Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Cintron | BOSTON (August 12, 2025) – Dr. Basmah Jalil, center, from Karachi, Pakistan,...... read more read more
BOSTON – Growing up in Pakistan, Dr. Basmah Jalil developed a love for science and desire to help
people from an early age. This would lead Jalil to attend Agakhan University in Karachi, Pakistan and
eventually to the Navy Medical Corps. She said her father, a former captain and doctor in the Pakistani
army, raised his kids to have a high work ethic and understand the importance of discipline in their lives.
Today, as a new member of the Navy Medical Corps, Jalil hopes to raise her children to have that same
level of discipline and work ethic.
“This is an opportunity to help our service men and woman; it is a very inspiring place to be,” Jalil said.
“I have daughters and I would like them to experience some discipline in their lives and be in an
environment with people disciplined and focused on their goals.”
Jalil believes serving in the Navy is an amazing opportunity to develop professionally and achieve
personal goals.
“I think the opportunity to learn new things from different people and teach some of the fellows that
will be rotating through Rheumatology is what I am looking forward to,” Lalil said. “I love adventure, and
I look forward to seeing where the Navy will take me!”
Jalil wasn’t sure if she would be eligible for naval service.
“I worked with a lot of retired military doctors and they spoke fondly of their time,” said Jalil. “I honestly
didn’t think I was eligible because of my age and the fact I wasn’t a citizen until about two years ago.
When the recruiter reached out to me, he spoke very highly of the opportunities which led me to do
more research and realize it would be something I was eligible for. After talking to [the recruiter] it was
apparent to me it was a really good fit to what I wanted and the process was very smooth from there.”
Jalil did her own research to find the facts behind the many myths and misconceptions she heard about
serving.
“There are a lot of myths around the process that I think need to be dispelled,” Jalil said. “My mom was
worried I’d get immediately deployed to a warzone, but that is not the case. There are a lot of different
roles in the military. The other myth is the pay. After doing the math with my husband we realized – at
least in the first four years – that the pay is competitive to what I made in the civilian world. After
calculating all the benefits, I actually think I will be making a bit more.”
For Jalil, joining the Navy provides a symbol of strength and will provide discipline and value in her life
and the lives of her daughters. “I look forward to wearing the uniform which is representative of the
strength and mission driven focus that the Navy is known for,” she said.
NTAG New England serves Navy Recruiting Command’s mission in the New England area encompassing
the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and the
eastern half of New York.
| Date Taken: | 08.22.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.22.2025 11:14 |
| Story ID: | 546250 |
| Location: | BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 64 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, From a Pakistani Medical School to the Fleet: One Rheumatologist’s Journey to Naval Service, by PO2 Michael Cintron, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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