Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Minh-Thy Chu | NORTH CHICAGO, Il. (April 1, 2022) Hospitalman Brandon Fletchall assigned to Navy...... read more read more
On April 1, 2022, Hospitalman Brandon Fletchall was led from his usual workspace in the pediatric clinic of the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) to a room where he was met by the Commanding Officer of Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Great Lakes and Deputy Director of Lovell FHCC, Captain Thomas Nelson. Not knowing why he was there, Fletchall became emotional when Captain Nelson told him that he had been selected to attend the U.S. Naval Academy.
“I wanted to cry, that’s the best way to describe it. I wanted to break down, call my dad and tell him I did it. I made it happen,” Fletchall said.
Fletchall always dreamed of being a naval officer and of working in the medical field, mainly to make his family proud. As an older brother, he wanted to set a good example for his younger 17-year-old brother. His motivation to inspire didn’t stop at just his family, though. Fletchall saw applying to the academy as an opportunity to represent young people who came from a similar background as him.
Fletchall was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, and lived there with his family until he was 5 years old. Then, in search for better opportunities, they moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Fletchall lived there as an undocumented immigrant until he turned 18, when he got his papers and enlisted in the Navy.
“To all the kids with a similar background who don’t have papers and don’t think they can succeed, you can,” he said.
Fletchall worked with a Navy recruiter to get his documents, and as soon as there was a corpsman position to fill, he was off to basic training. Once he was assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Great Lakes, with the support of his family and mentors, he took the next step toward his goal: applying to the academy.
Putting together an application to the Naval Academy can be a long and tedious process. In a typical year, approximately 5,000 candidates receive nominations from their congressman, senator, or the vice president. However, only 1,400 appointments to attend the academy are given out. Fletchall received a nomination from his state’s congresswoman as well as other endorsements to include in his application package. He scored well on the Candidate Fitness Assessment, a component of the admissions process that tests a candidate’s ability to participate in the academy’s physical programs.
During the application process he had many mentors who offered their guidance, taking the time to sit down to help build his package and give him the best chance of standing out against other candidates. Commander Jeremy Pyles, Lieutenant Commander Daniel Rausa, Chief Hospital Corpsman Matthew Mitchell, and Hospital Corpsman First Class Matthew Foster were among the many supportive mentors who guided him during this time.
Fletchall said he is looking forward to completing his undergraduate degree and plans to go to medical school afterward to specialize in anesthesia. When asked what about attending the Naval Academy he’s the most excited about, he said, “Honestly, making it through the school, I’ll be grateful just to be there.” He added he also wants to look into joining the academy football team since he played in high school. Hospitalman Fletchall will be detaching from NMRTC Great Lakes at the beginning of summer 2022 and will arrive at the U.S. Naval Academy as part of the Class of 2026.
| Date Taken: | 04.01.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 05.09.2022 07:39 |
| Story ID: | 420191 |
| Location: | NORTH CHICAGO, IL, US |
| Hometown: | CHIHUAHUA, CHH, MX |
| Hometown: | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, US |
| Web Views: | 2,151 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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