A Family Affair: Father Enlists Daughter into Naval Service

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Felix Castillo Reyes | 220514-N-OL632-1031 NAVAL STATION NORFOLK (May 14, 2022) Madeline Velez, daughter of Rear Adm. Dennis Velez, commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 10 and George H.W. Bush CSG, takes the oath of enlistment issued by her father aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) May 14, 2022. After completing their education, Navy Nurse Candidate Program members commission as officers in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps. CSG-10 is an integrated combat weapons system that delivers superior combat capability to deter, and if necessary, defeat America’s adversaries in support of national security. It achieves its mission by projecting the combined power of George H.W. Bush, Carrier Air Wing 7, Destroyer Squadron 26, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Felix Castillo Reyes)  

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES

05.14.2022

Courtesy Story

Carrier Strike Group 10

NAVAL STATION NORFOLK – Rear Adm. Dennis Velez, commander, Carrier Strike Group 10 (CSG-10), George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWCSG) enlisted his daughter Madeline Velez into the U.S. Navy’s Nurse Candidate Program (NCP) aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), May 14.

“In my first year of college, I was considering what I wanted to do in service and who I wanted to help. When I found the Naval Nurse Corps, I started thinking I could help people who helped me growing up and I could pay it forward,” said Madeline Velez. “I was born in a Naval hospital, I’ve been treated at U.S. Navy hospitals, and I felt like bringing it back full circle.”

The Navy Nurse Corps provides direct support to Navy and Marine Corps commands, squadrons, battalions, and units. Navy nurses deploy in support of combat operations, disaster relief, and humanitarian assistance missions, providing the best care our nation can offer ashore and afloat.

“In my 30-plus years of service, I’ve had the honor of enlisting, commissioning and promoting hundreds of Sailors, but nothing has ever come close to the pride I felt yesterday as I enlisted my daughter, Madeline, in the Navy Nurse Candidate Program on board the USS George H.W. Bush,” said Rear Adm. Dennis Velez.

“I am so proud that she has decided to serve our Sailors and Marines and can’t wait to see her start her own Navy adventure after she graduates from the University of Virginia next summer,” he continued.

Madeline Velez recently finished her third year as a student at the University of Virginia. She will continue working toward completing her nursing degree and required certifications before transitioning to Officer Development School (ODS) - eventually commissioning as a Navy nurse.

For more information about the Navy Nurse Candidate program, click on the hyperlink above, or head to https://www.med.navy.mil/Accessions/Nurse-Candidate-Program/ for more details.

CSG-10 is an integrated combat weapons system that delivers superior combat capability to deter, and if necessary, defeat America’s adversaries in support of national security. It achieves its mission by projecting the combined power of George H.W. Bush, Carrier Air Wing 7, Destroyer Squadron 26, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55).

For more information about CSG-10, head to the command’s Facebook, LinkedIn, or official webpage.

• Date Taken: 05.14.2022
• Date Posted: 05.16.2022 18:27
• Story ID: 420852
• Location: NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US