Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Harley Sarmiento | 180326-N-NH199-0079 PACIFIC OCEAN (March 26, 2018) Sailors aboard Military Sealift...... read more read more
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PACIFIC OCEAN – Fresh out of medical school in 1995, a young woman walks into the National Naval Medical Center for the first day of her internship. She sits alone with a notebook and pen in hand. The sudden sound of howling cackles coming from the corner startles her out of her thoughts. She looks over and sees a group of male interns bonding. They all know they belong at the internship, but she’s not so sure she does. She continues to look around the room and there just isn’t very many women within sight, not even the instructors. As she sits in the classroom, the loneliness seems to creep up on her and she begins to wonder if she can be successful in this environment. She knows the material and has earned her spot as an intern, but the resounding feeling of inadequacy continues to haunt her as she watches the men seemingly breeze through the program.
As the internship went on, her feelings continued to plague her. She wasn’t part of “the club,” rather an outsider to be ignored. Day-after-day, she was looked over by her male counterparts. Often, she settled on the idea of returning to the comforts of Baltimore, where she had grown up. Where she felt safe and secure.
However, Dr. Lynelle Boamah, would not give up. She knew the end result of becoming an lieutenant in the United States Navy was worth it. Boamah dug deep and with the support of her family in Baltimore, her strong faith, and supportive mentors, she made it through that internship and began her career serving as a pediatric physician in the United States Navy on May 19, 1995.
Now 23 years later, Capt. Lynelle Boamah, is the executive officer of Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19). Boamah, is very thankful that she endured that challenging internship and finished medical school.
“My family is full of service members,” said Boamah. “My sister was an active duty Yeoman at the time I joined. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life at that point and she really helped me to decide that joining the Navy was the way to go. I’m the only one in my family still serving 23 years later.”
When Boamah joined the Navy, the military was still adjusting to women being allowed to serve in a greater capacity. According to Boamah, even her specialty, pediatrics, was about two-thirds male.
“Now, the Navy pediatrics field is led by women,” said Boamah. “Being one of the few women in the field helped me to develop patience and has given me the dedication and drive that I have now. All the hard work and adversity I faced, drove me to better develop as a physician and as a professional.”
But as the years have gone by, things have changed in Boamah’s opinion.
Boamah made it through all of the tough times throughout the years thanks to her family coupled with a strong sense of faith within her.
“I have a very close family, I would go home some weekends,” reminisced Boamah. “My family has a very strong sense of faith, so when I was feeling like I couldn’t make it through the week, I would go back to my hometown church and regain my confidence. They are a huge factor is my ongoing success and triumphs while in the military and just in my day to day life.”
It wasn’t just her family and strong faith that helped her grow into the person she is today, according to Boamah.
“I found mentors within the military who helped me learn and grow into the leader I am today,” said Boamah. “As the Executive Officer aboard Mercy I encourage Sailors to decide their passions and inner motivation while providing tools so they may realize their true potential. I understand that not everyone wants to be a master chief or an admiral, but I want to be able to help my Sailors realize what they are capable of. My mentors did that for me and I want to pass on that knowledge and experience to the Sailors I now lead. If I’m making a difference with even one Sailor, I’m doing my job.”
The Navy has progressed in many ways since Boamah’s first days as a physican. The overall attitude towards women serving in the military is one of the major progressive moves toward gender equality.
When Boamah joined the Navy in 1995, the USS Benfold (DDG 65) became the first destroyer built to accommodate females. Then, in 2011 the first group of female submariners completed nuclear power school and reported on board two ballistic and two guided missile submarines. Most recently, in 2016, final plans were made for United States Special Operations Command (USSOOM) to open all combat jobs to women in all branches of the military.
These changes helped pave the way for women who are currently serving in the Navy. Musician Seaman Alyssa John started her active duty journey Feb. 13, 2017. Her introduction to the Navy was vastly different from Boamah’s start in the Navy.
“Being a musician in the military was always a dream of mine,” said John. “When I joined it was such a supportive and accepting environment. I felt like I belonged and I never felt looked down upon by my male shipmates.”
When John was assigned to the U.S. Pacific Fleet Band, she was welcomed with open arms and smiles from the moment she got off of the plane.
“It didn’t matter to them that I was a woman, they simply saw me as another member to the team; a family member that they couldn’t wait to meet,” recalled John.
Similar to Boamah, when times were tough or she began to doubt her abilities, she relied on her friends, family, and mentors to provide guidance and support.
“Despite the warm welcome, there have been times I have doubted my ability to perform the way I need to,” said John. “My close friends, family, husband, and fellow band members encouraged me to take it one day at a time and that has really kept me going.”
The Navy gave her an extended family, and John is grateful for the experiences she has had. She looks forward to her future in the military working alongside the men and women in the service.
“I am thankful for the strong women leaders I have in the military,” said John. “I am also thankful for the tough times and adversity they had to go through to make my experience in the military so vastly different then their earlier days. I continue to learn from all the strong leaders around me and can’t wait to see what more time will bring.”
Both women currently serve aboard the Mercy and are currently deployed for Pacific Partnership 2018 (PP18).
PP18’s mission is to work collectively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase stability and security in the region and foster new and enduring friendships across the Indo-Pacific Region. Pacific Partnership, now in its 13th iteration, is the largest multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific.
For more news on about USNS Mercy or PP18 Visit the Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/pages/PacificPartnership/
| Date Taken: | 03.29.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 03.29.2018 07:10 |
| Story ID: | 271054 |
| Location: | PACIFIC OCEAN |
| Web Views: | 317 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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