MILLINGTON, Tenn. – Lt. Cmdr. Opeyemi Elizabeth Fadoju, from Baltimore, Maryland, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Unit (NMRTU) Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Fadoju is a 2009 graduate of Western School of Technology and Environmental Science and has earned multiple graduate degrees, including a doctor of dental surgery in 2017.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Baltimore.
“I was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and moved to Baltimore when I was 4,” Fadoju said. “My family came here in pursuit of higher education and each member of my family has realized that goal. My hometown of Lagos has taught me grit, perseverance and how to celebrate in community. My hometown of Baltimore has taught me how to have a strong work ethic and what it means to lift as you climb. I am so proud to have a career shaped by so many hands.”
Fadoju has served in the Navy for eight years.
“As an immigrant to this country, I wanted a chance to give back to a place that has given so much,” Fadoju said. “I wanted to make my community proud of me.”
Today, Fadoju serves as a Navy dentist.
“My favorite part about being a Navy dentist is providing comfort and care to the most deserving men and women while mentoring our junior enlisted corpsmen who work alongside us,” Fadoju said.
According to Navy officials, NMRTU’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high-quality health care services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research.
Navy Medicine – represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
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 recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
Fadoju has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“I am most proud of being the first Black Dental Admin Fellow when I served there from 2022 to 2024,” Fadoju said. “I loved being a small contributor to ensuring my community was plugged in and empowered.”
Among other achievements, Fadoju was also listed among the 2022 30 Under 30 honorees of the University of Maryland Terrapin Club and became an “Iron Shellback” after a then-record-breaking seven-month deployment during the COVID-19 pandemic. A new Navy tradition, started in 2020, Iron Shellbacks are sailors who cross the equator after more than 100 days at sea.
Fadoju serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“Serving in the Navy as someone who immigrated here with my family is the true intention of the American dream,” Fadoju said. “It has given me an opportunity to serve, lead and provide world-class health care while in pursuit of a career I am passionate about.”