Photo By Gregory White | Sisters Michelle Williams and Samantha Lee pose with their mother Lynnette Smith. Each...... read more read more
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Having a mother in the military isn't always easy on a daughter. There are a lot of missed moments and missed opportunities during crucial periods in life. Being a mother in the military is just as hard. Chief Navy Counselor Samantha Lee is about to know both.
Lee’s mother, Lynette Smith is a retired Air Force senior master sergeant who served for 23 years. While Lee didn't go into the Air Force, and instead chose to join the Navy, she still credits her mother for the inspiration. Now, Lee’s daughter Amiyah is a member of the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps and she intends to follow her mother’s footsteps. She will enlist in the U.S. Navy following high school graduation.
“Amiyah’s Marine instructor tries to convince her otherwise, but her Navy instructor outranks him and helps keep her on track,” said Lee, smiling.
Lee is grateful that she could be as much of an inspiration to her daughter as her mom was for her.
“For many years my mother was a single mom raising us up in a military environment,” said Lee. “Seeing her be there for my sister and me, and still be that stellar mom, very much involved in our lives while serving her country as a rock star in the Air Force, was very inspiring to me. Watching her succeed so well and still be a mom really made me respect her and look up to her. Honestly, I didn’t see that outside of my home, as far as my friends parents go. I was really fortunate.”
Lee is not the only of Smith's daughters to follow in her mom's footsteps and join the military. While Lee joined the Navy, her sister, Michelle Williams, joined the Army.
Although neither chose the Air Force, they grew up knowing the value of service to their country.
“My Navy recruiter really identified with me and just made me realize that the Navy was the way for me,” said Lee. “I used to think I was going to go Air Force and follow exactly in my mom’s footsteps but this has worked out very well for me.”
Smith is happy knowing her career and her sacrifice are serving as a guide path for her daughters, and her daughter's daughter.
“It makes me proud,” said Smith. “It makes me feel like I did something positive for my daughter to inspire her and give her something she could carry with her through her life. I’m very proud of my daughters, and I’m so happy that Sammy (Lee} was able to become a DLCPO (Division Leading Chief Petty Officer). She’s in the job that she is supposed to be in because she cares about people, and she’s always talking about the positive impact she has been able to make and will continue to make as she lives out her dream.”
Smith said both of her daughters are extremely successful and driven women, and she is honored to be the inspiration for the next generation of women in the military.
Amiyah is also extremely proud of her mother. During a recent visit to Amiyah's school, Lee conducted an inspection for her NJROTC unit.
“Everyone loved her,” said Amiyah. “I’m proud of my mother. I’m joining the United States Navy because my mother raised me right.”
Samantha Lee is a career recruiter for Navy Recruiting District Raleigh, North Carolina. She has 21 years in and hopes to exceed her mother in years and paygrade.
"It's all just family competition", said Lee. “You should see how my sister and I bash each other over the Army/Navy game!"
As an Air Force veteran, that's one family argument Smith is happy to sit out of.
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, two Navy Recruiting Regions, 14 Navy Recruiting Districts and 12 Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 815 recruiting stations across the world. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NavyRecruiting), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).
| Date Taken: | 05.07.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 05.08.2020 12:50 |
| Story ID: | 369548 |
| Location: | RALEIGH, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 232 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Service as a mother, a daughter, and both, by Gregory White, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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