NHC Corpus Christi Officer Pays Toll, is Promoted

Photo By William Love | CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (March 22, 2018) Lt. Cmdr. Kaia T. Robinson, comptroller at Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi pins Lt. j.g. Julius C. Wiseman III, patient administration department head, during his promotion ceremony in front of the clinic. (U.S. Navy photo by William Love/RELEASED) 180322-N-KF478-994  

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX, UNITED STATES

03.28.2018

Story by William Love 

Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi, Texas

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (March 22, 2018) Lt. j.g. Julius C. Wiseman III, patient administration department head for Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi, took the oath of office from Director for Administration, Capt. Francis V. Mclean, Medical Service Corps (MSC), during a promotion ceremony in front of the clinic.

Wiseman, in the MSC, has been stationed at NHCCC as an ensign since July 2016, his first duty assignment as a commissioned officer.

After fellow MSC officers pinned his new rank on his uniform, Wiseman shared some wisdom with the staff.

“Understand that the sky is not the limit if there are footprints on the moon. But in the process of trying to get to the moon, you are going to have lots of setbacks. But you have got to have the fortitude to press through,” Wiseman said. “So, I wish all of you the best, and last but not least, don’t let success go to your head, and don’t let failure go to your heart. Keep on pushing.”

A San Diego, California native and the oldest of five siblings, Wiseman began his active duty naval service in 2002.

His enlistment followed a natural progression since his grandfather, dad and uncle had been Sailors.

And straight out of boot camp, Wiseman was among a select group of top-notch young Sailors who converged on Washington, D.C., where they prepared for a two-year stint as members of the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard. There, one-time recruits become honor guards, each focused on one common goal – putting on an impeccable exhibition of skill and determination during funerals, drill performances and other high-visibility ceremonies across the nation.

Wiseman has some special recollections of his role in the sea of white uniforms working in unison to inspire onlookers while moving with the precision off a well-oiled machine. But his most notable are about ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, while often marching more than a mile, carrying M-1 service rifles, following a horse drawn caisson to the grave site of a fallen hero.

“The mood was somber, but was full of dignity and pride,” Wiseman recalls. “My most memorable funeral was that of Captain Laurel Clark, USN. She was part of the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia that perished upon its re-entry to Earth on February 1, 2003. The honors rendered were massive. Almost every head official in President Bush's administration was in attendance. Rendering honors to our fallen hero's has always been my highest honor."

But there was another significant facet of Wiseman’s Ceremonial Guard association early in his career – one that inspired him and served as a springboard for many future successes.

While in the nation’s capital, he took keen notice of a variety of ambitious young professionals, elite scholars, and leaders. He remembers viewing them as examples of what you could be with the right combination of determination and personal drive.

“When you are there, it has its ways of influencing and inspiring you to be great," said Wiseman.

So, he continued to take great pride in his work, steadily excelling in everything he pursued.

In 2004, he joined the crew of the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90). And by the time he transferred in 2007 he had earned his Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialty Insignia, Air Warfare Specialty Insignia, been promoted to Operations Specialist 2nd Class, and had served as combat information center watch supervisor.

Wiseman’s other assignments include a two-year tour as a guard providing safe, humane care and custody with strict professionalism and high motivation at the Navy Expeditionary Guard Battalion (NEGB), Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; the Naval Medical Logistics Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Navy Expeditionary Intelligence Command (NEIC), Dam Neck, Virginia; and Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit TWO, Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Virginia.

Determination and personal drive nearly always pay big dividends.

By the time Wiseman had reported to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit TWO in October 2013, he had already earned his bachelor’s degree, and a Master of Business Administration in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Before transferring in May 2016, he was the only non-diver Operations Specialist selected as Sailor of the Year, his application for the Medical Service Corps In-Service Procurement Program was approved, and he had earned a Master’s in Political Management before being commissioned an Ensign.

Also noteworthy, during his enlisted service Wiseman was selected Sailor of the Quarter nine times at four different commands; and Sailor of the Year three times at two different commands.

“I never thought about achieving that kind of recognition,” he said. “I was just focused on doing my job to the best of my ability while pursuing my off-duty education.”

With a wealth of experience under his belt now, Wiseman compares life to a long toll road, equating each life event to a toll stop. And he has some sage advice for his Sailors.

“Ensure that you have a clear vision and that you pay the toll. Whether you are obtaining your high school diploma or earning your bachelor’s degree, each milestone is connected to the main road. And sometimes you have to take the road less traveled,” he said about achieving success and recognition. “Also understand that it might not necessarily be your time, but eventually there will be stage time.”

• Date Taken: 03.28.2018
• Date Posted: 03.28.2018 12:27
• Story ID: 270922
• Location: CORPUS CHRISTI, TX, US