SANTA RITA, Guam – A 2004 Memorial High School graduate and Houston native is serving in the U.S. Navy with U.S. Naval Hospital Guam.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Heidi Cheek |
Petty Officer 2nd Class Cody Brinkley is a hospital corpsman, responsible for supervising and managing enlisted sailors in their careers to help set them up for success.
Brinkley credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Houston.
“I learned the importance of patience, hard work and dedication," said Brinkley. "These traits have helped me be successful in my naval career.”
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'm thankful for the junior sailors I help lead, mentor and mold for the future," Brinkley said. "The knowledge I pass on will help them be successful in future challenges. I enjoy Guam because I really enjoy diving and like to go every chance I get.”
Serving in the Navy means Brinkley 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.”
Brinkley credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Houston.
“I learned the importance of patience, hard work and dedication," said Brinkley. "These traits have helped me be successful in my naval career.”
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'm thankful for the junior sailors I help lead, mentor and mold for the future," Brinkley said. "The knowledge I pass on will help them be successful in future challenges. I enjoy Guam because I really enjoy diving and like to go every chance I get.”
Serving in the Navy means Brinkley 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, Brinkley is most proud of taking part in a competition with Marine battalions that tested physical and mental toughness.
“This opportunity allowed me to push myself to the limits and grow professionally through teamwork with others,” said Brinkley.
“This opportunity allowed me to push myself to the limits and grow professionally through teamwork with others,” said Brinkley.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Brinkley 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 to me is about defending your country and the Constitution of the United States," added Brinkley. "It's our responsibility to be a role model for our country and set a good example. We have to always be ready to complete the mission America needs us to complete.”