By Ensign Brittany Crocker, Navy Office of Community Outreach
Seaman Ayanna Smalls, a native of Hinesville, helps medical forces meet readiness, training, and operational requirements across a spectrum of military operations while serving with Naval Medical Forces Atlantic (NMFL) at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth military treatment facility.
Serving military members and their families since 1830. Naval Medical Center Portsmouth is the U. S. Navy’s oldest, continuously operating hospital.
Smalls joined the Navy one year ago. Today, Smalls serves as a yeoman.
“I joined the Navy because I didn’t have a lot of financial stability yet and I wasn’t ready for school yet,” she said. “I wanted to achieve independence and break generational curses by advancing my own situation.”
Growing up in Hinesville, Smalls attended Liberty County High School and graduated in 2021.
Skills and values similar to those found in Hinesville are important to succeed in the military.
“Back home, I learned not to use my circumstances as an excuse to stop progressing,” Smalls said. “I wear my scars as a badge of honor and use my experiences to encourage others who are going through a hard time. I know now that I can handle anything.”
These lessons have helped Smalls while serving in the Navy.
Navy Medicine — comprised of approximately 44,000 military and civilian health care professionals — provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.
“Warfighters are our most important weapon system,” said U.S. Navy Surgeon General Rear Adm. Bruce Gillingham. “We prepare and sustain that system. When the warfighter is having their worst day, our high-performing people will be at their best.”
As a member of the Navy, Smalls is part of a world-class organization focused on maintaining maritime dominance, strengthening partnerships, increasing competitive warfighting capabilities and sustaining combat-ready forces in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“We’re very advanced as a branch,” Smalls said. “We project power on land, at sea and in the air. We work with the other military advantages to maintain superiority to deter threats against ourselves and our allies.”
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to trained sailors and a strong Navy.
“Our mission remains timeless — to provide our fellow citizens with nothing less than the very best Navy: fully combat ready at all times, focused on warfighting excellence, and committed to superior leadership at every single level,” said Adm. Mike Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations. “This is our calling. And I cannot imagine a calling more worthy.”
Smalls has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“So far, I’m proud to have gotten through boot camp and my job training,” she said. “I know that’s the beginning, but that’s a big achievement for someone who is just starting out. I’m excited to leave for my first deployment soon and begin working as an asset for the Navy.”
As Smalls and other sailors continue to train and perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the U.S. Navy.
“To me, serving in the Navy makes me feel important,” Smalls added. “For a long time I’ve always wanted to be an asset and a role model. There’s high expectations for me being a fifth generation military service member. I’m proud to set an example for how a career in the military can look. It’s limitless.”
NMFL, headquartered in Portsmouth, Virginia, delivers operationally focused medical expertise and capabilities to meet Fleet, Marine and Joint Force requirements by providing equipment, sustainment and maintenance of medical forces during combat operations and public health crisis. NMFL provides oversight for 21 NMRTCs, logistics, and public health and dental services throughout the U.S. East Coast, U.S. Gulf Coast, Cuba, Hawaii, Europe, and the Middle East.