SANTA RITA, Guam – A 2001 Fox Senior High School graduate and Arnold, Missouri, native is serving in the U.S. Navy with U.S. Naval Hospital Guam.
Lt. Alicia Valdez is a dietitian, responsible for overseeing the hospital food service operations and providing nutrition therapy to active duty members, dependents of active duty and retirees.
Valdez credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Arnold.
“My hometown taught me how to be humble and grateful for opportunities to serve," said Valdez. "I feel my success comes from treating people with kindness daily and it’s the same way we treat people in my hometown.”
Naval Hospital Guam is comprised of the main hospital in Agana Heights and two branch clinics, medical and dental, on Naval Base Guam. The hospital’s staff consists of 516 active duty and 201 civilians, contractors, reservists and volunteers who serve more than 26,000 beneficiaries.
According to officials at the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet headquarters in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the ships, submarines, aircraft and Navy personnel forward-deployed to Guam are part of the world’s largest fleet command and serve in a region critical to U.S. national security. The U.S. Pacific Fleet encompasses 100 million square miles, nearly half the Earth’s surface, from Antarctica to the Arctic Circle and from the West Coast of the United States into the Indian Ocean. All told, there are more than 200 ships and submarines, nearly 1,200 aircraft, and more than 130,000 uniformed and civilian personnel serving in the Pacific.
“I have the opportunity to make a great impact to improve the nutrition status of individuals in Guam," Valdez said. "The team I work with is great and I learn something new every day.”
Serving in the Navy means Valdez is part of a world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Valdez is most proud of receiving the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.
“I provided nutrition education to over 3,000 active duty members in the San Diego area," said Valdez. "The knowledge helps improve their readiness through nutrition.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Valdez and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, one that will provide a critical component of the Navy the nation needs.
“Serving in the Navy means I get to give back to those who put their lives on the line to defend our country," added Valdez. "I also enjoy the opportunity to travel and experience other cultures.”
Valdez credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Arnold.
“My hometown taught me how to be humble and grateful for opportunities to serve," said Valdez. "I feel my success comes from treating people with kindness daily and it’s the same way we treat people in my hometown.”
Naval Hospital Guam is comprised of the main hospital in Agana Heights and two branch clinics, medical and dental, on Naval Base Guam. The hospital’s staff consists of 516 active duty and 201 civilians, contractors, reservists and volunteers who serve more than 26,000 beneficiaries.
According to officials at the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet headquarters in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the ships, submarines, aircraft and Navy personnel forward-deployed to Guam are part of the world’s largest fleet command and serve in a region critical to U.S. national security. The U.S. Pacific Fleet encompasses 100 million square miles, nearly half the Earth’s surface, from Antarctica to the Arctic Circle and from the West Coast of the United States into the Indian Ocean. All told, there are more than 200 ships and submarines, nearly 1,200 aircraft, and more than 130,000 uniformed and civilian personnel serving in the Pacific.
“I have the opportunity to make a great impact to improve the nutrition status of individuals in Guam," Valdez said. "The team I work with is great and I learn something new every day.”
Serving in the Navy means Valdez is part of a world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Valdez is most proud of receiving the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.
“I provided nutrition education to over 3,000 active duty members in the San Diego area," said Valdez. "The knowledge helps improve their readiness through nutrition.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Valdez and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, one that will provide a critical component of the Navy the nation needs.
“Serving in the Navy means I get to give back to those who put their lives on the line to defend our country," added Valdez. "I also enjoy the opportunity to travel and experience other cultures.”