Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Gray Gibson | 220510-N-DW158-1024 PACIFIC OCEAN (May 10, 2022) Damage Controlman 3rd Class Rheann...... read more read more
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (June 2, 2025) - Navy Career Counselor 1st Class Rheann Hietpas is, in many ways, in a league of her own. From two meritorious promotions to earning the title of recruiter-in-charge (RINC) at Navy Recruiting Station Mayport, Florida, she has achieved success throughout her unique journey as a Sailor.
Hietpas, a native of Kaukauna, Wisconsin, joined the Navy after high school to serve her country and pay for college – like many of her peers. She initially enlisted as a culinary specialist (CS) in the Navy Reserve, but soon realized she wanted to make the Navy a career. From travel opportunities to the challenges involved with being a Sailor full-time, she had a desire for more.
After transitioning to active duty, she also made the decision to change career paths. While serving as a CS wasn’t undesirable, she became a damage controlman (DC) because it presented different challenges and gave her the chance to learn about, maintain and train fellow Sailors on equipment that can save their lives in the event of a shipboard casualty.
“I cross-rated to DC when I switched from Reserve to active because I wanted more of a sense of fulfillment,” Hietpas said. “I wanted to do something important, and learning so I could train other Sailors in the fleet on damage control gave me that sense of fulfillment I was looking for.”
Hietpas’ journey ultimately led her to USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), the Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier based out of Yokosuka, Japan. It was there she honed her skills and achieved success on a ship that not only operated at sea for six months every year, but did so with the purpose of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Hietpas qualified in virtually every area possible for a damage controlman third class, completed hundreds of hours of shipboard maintenance, coordinated drills with her division and duty section, and was hand-selected to serve in a quality assurance role during her last in-port maintenance phase. It was there she earned her first meritorious advancement.
“I learned so much during my time on Reagan and definitely grew as a Sailor in many ways,” Hietpas said. “I saw the importance of hard work in maintaining the ship and our equipment, and I helped others feel comfortable in drill environments designed to test their ability to keep the ship afloat and each other alive. It was really a blessing and surprise when I found out I was being advanced to E-5, and I got my first NAM (Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal) to boot.”
When it came time to choose orders, she wanted another challenge – something different from what she was used to that would allow her to change people’s lives for the better. Hietpas chose recruiting duty, and after training in Pensacola, Florida, landed at Navy Talent Acquisition Group Jacksonville.
“Towards the end of my sea tour, I still wanted to do something meaningful that would allow me to make an impact in people’s lives,” Hietpas said, “so I chose recruiting. It gave me the ability to give back and help others realize the opportunities available to them in the Navy – opportunities that I didn’t know about before enlisting. I always pour my heart and soul into my work, and I love to learn, so it just made sense.”
To say she hit the ground running would be an understatement. Throughout her two years and counting in recruiting, she has earned six additional NAMs and two Navy Commendation Medals. She was named NTAG Jacksonville Recruiter of the Month eight times, and her selection as NTAG Jacksonville Recruiter of the Year for fiscal year 2024 led to her winning Recruiter of the Year not only for Navy Region East, but for the entire nation.
Hietpas attended a ceremony in Washington following her selection as Navy Recruiter of the Year, where then-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti recognized Hietpas personally for her achievements and informed her she was being meritoriously advanced to damage controlman first class.
“My mentor and trainers are the ones who taught me everything,” Hietpas said. “I have never done anything solely for the purpose of being number one, or for the awards or recognition. My motivation comes from my applicants and future Sailors who have wanted, needed, and sometimes even begged for an opportunity to better themselves and to serve a cause greater than their own. They’re the ones who truly matter, and to give them an opportunity to succeed not only in the Navy, but in life – that means the world to me.”
When asked how she felt about having an article written about her, the now-navy career counselor and RINC of her own recruiting station, Hietpas simply wanted to make sure it would be a “thank you” to everyone who has crossed her path during her career thus far. She also wanted to include a story about her other motivating factor – her mother.
“When I joined the Navy and found out the only job available to me was a Reservist cook, I cried,” Hietpas said. “I cried to my mom on the way home after taking the enlistment oath, and I told her it was because I wanted to be so much more. She looked at me, then told me if I was going to be a cook, I should be the best cook I could be. So, I did, and that is what laid the foundation for everything else. That one, small moment that turned what I saw as a negative into a positive made all the difference for me.”
For more information about the Navy, please visit Navy.com or your local recruiting office to get started.
Navy Talent Acquisition Group Jacksonville’s area of responsibility includes more than 30 Navy Recruiting Stations and Navy Officer Recruiting Stations spread over 144,000 square miles of Florida and Georgia.
| Date Taken: | 06.02.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.02.2025 13:41 |
| Story ID: | 499423 |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | KAUKAUNA, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 369 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, From Cook to Nation’s Top Recruiter, by PO1 Jackie Hart, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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