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    Staff in the Spotlight: PS1 Mills

    Staff in the Spotlight: PS1 Mills

    Photo By Chief Petty Officer Spencer Fling | Personnel Speicalist 1st Class Sarah Mills poses for a portrait photo at Recruit...... read more read more

    GREAT LAKES, IL, UNITED STATES

    08.25.2021

    Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Spencer Fling    

    U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command

    Meet Personnel Specialist 1st Class Sarah Mills! She is a #RecruitDivisionCommander (RDC) currently working in the #RecruitTrainingCommand (RTC) administration office during her recruit training period (RTP) at the @usnavy's only #Bootcamp.

    Most RDCs do not get to work in-rate during their time at RTC. However, as Mills finished pushing her fourth division and her RTP approached, the command had a dire need for an experienced PS to fill a billet within the RTC admin team. Mills answered the sizeable challenge.

    “This is definitely one of the biggest staffs that I've had to take care of. When I worked at a PSD, we had a large group to handle as well, but we had around 30 to 40 PS, compared to here. It's just myself and two other PS for 1,300 to 1,500 people, so we’re always extremely busy.”

    While administrative work is never the action-oriented job that is commonly found on recruiting posters, anyone who has served in the military can testify to how frustrating certain processes can be and how important it is to have a good admin team at your back. Mills says she carries those assumptions as a personal challenge.

    “Everything that our hands are on, it affects people's lives. If we don't make sure that their records are good, their pay is good, and the issues they have come up aren't handled, the staff isn’t going to be able to focus on the actual mission here at RTC, which is training the recruits.”

    Beyond just supporting the mission of the command, Mills sees every interaction with her shipmates as an opportunity to turn a negative into a positive.

    “I have a naturally upbeat attitude. So, when I see someone that's having a bad day and they come here stressed out over an admin issue and I can solve that issue right there and give them reassurance that everything is going to be ok, to see that stress melt away is the best part of admin for me.”

    An optimistic attitude and making the best of every situation is part of what defines Mills. While her personality is upbeat and bubbly, she has faced her own personal challenges to get to where she is in life.

    “I grew up with a speech impediment. I was in speech therapy for 16 years, so talking in front of people has always been a challenge for me. So, naturally, you think about the job as a recruit division commander, where you have to have a commanding presence and speak in front your division all the time and for me, that was the challenge to overcome.”

    Mills, true to form, turns obstacle into a success by sharing her story with her recruits.

    “The first official week of bootcamp, we do a team building exercise and each person will introduce themselves and say why they joined the Navy. I always tell them that fact about myself because for them to hear that, they can see me as an example that you can conquer and overcome anything that you can put your mind to.”

    Getting outside her safe zone is one of the main reasons Mills volunteered to come to RTC.

    “I'm a firm believer that the only way you grow as a person is to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. So, I wanted to come here to really prove to myself that I could do this.

    Another reason Mills wanted to be an RDC was the impact the position can have on the lives of others to pay back the impact others have had on her.

    “My high school coaches meant everything to me. I played volleyball and basketball and both of those coaches really made an impact on my life. From there, I knew how important it was to have good mentors in your life that that can help guide you not only in the sports, but just with life in general.

    It didn’t take long for Mills to realize that she was where she needed to be in order to become the coach herself.

    “After being here and doing my first push, I instantly knew that I was meant to be here. I basically get to be that same type of coach that I had to these new Sailors coming into the Navy. To me, it is the most rewarding job I've ever had.”

    The reward for Mills is gained through seeing the same type of growth and self-transformation in others that she has experienced in herself.

    “It is an amazing process to see what your group is like on day one, compared to what it is on the day that they leave. Being able to see the ones that have maybe not had the best life or, or have come from backgrounds to where they, they really don't have a lot of confidence, I can see how I affect them and very literally see that light bulb turn on sometimes. It is just a feeling that is super hard to explain unless you experience it yourself.”

    For Mills, every interaction she has at RTC is an opportunity to share her positive light to others around her.

    “What I try to instill here, especially in my recruits, is that regardless of the circumstances that may be going on in your life, if you want to be better, if you want to better yourself, you absolutely have the power to do that within. Just look at me.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 08.25.2021
    Date Posted: 08.25.2021 10:39
    Story ID: 403880
    Location: GREAT LAKES, IL, US

    Web Views: 446
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN