Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Riley | 200415-N-MZ309-1003 BREMERTON, Wash. (April 15, 2020) Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class...... read more read more
Growing up off a nameless dirt road, 30 minutes away from the nearest town Truth or Consequences, N.M., was a young girl growing up with her single mom and older sister.
The young girl not sure what to do with her life who eventually found her way to Navy Medicine.
“Honestly, I was completely directionless,” said Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Taylor Williams, of Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Bremerton and assigned to Branch Health Clinic (BHC) Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS).
After attaining her general education diploma, Williams went to New Mexico State University and then transferred to Austin Community college in Austin, Texas, before making the jump to the U.S. Navy.
“I talked to a recruiter desperate for purpose and stability,” said Williams. “Nine months later I left for boot camp. I joined when I was 21 after failing to find funds to continue to pay for college. I needed means to better myself.”
The Navy wasn’t always in her sights, but has always been a part of her family history.
“I have a distant uncle who served in the Navy,” she said. “And my grandma was a WAVE.”
WAVE is an acronym for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services. WAVES was the women's branch of the United States Naval Reserve during World War II. It was established on July 21, 1942, by Congress and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on July 30 of the same year.
Knowing the Navy was where she was going was the first step. When deciding what job to take she turned to someone special for help.
“My current fiancé was a Marine friend at the time and when it was time for me to select a rate he told me corpsman were the best,” said Williams. “So out of blind love I chose corpsman. It will forever be the greatest decision I have ever made for myself.”
Williams said being stationed at BHC PSNS has been both a tough and rewarding adventure she never thought she would make.
“My experience in the Navy has been unforgiving; constantly demanding the hardest decisions from me, and coincidentally it’s been an unrivaled teacher,” she said. “I joined at such an emotionally unstable part of my life. I was able to utilize military resources early on and will continue to be better for it. I ended up proving to myself that I am much more capable than I had ever previously imagined.
Now serving in the Navy Medicine community during a unique time with an entirely new norm throughout the country as well as the world, Williams explains what her and her team does to help combat COVID-19.
“Our mission hasn’t changed, but the precautions and strategies in keeping the shipyard safe have been amplified,” she said. “Corpsmen at the branch clinic are now on high alert, with intensive patient screening, excessive disinfecting, new watch-posts, and the moral upkeep involved in not only continuing to serve, but also worry for our loved ones.”
Williams said she is grateful for everything the Navy has provided her but has decided to separate and shift her focus on family and a new career.
“This is my first, and last duty station,” said Williams. “I had hoped for bigger adventures when I joined, but I had my daughter and my priorities have drastically shifted to her and only her. I see myself using the tools I’ve acquired to help others as I transition into the social worker field that my time in the Navy has inspired me to be.”
| Date Taken: | 04.20.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.21.2020 16:26 |
| Story ID: | 368015 |
| Location: | BREMERTON , WA, US |
| Web Views: | 621 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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