Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Stuart Posada | Meet Boatswain’s Mate First Class (BM1) Dyamond Khammanivong, a Recruit Division...... read more read more
Subscribe
Meet Boatswain’s Mate First Class (BM1) Dyamond Khammanivong, a Recruit Division Commander (RDC) at Recruit Training Command (RTC) Great Lakes, the Navy’s only boot camp.
Originally from Lowell, Massachusetts, and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, Khammanivong has served in the Navy for 13 years. She joined looking for a way to broaden her horizons and serve her country.
“I wanted to travel and experience things outside of the world I grew up in,” she says. “I also wanted to do something that mattered—something that allowed me to contribute to my country.”
Khammanivong recalls a vivid welcome-to-the-Navy moment early in her career, one that captured both the intensity and the awe of joining the fleet.
“I remember arriving at my first ship with all my bags, just staring up at how massive it was,” she says. “Everything moved fast, everything was new, and working in deck department was a culture shock. It was surreal—exciting and overwhelming at the same time.”
That moment marked the beginning of a career shaped by hard work and hands-on experience across multiple duty stations, including NBU-7, NSA Bahrain, NBSD Port Operations, USS Donald Cook, and USS Tortuga.
The boatswain’s mate rating became a natural fit once she discovered how much she enjoyed the work.
“I love what we do in this rate,” she says. “Driving small boats, operating cranes, wet well deck evolutions—it’s real, tangible work that you can see the impact of right away.”
For Khammanivong, being part of the Navy’s oldest enlisted community carries a special sense of honor.
“There’s so much tradition and pride in being a boatswain’s mate. It feels like you’re carrying forward a legacy.”
Khammanivong attributes much of her drive and resilience to her family’s history and values. As the daughter of immigrants who fled war-torn Southeast Asia in the 1980s, she grew up with powerful examples of sacrifice and perseverance.
“My parents taught me respect, hard work, and resilience,” she says. “They didn’t have easy lives, but they made the most of every opportunity. Those lessons shaped who I am as a woman and as a Sailor, and they continue to guide me every day.”
Now serving as an RDC at RTC, Khammanivong plays a vital role in shaping the Navy’s newest Sailors.
“I train and mentor recruits from the moment they step off the bus,” she says. “We prepare them to become disciplined, physically fit, basically trained Sailors who are ready to join the fleet.”
The job demands long hours, emotional endurance, and an unwavering commitment to standards—but Khammanivong says the impact makes every challenge worth it.
“What I enjoy most is seeing their progression,” she says. “Those lightbulb moments when everything starts to click—when they begin to understand what the training is for—that’s what makes this job meaningful.”
Helping civilians make the transition to Sailors is one of the Navy’s most demanding responsibilities, and it’s a mission Khammanivong approaches with pride and purpose.
“It’s challenging to motivate recruits to change their way of life and embrace discipline,” she explains. “Attention to detail matters, and helping them understand that can be hard. But it’s also one of the most critical and rewarding parts of the job.”
To Khammanivong, serving in the Navy is rooted in purpose and pride.
“It means putting the mission, my ship, and my shipmates above myself,” she says. “It means protecting our nation and taking care of the Sailors beside me. Service is a commitment I take seriously, and it gives me a deep sense of fulfillment.”
Looking ahead, Khammanivong is focused on advancing her leadership and continuing to contribute to the fleet.
“My goal is to make chief petty officer while serving here at RTC,” she says. “In the next five years, I see myself taking the experience and discipline I’ve gained here back to the Navy’s operational side. I want to continue mentoring Sailors and helping prepare the next generation for success.”
Through her dedication, work ethic, and unwavering pride in her rate, BM1 Dyamond Khammanivong continues to uphold the rich traditions of the boatswain’s mate community—shaping the future of the Navy one Sailor at a time.
Training at RTC is approximately nine 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: | 12.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.16.2025 09:37 |
| Story ID: | 554316 |
| Location: | GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS, US |
| Hometown: | ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 58 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Staff in the Spotlight: Boatswain’s Mate First Class Dyamond Khammanivong, by Marc Lindsay, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
