Photo By Chief Petty Officer Stephane Belcher | Nydia Hicks, the administrative and personnel supervisor at Recruit Training Command...... read more read more
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Meet Nydia Hicks, the administrative and personnel supervisor at Recruit Training Command (RTC), the Navy's only boot camp!
Mrs. Hicks is prior active-duty Navy. She joined the Navy in 2008 and served for six years.
"Coming back to RTC feels full circle," said Hicks. "This is where it all started. I think for me, the rewarding thing is seeing so many changes from when I was in boot camp to some of the new things. It brings you back to you to that moment. I think the most rewarding thing is that at the end of the day, we're helping the Sailors out."
She's worked at RTC for 14 months, moving here from Rota, Spain, with her wife, a Recruit Division Commander at RTC. She met her wife while she was in the Navy and got out due to the legalities of same-sex marriages at the time. It was not legal in many states and wasn't approved through DOD, making it difficult for them to co-locate.
"It's hard being a military spouse. You always have to reinvent yourself every few years, every time you [move]," said Hicks. "You're not always guaranteed to have a job in the same realm as what you have done in the past."
She's worked at the Fleet and Family Support Center in Rota, and Personnel Support Activity Detachment (PSD) in Coronado, California, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. She's transferred from one PSD command to another in the past, which is where most of her administrative knowledge comes from.
"Being in the military and then also as a military spouse helps you see and understand all of the different aspects," said Hicks. "You see that perspective from the staff members where you understand them better. You know, regarding page-two updates and pay discrepancies, you're not thinking it's just affecting the Sailor; it's affecting the Sailor's family."
Working full-time with a military spouse can be challenging, and RDC's schedules can be inconsistent. Additionally, Hicks and her spouse have a two-year-old son and three dogs.
"It's finding the balance," she said. "It's a circus at the house sometimes when we're not doing gymnastics or swimming."
She's also a big foodie and likes trying new local restaurants, breweries, and farmers' markets.
"We go to downtown Chicago, the aquarium, museums, or just walking around."
Boot camp is approximately ten weeks, and all enlistees in the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. More than 40,000 recruits train annually at the Navy's only boot camp.
| Date Taken: | 11.28.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 11.28.2023 10:13 |
| Story ID: | 458605 |
| Location: | GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 84 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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