Photo By MarQuan Stith | DCCS Brad Thoma and Ivory Thoma who just finished boot camp pose for a picture in...... read more read more
Raleigh, N.C.- “I remember it like it was yesterday, my father waving down to my mother, my sister Alyssia and I, as his ship pulled back into the port from his deployment. At the moment, I wasn’t completely sure what I wanted to do with my life because I was so young, but now I realize that moment would be a huge influence on my decision to join the U.S. Navy”, said (PRAN) Aircrew Survival Equipmentmen Airman Ivori Thoma.
PRAN Ivori Thoma is the daughter of (NTAG) Navy Talent Acquisition Group Carolina’s (DCCS) Senior Chief Damage Controlman Brad Thoma who has been active duty for the last 25 years. The Thoma family has a long line of military veterans. It is safe to say that Ivori gained her influence from not only her father, but most of the influence came from her mother Angelique Thoma, who also spent time in the Navy as a (MA3) Master-At-Arms 3rd Class. Aside from her parents, her uncle Clint was a Marine, grandfather was Marines, Brad’s grandfather on his fathers’ side was Army, and his grandfather on his mothers’ side was Navy.
While it was inevitable that Ivori would join the military due to the heavy influence in her family, her father, Brad Thoma made it very clear that he wanted her to find her own path in life. “I have never pushed the Navy onto my daughter”, said Brad. “I always told her that I would have her back no matter what path she took. Now that she is in the Navy, she still needs to find her own path in it. I will always be here for her, but I will not be her crutch”.
Just as Brad didn’t push the Navy on Ivori, neither did her mother, Angelique. Her daughter’s decision to join the military came as a shock.
“I know that Ivori takes her studies very serious, so I thought that she would take the four-year university route”, said Angelique. “Her making the decision to join the Navy really opened my eyes to the impact that we as her parents really had on her professional decision, and I am very proud of her and know that she will be very successful while serving!”
Even though Ivori had both parents to get advice from when it came to boot camp, you will never know the true feeling of it until you get off that bus and for Ivori it was a wakeup call.
“Prior to going to boot camp I did all of my research and looked up as many YouTube videos that I could find with hopes that it would prepare me for the situation that I was about to put myself in”, said Ivori. “The videos that I looked up, did not prepare me at all. Boot camp got real for me as soon as I got off that bus! Of course, it got easier, but it was an adjustment in comparison to what I thought it was going to be like”.
Now that boot camp is over for Ivori, she is looking forward to getting comfortable in her role with the Navy and enjoying all of the perks that comes with it.
“Now that I am officially a Navy Sailor, I look forward to everything that comes with it, such as making lifelong friends, learning my rate and traveling the world”, said Ivori. “I cannot wait to go on tours and see the world like my parents did. When I originally joined, I looked into their rates because I wanted to share the same experiences that they had, but I decided I wanted to make my own mark with my time in the Navy. That is why I choose the rate PR; it is a small community of Sailors and I wanted to do something that was not very common”.
Ivori has her eyes on the bigger picture as she looks forward to doing her job to the best of her ability, making lifelong friends and earning the rank of Chief. She knows that the path will not be easy, but she is motivated and will always have the support of her parents, who have been in her position before.
NRC consists of a command headquarters, three Navy Recruiting Regions, and 26 NTAGs that serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations across the world. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
NTAG Carolina, part of NRC, recruits the next generation of Navy Sailors throughout areas encompassing North Carolina, South Carolina, and a portion of Georgia.
| Date Taken: | 06.27.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.27.2024 12:24 |
| Story ID: | 475025 |
| Location: | RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 233 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Thoma Family Buisness, by MarQuan Stith, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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