SANTA RITA, Guam – A 2017 Sandhog Early College High School graduate and Shannon, North Carolina, 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 |
Hospitalman Makia Davis is responsible for medical screening and healthcare support for service members and their families.
Davis credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Shannon.
“My hometown taught me selflessness," said Davis. "I value this trait and put others, and my patients before my personal needs to help them conquer their goals.”
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.
“The most rewarding part about serving at Naval Hospital Guam is meeting the local people who become family," Davis said. "The patients here open their arms to you, and actually reach out to make you feel at home, even though you are 8,000 miles away from home.”
Serving in the Navy means Davis 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, Davis is most proud of becoming the work center supervisor in the ambulatory procedure unit.
“I worked hard every day at work and home to earn this position," said Davis. "I am proud of receiving this position because it puts me in a better position to build my leadership skills.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Davis 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 to me, change," added Davis. "Change that can actually make the world a better place.”
Davis credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Shannon.
“My hometown taught me selflessness," said Davis. "I value this trait and put others, and my patients before my personal needs to help them conquer their goals.”
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.
“The most rewarding part about serving at Naval Hospital Guam is meeting the local people who become family," Davis said. "The patients here open their arms to you, and actually reach out to make you feel at home, even though you are 8,000 miles away from home.”
Serving in the Navy means Davis 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, Davis is most proud of becoming the work center supervisor in the ambulatory procedure unit.
“I worked hard every day at work and home to earn this position," said Davis. "I am proud of receiving this position because it puts me in a better position to build my leadership skills.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Davis 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 to me, change," added Davis. "Change that can actually make the world a better place.”