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ANNE T.
GRIFFIN:
A NAVY
Experience
I found
myself
outside
at 9pm
reflecting
on my
day and
watching
hornet
jets
landing
and
catapulting
off the
lit
giant
sheet of
metal in
the
middle
of a
night
covered
ocean. I
was
reflecting
on the
people I
met and
the cool
things I
had
seen.
I’ve
always
respected
the
armed
forces,
but
until
that day
I would
have
never
considered
joining
the
Navy,
nor been
able to
picture
myself
being
excited
about
what the
Navy
does.
I’ve had
a lot of
experience
working
on
teams,
for
work,
school,
and
student
groups,
and I’ve
had the
pleasure
of
working
with
people
who were
passionate
about
what
they are
doing,
and
leading
with a
purpose.
It is
not hard
for me
to spot
those
who
genuine
about
their
leadership
and
passion.
My
experience
on the
aircraft
carrier
was the
first
time I
was
surrounded
by so
many
people
who
genuinely
cared
about
the rest
of their
team and
weren’t
just
doing
their
job to
just get
finished
at the
end of
the day.
Needless
to say,
with the
importance
and the
amount
of work
on an
aircraft
carrier,
those
who are
opportunist
or have
selfish
intentions
don’t
last
long.
I really
started
to
identify
with the
men and
women of
the Navy
the
night
before
we went
to the
aircraft
dinner.
Lieutenant
Sonya
Brown-Conner
from the
Diversity
Directorate
was one
of the
first
members
of the
Navy I
had the
opportunity
to speak
to. One
program
LT
Brown-Conner’s
work
goes
towards
is
helping
women in
the Navy
navigate
having a
successful
and
opportunity
filled
career
with the
Navy and
a happy
family
and home
life.
Previous
to my
discussion
with LT
Brown-Conner,
I had no
idea how
much the
Navy
helped
women
who
wanted
to have
a
healthy
work-life
balance
(and yes
it is
possible
to have
while
being in
the
Navy). I
was
really
impressed
with how
important
that was
to the
Navy.
Another
thing I
was not
aware of
is the
culture
of
community
service
in the
Navy in
civilian
and
military
capacities.
LT
Brown-Conner
participated
in the
Susan G.
Coman
Breast
Cancer
3-Day
last
year
with a
group of
friends.
For
those of
you not
familiar
with the
Breast
Cancer
3-Day,
it is a
60-mile
walk,
done
over the
course
of three
days
where
you
raise
money
beforehand
to
support
important
breast
cancer
research,
screenings,
and
education.
I was
really
impressed
and
excited
because
I’m
walking
the
Breast
Cancer
3-Day
this
summer
in July.
She was
more
than
happy to
give me
advice
about
training
for the
walk and
what to
expect
at the
walk
itself.
While on
board
with the
men and
women of
the USS
Ronald
Regan (CVN
76) I
learned
about
how the
Navy
serves
communities
around
the
world.
Rarely
does the
public
hear
about
what the
Navy
does
other
than
fighting
pirates
or sent
to put
pressure
on
another
country.
In 2008
while
returning
to the
United
States,
a
typhoon
hit the
Philippines
and many
families
were
left
without
homes,
food, or
clean
water.
The USS
Ronald
Regan
stopped
in the
Philippines
to help
those
who were
in
distress.
They
were
used to
help
transport
food and
medical
supplies,
as well
as clean
drinking
water.
The men
and
women of
the Navy
are some
of the
most
down to
earth
and
humble
people
you will
meet,
but they
are some
of the
nation’s
best
leaders.
In a
world
where
there
are many
people
focused
on
drawing
attention
and
credit
to
themselves,
it was
refreshing
to meet
such a
great
group of
people
who live
to serve
for
unselfish
reasons.
Note:
Anne T.
Griffin
is PR
Chair
for NSBE
and a B.S.E
Candidate
in
Industrial/Operations
Engineering
at the
University
of
Michigan
- Ann
Arbor,
MI
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