Photo By Riley Eversull | Command Master Chief Michelle L. Brooks joined Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune's...... read more read more
Three is the lucky number for new Command Master Chief Michelle L. Brooks, who took the helm from Command Master Chief James Baker at Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune June 4, 2018.
NMCCL will be Brooks’ third tour as CMC since being selected for the Command Master Chief Program in February 2012.
This will also be the third time Brooks has been the first female to serve as CMC where she has been stationed; first at Helicopter Sea Squadron 26 (HSC-26), then at Naval Station Rota Spain and now at NMCCL.
When Brooks leaves command at NMCCL in two years’ time, she will have served three decades in the Navy, joining July 10, 1990.
Joining the Navy is something, according to Brooks, that wasn’t planned.
“I ran into a friend I went to high school with…She told me she was joining the Navy and she was going the next week,” said Brooks. “I went the next week and met the recruiter, took my ASVAB and enlisted. There was no plan. I just did it.”
Brooks started her Navy career as a personnelman (PN), which consists of career assistance and advancement.
While trying to expand her career and realizing how difficult it can be, Brooks found her passion in assisting Sailors find success in their own Navy careers, converting to a Navy Counselor (NC) nearly a decade into her service in the Navy.
“I didn’t know you could cross rate. I didn’t know that you could go into commissioning programs. All that stuff I kind of figured out on my own,” said Brooks. “That was one of the reasons why I wanted to convert to NC. I wanted to make sure people knew what their choices were because I didn’t know.”
Although Brooks has stepped away from being a NC as her career progressed, she feels her experience will be beneficial to her as she learns the culture and structure of NMCCL.
“Everything happens for a reason. I’m a huge believer in that,” said Brooks. “I wasn’t meant to go into a commissioning program. I wasn’t meant to change rates earlier on. Everything falls into place for one reason or another. It was good choice that I made. It was very rewarding being an NC and I loved it. Loved every minute of it.”
NMCCL will be Brooks’ third area of the Navy she has served in having worked at an installation and several squadrons.
A medical center will be brand new for Brooks.
“This is all new,” said Brooks. “It doesn’t matter because Sailors are still Sailors so you just do what you can to help lead them in the right directions, and correct them when they go in the wrong ones.”
North Carolina is a new area for Brooks, her career leading her to nearly a dozen other places like Dallas, Texas as a PN at the PSD; Navy Reserve Center in Quincy, MA; and San Diego, CA as an NC for the Helicopter Anti-Submarine Light 84 (HSL-84).
Receiving her final set of orders to NMCCL was “shocking” said the Wisconsin-native, but she looks forward to enjoying not only her new command, but also the area, exploring it as a potential forever home.
While Brooks’ career has taken her across the United States serving in various capacities, she has faced challenges due to the frequent travelling the service has required.
Being a single mother to her son has been the most challenging part of her career, Brooks said.
“Balancing work and trying to raise him at the same time [has been the most challenging],” said Brooks. “There were times when I remember the night before I was supposed to fly I still didn’t know who was going to watch him.”
Although her most challenging times in the Navy had to deal with being a single parent, it was her son that has helped create some of the most memorable moments.
Three years ago Brooks converted from a Full-Time Support (a Navy Reservist status) to United States Navy (active duty.
This career change from an active reservist to active duty was the first enlistment her son, then 17 years old, would attend.
“Having him there and him watching everything, I really saw him be proud for the first time,” said Brooks.
Brooks’ reenlistment in the presence of her son capped off the trio of memorable moments in her career, which include pinning on Chief as well as Master Chief.
Brooks looks forward to closing out her Navy career with the challenge of a new environment for her at NMCCL.
“Because I know we’re moving forward and changing rapidly, I’m excited about being part of that change and helping lead that,” said Brooks. “I want to do whatever I can to help the sailors and help them be successful and set them up for success here at the hospital.”
Brooks is a Qualified Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist.
She has been presented three Meritorious Service Medals, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and five Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.
Brooks holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Resource Management from Park University.
| Date Taken: | 06.04.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 06.05.2018 15:25 |
| Story ID: | 279675 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | VIOLA, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 733 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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