Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Russell Lindsey | Aviation Warfare Systems Operator 1st Class Brady Joslin poses for a seated dress...... read more read more
PENSACOLA, Fla – Naval Medical Forces Development Command (NMFDC) virtually gathered its star Sailors from across the region for a special announcement on April 11. Among the trio standing tall was Aviation Warfare Systems Operator 1st Class Brady Joslin, a grin splitting his face like an Olympian after a successful performance at the board, just a few days earlier. When his name was called, the West Palm Beach, Florida, native realized he had just won the title of NMFDC’s Sailor of the Year.
“I feel proud and accomplished,” said Joslin. “I also owe my success to both my uncle and grandfather; they have been great role models, so I have a lot to live up to, and I want to maintain that standard of excellence.”
Joslin isn't a stellar sailor by accident. A 12-year veteran with plenty of salt on his boots, he comes from a lineage steeped in aviation fuel and saltwater—his grandfather, a World War II aircrewman, dodged flak and manned the guns in a dive bomber in the South Pacific; his uncle, a hardened career SEAL. This kid was born to taste the wild blue yonder but also feel the spray of the sea. Now, he joins the ranks of the Navy’s best, honored through a tradition established in 1972 by Admiral Elmo Zumwalt and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Whittet to recognize the pinnacle of dedication and service: the Sailor of the Year.
“Seeing your Sailor’s hard work, dedication, and excellence recognized, not just by everyone at our command but by the region, is the best feeling you can have as a leader,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Charles Hickey, Navy Medicine Operational Training Command’s (NMOTC) command master chief. “It’s what makes you proud to come in every day and give it your best, knowing we serve with such fine shipmates.”
Joslin is one of the select few in the Navy who call the sky home, an inherently dangerous environment that demands excellence. What makes him truly exceptional is how he uses his experience to help others master fear and survive a water landing gone wrong. His experience, enthusiasm, and visceral understanding of vulnerability make him the ultimate teacher.
“As aircrewmen, we are trained from day one in Aircrew school to be the best at everything we do,” said Joslin. “I try to live by that mantra daily.”
Joslin is a Naval Aviation Water Survival Training Instructor at NMOTC’s Aviation Survival Training Center in Jacksonville, Florida, where he is all business. . He operates daily as a high-risk instructor, training aircrew and aviators in all aspects of water survival. He’s a maestro of the dunk tank and a high priest of the parachute jump, preparing those with a “need for speed” for the worst-case scenario. His job is to transform fear into muscle memory, giving aircrews the tools to survive when it counts.
“The greatest reward,” said Joslin, “is having a flyer come back after a mishap, a brush with the reaper, and thank me. To know what we taught them here, in these choppy waters, gave them a second chance at life… that’s what it’s all about.”
He credits his inspiration to excel and to his family, both those who shaped his legacy and those he is leaving a legacy for.
The next step for Joslin was to compete at the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery’s Sailor of the Year competition. Unfortunately, he did not win that competition, but his leaders and fellow Sailors are proud of his accomplishments and dedication to NMOTC’s mission – to develop, educate, train, and qualify healthcare professionals and warfighters to optimize human performance, survivability, and trauma response, enabling operational readiness and maritime dominance.
For more information on NMOTC and NMFDC please visit at:
https://www.med.navy.mil/Naval-Medical-Forces-Development-Command/
https://www.med.navy.mil/Navy-Medicine-Operational-Training-Command/
and be sure to check our DVIDS Page:
https://www.dvidshub.net/search/2.0?q=NMOTC
| Date Taken: | 04.11.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.25.2025 15:52 |
| Story ID: | 496233 |
| Location: | PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 212 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NMOTC Sailor Wins NMFDC Sailor of the Year, by PO1 Russell Lindsey, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
