Photo By Douglas Stutz | Meet Chief Hospital Corpsman (Select) Robert Lee O’Bryant, Health Services...... read more read more
With the announcement that five Sailors assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command Bremerton were selected for advancement to the rank of chief petty officer for Fiscal Year 2026, we asked each to reflect on their designation.
As U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Robert Lee O’Bryant was trying to catch some shuteye after attending to newborn twin daughters early on August 6, 2025, the phone rang.
The news he received rendered sleep impossible, which coincidentally is also what young children can do.
Capt. Karla Lepore, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Bremerton commanding officer and NMRTC Bremerton Command Master Chief William Eickhoff contacted O’Bryant to inform him of being selected as a U.S. Navy chief petty officer.
O’Bryant attests that announcement adds to a growing list of accomplishments, to date. “Coming to Bremerton with my wife Brianna, the birth of our daughters and now seeing the CMCs phone number pop up on my phone,” said O’Bryant, Louisville, Kentucky native and Southern High School 2012 graduate.
Along with O’Bryant, Hospital Corpsmen 1st Class Jessie Christian Alday, Lee Halls, Miles A. Steele and Logistics Specialist 1st Class Steven Alexander Gardiner were surprised by their command senior leadership that they had advanced in rate to chief petty officer.
“It is the greatest accomplishment of my career,” stated O’Bryant. “I could not have gotten here without the mentors, chiefs, and Sailors. It is my turn to pay all of them back by trying to be the best chief I can be.”
The manner of promotion to the rank of chief in the Navy is a unique process compared to the other branches in the armed forces. In the Army, Air Force and the Marine Corps, an E-6 becomes E-7. In the Navy, each eligible Sailor for chief is required to be selected by a ranking and selection board composed of master chiefs who actively choose the future leadership from the most capable Sailors, considering both their aptitude as technical experts and ability as leaders.
The expectations for O’Bryant and the four other first class petty officers loom large. There’s a reason why a common phrase heard throughout the Navy fleet, ‘go ask the chief.’ Chiefs are subject matter experts, chiefs have operational readiness experience and chiefs are considered the personification of Navy core values of ‘honor, courage and commitment.’
“A Navy chief goes above and beyond because when a Sailor sees the anchor, they know they will be taken care of,” explained O’Bryant.
O’Bryant’s career is a testament to the old adage of ‘preparation meets opportunity,’ along with equal parts dedication and determination. Those intangible characteristics merged seamlessly with Navy structure, military bearing and the Hospital Corps ethos of caring for those in need.
“I was always fascinated with the idea of being a part of something bigger than myself and I always enjoyed helping people to become better versions of themselves,” said O’Bryant, who began his Navy journey by a chance encounter in his hometown of Louisville.
“I was wandering the hallways of the Jefferson Mall one day wondering what I would do next with my life. I was working a graveyard shift. I was broke, lost, feeling disillusioned and profoundly unfulfilled with my direction when I turned the corner to the recruiter. I couldn’t take my eyes off the recruiting office. I learned about being a corpsman from research and reading. It was an easy choice,” related O’Bryant.
From that fortuitous meeting, O’Bryant became a corpsman with specialty training as an orthopedic technician and has been integral in daily operations of the orthopedic department. He also took on the responsibility of acting leading chief petty officer when unplanned manning losses impacted the command’s Specialty Services Clinics. He provided critical guidance over a six-month period, ensuring continued focus on Sailor well-being and high-quality patient care.
According to command leadership, O'Bryant, “demonstrated exemplary leadership to a diverse team of 80 staff members across four divisions. He oversaw the care of 30,000 beneficiaries across multiple clinics throughout the Pacific Northwest region, guided 48 enlisted personnel through six first class petty officers, advised 19 officers, and supported 19 civilians. His leadership proved instrumental in navigating the complex merger of the Directorate of Surgical Services and the Directorate of Medical Services, ensuring a seamless transition and maintaining 100 percent personnel accountability.”
For such selfless service, O’Bryant was selected as Navy Medical Forces Pacific Senior Sailor of the Year. That recognition provided a launchpad for being telephoned after dawn.
“It’s all been a learning lesson,” reflected O’Bryant. “Every hiccup, every step in the long road. Every time I got something wrong it helped me get something right. The Sailors along the way helped me just as much as I returned the favor.”
O’Bryant can routinely be found encouraging and mentoring other Sailors in clinical responsibilities as well as in collateral duties such as physical fitness assessment cycles. He now can advise on what it takes to become a senior enlisted leader.
“Never stop trying. Do all the wickets that make you a well rounded Sailor and it will come when the time is right,” exclaimed O’Bryant.
When asked to sum his experience here in Navy Medicine in one sentence, O’Bryant replied, “Being a part of the organization that keeps warfighters healthy has been the most gratifying feeling in my life.”
| Date Taken: | 09.12.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.12.2025 13:23 |
| Story ID: | 547993 |
| Location: | BREMERTON , WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 123 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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