MILLINGTON, Tenn. — Angelina LaPadula, a native of Frederick, Maryland, was recently meritoriously advanced to petty officer second class while serving with Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Bethesda.
The Meritorious Advancement Program (MAP) is used to recognize and promote the most dedicated sailors.
“My MAP is important to me because it showed me I was ready to take on more responsibility and help others as a noncommissioned officer,” LaPadula said. “Taking the steps to lead my junior sailors to success is something I do not take lightly, and I hold it to the highest standard.”
LaPadula graduated from Clarksburg High School in 2019 and is continuing her schooling at Montgomery Community College.
LaPadula has served in the Navy for three years.
“I joined the Navy not knowing much about the service,” LaPadula said. “I was interested in learning a trade and doing something bigger than myself. I wanted a path where I was challenged, to learn to lead and to grow as a woman. After I enlisted, I found out that many of my relatives actually served in World War I and World War II; it makes me proud to continue to follow the paths they once paved.”
Today, LaPadula serves as a hospital corpsman. LaPadula said she enjoys the variety and opportunities within her chosen field.
“Before I was a corpsman, I was an airman,” LaPadula said. “I enjoyed that because I worked hard and was given tasks left and right, which kept me busy. As a corpsman, I enjoy helping others and being someone people can depend on. I am proud to have chosen a rate that is challenging and one where your ego cannot get the best of you. You have to ask the hard questions and be willing to learn from others.”
The skills and work ethic she developed in her hometown, alongside her grandmother, continue to serve her in uniform.
“My grandmother has been my biggest role model,” LaPadula said. “She has taught me resiliency, patience, respect, determination and kindness. She is how I learned how to work hard and that good things will come. Everything I learned was because of her. All of these attributes have made me successful in the Navy.”
NMRTC Bethesda’s mission is to maximize warfighter performance through optimized medical readiness tailored to operational requirements, enhance the readiness of the medical force to sustain expeditionary medical capability, and train and develop the Navy Medicine Force.
According to Navy officials, NMRTC’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high-quality healthcare 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 healthcare 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.
“America is a maritime nation, and for 250 years, America’s warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom,” Navy officials said.
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on secure undersea fiber optic cables, Navy leaders emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the fabric of America.
LaPadula is proud of her accomplishments so early in her career.
“I would say my proudest accomplishment in the Navy is becoming a corpsman,” LaPadula said. “I hold such a high respect for the rating of hospital corpsman. Graduating from corps school after two years without a job made me feel like I finally made it, like this has been my calling forever, but I was just too scared to take it. Keep in mind, I was offered corpsman at the start of my Navy journey; it is funny how life works out in the end.”
LaPadula is also proud of receiving a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (NAM) while serving aboard USS Lewis B. Puller for professional achievement and unrelenting perseverance.
“Receiving my first NAM meant a lot to me because it showed my dedication and how hard I worked while aboard USS Lewis B. Puller,” LaPadula said. “The first family I made in the Navy recognized me and that felt good.”
LaPadula serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“The Navy means just about everything to me,” she said. “The connections I have made, the places I have gone, and the achievements I have made are like nothing I have ever had. I joined the Navy for myself. It felt like the first time I had done anything just for me. It makes me feel empowered. I hold myself to such a high standard and continue our traditions and continue to remember the oath I have made.”