MILLINGTON, Tenn. — Master Chief Petty Officer Lori Bent, a native of Roswell, Georgia, recently assumed her new duties working directly for the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON). Bent’s new assignment followed her promotion to her current rank of E-9.
Bent has served in the Navy for 18 years and has now reached the highest rank an enlisted sailor can achieve. Reflecting on her successful career, she credits her love of journalism as a huge part of her decision to serve her country.
“I wanted to pursue my passion for journalism, and the Navy offered both the adventure and career I yearned for growing up,” Bent said. “Serving in a capacity to be able to tell the stories of America's sons and daughters was an opportunity that I could not pass up.”
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Roswell.
“My family has a strong belief that working hard, no matter what the job, is an important characteristic," Bent said. “Being in the Navy is hard, but having the right discipline to stay focused, always learning and doing the hard things with 100 percent effort was ingrained in me from an early age.”
Preparing the next generation of Sailors for the challenges ahead is one of the main inspirations for Bent continuing to push forward with her career.
“What keeps me motivated every day is mentoring the next generation of Sailors,” Bent said. “It is incredibly rewarding to watch these future leaders accomplish their professional dreams and personal milestones. We grow together, achieve goals together, and I get to watch them mature and assume the roles and responsibilities I’ve held during my career.”
Serving in the Navy carries significant meaning for Bent, especially now that she has achieved a rank that only one percent of enlisted sailors ever attain.
“Serving in the Navy means I get to play a part in the history of the military and our country,” Bent said. “Things that I have been a part of, seen, and experienced will be written into history books and define the future of our nation.”
When asked who she would like to thank for contributing to the success of her career, Bent said family remained central.
“My family and friends are and will forever be my biggest supporters, and there are never enough ways to thank them for their sacrifice,” Bent said. “I know I am so very lucky to have mentors and cheerleaders in my corner every day, encouraging, course-correcting, grounding, challenging, and supporting me. There are people who championed me in rooms I never stepped into. Leaders who trusted in me and Sailors who believed in me as I navigated my way through the ranks.”
With 90 percent of global commerce traveling by sea and internet access 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 country.