Divers test built-in breathing masks inside a recompression chamber located in the dive locker. The recompression chamber is used to treat diving related disorders and other medical conditions with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).

General Dentistry Officer looks over X-rays while taking care of a patient in the Dental Lab on board the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.

An airman performs a routine turnaround inspection on an F/A-18 Hornet in order to participate in a training exercise.

U.S. Navy Surgeons and Hospital Corpsman operate on an injured person.

Navy SEALs practice evolutions during a training exercise. Navy SEALs are maritime special operations forces who strike from the Sea, Air and Land. They operate in small numbers, infiltrating their objective areas by fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, navy surface ships, combatant craft and submarines.

A Navy Hospital Corpsman checks a specimen in the "stat lab". Laboratory technologists conduct the tests that give healthcare providers the information they need to diagnose diseases.

An F/A-18C Hornet sits on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier as the sun sets.

A front loader pours earth to be used in the building of a foundation at one of many civil engineering projects by the Navy's Construction Battalion.

A Mass Communication Specialist prepares video equipment for an upcoming safety training production in the television studio on board USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63). Kitty Hawk's media division ensures Sailors are kept up to date by recording and airing news reports, documenting operations with still photography, providing photographic investigation support, and printing documents and manuals for the command.

A Civil Engineer on a construction site.

An aircraft carrier steams along as the American Flag waves proudly in the wind.

Navy JAG Officers discuss an upcoming trial.

A Hospital Corpsman demonstrates the Virtual Reality (VR) parachute trainer, while an Aviation Survival Equipmentman controls the program from a computer console.  Students wear the VR glasses while suspended in a parachute harness, and then learn to control their movements through a series of computer-simulated scenarios. The computer receives signals from the student as they pull on the risers that control the parachute. The VR trainer also teaches aircrew personnel how to handle a parachute in different weather conditions and during possible equipment malfunctions.

A pilot in an F/A-18 Hornet conducting combat operations.

A Navy Utilitiesman talks to a community elder through an interpreter during a community relations project.

Crewmen suit-up two Deep Sea Divers during the rescue/salvage operation following the sinking of the U.S. Navy submarine USS Squalus (SS 192). The effort resulted in the rescue of 33 submariners trapped aboard Squalus and remains to this day the greatest undersea rescue in history.

Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center instructor stands ready to offer assistance to a diver student if he is not able to regain his own air supply during a problem solving exercise at the pool confidence-training portion of the student's course.

Two Sailors aboard an amphibious assault ship swing at each other in a boxing match on the ship’s flight deck

Aviation Aircrewman completes a swim relay during the Annual Aircrew competition. The competitions consisted of various water relays events, team runs and other strenuous exercises.

Three Catapult Officers simultaneously launch an F/A-18F Super Hornet from the deck of an aircraft carrier.

Two HH-60H Seahawk helicopters hover in front of an aircraft carrier during a photo exercise in the Atlantic Ocean.

An Aviation Boatswain’s Mate directs an F/A-18C Hornet across the flight deck of an aircraft carrier.

The Seabees, Navy Construction Battalion, are currently building and installing latrines for displaced families. These children and their families are living in donated tents.

An industrial hygiene officer tests an air sample for contaminants with a Hazardous Air Pollutants On-Site (HAPSITE) machine.

Aviation Structural Mechanic and an Airman observe flight operations on the flight deck aboard an aircraft carrier.

Personnel Specialist performs a butterfly dumbbell press in the aft gym aboard a conventionally-powered aircraft carrier. Physical fitness training is allotted at a minimum of three times a weekly for Sailors. The training is geared to improve their physical fitness and quality of life.

Builder Constructionman Apprentice shows some Filipino children the photo she just took of them.

A Laboratory Technician shaves excess plaster away from a dental cast at the clinics dental lab.

A physical therapist plays with a young girl during her first day of physical therapy for her neuromuscular control deficits. With help from USAID (U.S. Advancement for International Development) five children with neuromuscular control deficits were brought aboard Mercy for treatment.

Members of the Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) conduct training evolutions with the Pac Bot remote-controlled vehicle.

USS Wahoo (SS 238) gets underway for her seventh war patrol after refueling at Midway Island Sept. 13, 1943. According to USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park representatives in Pearl Harbor, the photo is the last known of the Gato-class World War II submarine. On Oct. 11, 1943, nearly a month into the seventh patrol, a multi-hour combined sea and air attack involving depth charges and aerial bombs sunk the submarine.

An F/A-18F Super Hornet launches off the deck of an aircraft carrier.

Two HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopters armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, fly in formation to a live fire exercise.

Construction Jobs: Two Construction Electricians cut bracing for a super Southwest Asia Hut at the Camp Leatherneck expansion project.

The amphibious transport dock ship Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) New York (LPD 21) enters New York Harbor. The ship has 7.5 tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center towers forged into her bow, and will be used to support humanitarian, amphibious assault, special operations and expeditionary warfare missions around the world. New York is the sixth U.S. Navy ship named for the state and will be homeported in Norfolk, Va.

A Navy Construction Battalion Builder builds decking for a Southwest Asia Hut at a construction project on Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan

Navy musicians march in a Veteran’s Day parade. More than 50 active, reserve and retired military units participated in the celebration.

Navy research psychologists test theories everywhere from world-class laboratories to remote field settings.

Electronics Jobs: Aviation Electronics Technician spot ties wiring on an EA-6B Prowler in the hangar bay of an aircraft carrier.

Sailors assigned to a guided-missile submarine practice skills controlling the boat in the Ships Control Team Trainer.

Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate directs an F/A-18C Hornet onto catapult one of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.

Officers in the Navy Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) could be involved in everything from contract management to public works to commanding the efforts of "Seabees" in the renowned Construction Battalion – virtually anywhere in the world.

The Admiral of the Joint Chiefs of Staff addresses students and faculty at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.

A Boatswain’s Mate guides an SH-60H Sea Hawk helicopter to land aboard a guided-missile cruiser.

A Naval Air Crewman conducts a visual patrol out of an SH-60F Sea Hawk helicopter embarked aboard a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) transits through the Pacific Ocean with Mt. Fuji in the background.

Naval reactors is a very small headquarters only about 200 – 250 engineers at headquarters and we have ultimate control, ultimate management over all of the facilities.

The Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) provides financing
 and opportunity for an outstanding college experience.

Navy experience is something that always looks good on a resume.

We're security for ships to make sure that they are safe throughout the waters. I'd never shot a weapon before I joined the Navy. The .50 cal. we shoot a lot. It's big. I mean, you have to shoot with both hands.

Navy Divers undergo intense training to prepare for missions that could involve anything from reconnaissance to demolition to search and rescue.

Navy Recruiting Command produces a TV commercial with Officers and enlisted personnel representing the various career fields and specialties as well as the diversity in the Navy.

A Hospital Corpsman bandages a Naval Aircrewman during an emergency drill.

A Construction Mechanic drives a light amphibious re-supply cargo vehicle through the well deck of an amphibious assault ship.

Upon completion of “Boot Camp” these sailors are taught the basics of teamwork and attention to detail that will prepare them for service aboard ships, squadrons and naval stations around the world. Most sailors will continue their training at various “A” schools where they will acquire a specialty or rating specific to the field they have chosen to work in.

An Electronics Technician replaces a hard drive in a computer.

A Sailor sits in a simulator during a test flight using the new Reduced Oxygen Breathing Device (ROBD). The ROBD is a portable device that delivers a mixture of air, nitrogen and oxygen to aircrew, simulating any desired altitude.

Air Traffic Controllers track an inbound helicopter from the ship’s air traffic control center.

Flight deck personnel prepare for night operations aboard an aircraft carrier.

A landing craft air cushion (LCAC) exits the well deck of a multi-purpose amphibious assault ship while transporting equipment and personnel off the coast of Haiti.

An aircraft director watches from a flight deck elevator as a multi-purpose amphibious assault ship conducts a replenishment at sea.

An aircraft director guides an MH-53E Sea Dragon to a landing spot aboard an amphibious assault ship.

Command Master Chief and Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic unpack supply pallets during a vertical replenishment at sea aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer.

Podiatrist, Kitra Owens, performs surgery

A Social Worker colors with an Afghan boy in the Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital Burn Ward.

Cryptologic Technician (Technical) establishes communications with the combat information center aboard an amphibious command ship before unloading the super rapid bloom off-board chaff.

A Hospital Corpsman uses an automatic pill dispenser to refill a patient's prescription in the pharmacy at a Naval Hospital.

A Nimitz-class aircraft carrier transits up the Elizabeth River as it passes the downtown Norfolk waterfront.

An environmental health officer teaches local health care professionals in the Dominican Republic proper water sanitation procedures.

051013-N-4308O-038 Atlantic Ocean (Oct. 13, 2005) - Aviation Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Joshua McKinney directs an F/A-18C Hornet, assigned to the "Bulls" of Strike Fighter Squadron Three Seven (VFA-37), across the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Truman is currently conducting carrier qualifications and sustainment training with embarked Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW-3) off the East Coast. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Ryan O'Connor (RELEASED)

070630-N-7981E-649 EVERETT, Wash. (June 30, 2007) - Yeoman 3rd Class Erika Rice and other Sailors man the rails as Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) pulls into her homeport at Naval Station Everett. Lincoln returned to Everett for the first time after completing sea trials and a nine-month dry-dock planned incremental availability at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash. Sea trials tested Lincoln’s systems and crew in preparation for their return to full operational capability. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class James R. Evans (RELEASED)

060916-N-9458H-001 New Orleans (Sept. 16, 2006) - Chief petty officers (CPO) line the door of a hangar assigned to Fleet Logistics Support Squadron Five Four (VR-54) at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, New Orleans during a CPO pinning ceremony. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Patrick Hutchison (RELEASED)

060830-N-9076B-239 Dili, Timor Leste (Aug. 30, 2006) - Navy Lt. Tara Collins, left, Hospitalman Kaylah Stubbs, center, and Lt. jg. Cathrine Soteras, comfort a small baby in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), during the ship’s visit to provide humanitarian and civic assistance to the people of Dili. Mercy is in the fourth month of her five-month humanitarian and civic assistance deployment to South and Southeast Asia where her crew has already treated thousands of people. Mercy's mission is being carried out by volunteers from Project HOPE and Aloha Medical Mission, along with a contingent of military medical specialists from the United States, India, Malaysia, and Canada. Mercy's U.S. military crew consists of medical teams from the Navy, Air Force and Army. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Don Bray (RELEASED)

080530-N-9689V-011 COTABATO, Philippines (May 30, 2008) An MH-60S Seahawk assigned to the "Blackjacks" of Helicopter Combat Squadron (HSC) 21 returns to the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) after completing a flight supporting Pacific Partnership 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Joshua Valcarcel (Rreleased)

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) talks to Sailors from the USS Missouri before pinning on their Enlisted Submarine Warfare pin.

Navy Diversity Officer