Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Stephanie Butler | Rear Admiral MaryEtta Nolan, the commander of the New York Naval Militia, salutes...... read more read more
Subscribe
Latham, New York — Greenfield Center, New York, resident MaryEtta Nolan became the first woman to assume the rank of State Rear Admiral and take command of the New York Naval Militia during a Friday, Nov. 21 ceremony at Division of Military and Naval Affairs headquarters in Latham.
Nolan, who previously served as chief of staff of the 3,200-member Naval Militia, replaced Rear Admiral Michael Perry, an Averill Park resident who has led the Naval Militia since 2023.
Perry is retiring after 35 years of service in the Navy Reserve and the Naval Militia.
Nolan, the 25th commander of the 134-year-old Naval Militia, is a retired perioperative care nurse and a retired member of the Navy Nurse Corps Reserve. She has served in the Naval Militia since 2020.
The New York Naval Militia was created in 1891 as a seagoing version of the National Guard in the days before there was a Navy Reserve.
Most members of the New York Naval Militia simultaneously serve in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Reserve. They employ the skills they learned as members of the military on behalf of the state.
Currently, almost 400 members of the New York Naval Militia are part of the New York National Guard force which is working in state correctional facilities in support of the Department of Corrections and Community Services.
The New York Naval Milita also operates a fleet of 11 patrol boats which work in support of local, state, and federal agencies.
Major General Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, praised Nolan as being the right person for the job of leading the Naval Militia.
"You are assuming command of a vibrant and healthy organization of 3,200 service members," Shields told Nolan.
"We all know you are the right person to lead this organization into the future," he said.
In her remarks, Nolan thanked Shields and Governor Kathy Hochul for picking her for her new role.
"I am deeply honored to have been selected as commander of the New York Naval Militia, and it is especially meaningful to be the first female to hold this distinguished position," Nolan said.
She also praised Perry for his service and for serving as a mentor to her.
The Nov. 21 ceremony mirrored a shipboard ceremony in which Nolan, Shields, and Perry walked through lines of "sideboys" while theyr were whistled on board as though they were boarding a ship. Following Nolan's promotion, Perry read orders relieving him of duty as the Naval Militia commander, while Nolan read orders assigning her the duty.
Nolan entered the Navy in 1984 when she was awarded a direct commission as Navy nurse.
As a reserve officer, Nolan was assigned to the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center at Sewells Point in Norfolk, Virginia as clinical operations officer. She was also a "plank owner" when the Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth (NMCP) stood up a same-day surgical program at Fort Eustis Army Reserve Center in Newport News, Virginia.
Her other duties have included:
Commanding officer of Navy Reserve Operational Health Support at NMCP, responsible for five detachments.
Director of Southern Medical Detachments Mid-Atlantic Region, managing reserve units in Viriginia and New York.
Senior Nurse Leader, Detachment Yankee, at the Naval Reserve Center Schenectady, New York.
Nolan was on active Duty in 1991 in support of Operation Desert Storm at NMCP.
She was also on duty in 2003 in support of Operation Noble Eagle, homeland security missions and Operation Enduring Freedom, combat operations in Afghanistan.
She served on active duty at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 2006 and at NMCP in 2007 and 2019.
Nolan's awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal.
In civilian life, Nolan served as a nurse at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News from 1984 to 2004. In 2000 she completed a program allowing her to assist surgeons in thoracic, general, neurology, and oncology surgical procedures.
In 2004, she worked at NMCP as a civilian to train active duty and civilian perioperative nurses and technicians in cardiac surgery for a new Cardiac Surgical Program being introduced for the large population of retirees.
After moving to New York in 2006, she worked in Albany, at St. Peter's Hospital on the Cardiac Team for two years, then Saratoga Surgery Center in Saratoga Springs until retirement in March 2020 with 35 years of service.
Nolan is married to retired Newport News, Virginia, Police Captain, Arthur Nolan who joined the NY Naval Militia's Military Emergency Boat Service in 2014 and retired in 2018. They reside in Greenfield Center, N.Y.
| Date Taken: | 11.21.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.21.2025 13:42 |
| Story ID: | 552074 |
| Location: | LATHAM, NEW YORK, US |
| Hometown: | GREENFIELD CENTER, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 17 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, MaryEtta Nolan becomes New York State rear admiral, takes charge of New York Naval Militia, by Eric Durr, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
New York
