In the early morning hours Dec. 27 last year, just after the sun peeked above the horizon, the sound of a short whistle blast followed by the words “Underway, shift colors,” echoed across the calm seas of Rota, Spain’s coastline.

The sun illuminated through the brisk, morning fog, creating a warm glow as line handlers laid line on the deck and manned the rails. Sailors observed as the 505-foot Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) set sail to begin its sixth patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. For many of the forward-deployed Sailors assigned to Porter, it was just another day, but for Hospital Corpsman Seaman Breanna Redding, it was a dream come true.

Redding, from Redding, California, never had plans to join the military. Her father, a Navy veteran, encouraged her to consider enlisting in the Navy, but she originally chose a different path. She enrolled in Shasta College and began attending classes as an anthropology major. When not studying, her goal was to avoid student loan debt by working for a local car dealership.

Although choosing the traditional brick-and-mortar college route after high school, the thought of joining was always stuck in the back of her mind.

“I’ve always wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself,” said Redding. “After some time, I started to realize I had a strong desire to be a part of a team. I wanted to help others, and I wanted to be able to serve my country.”

In 2016, Redding made one of the biggest decisions of her life. She enlisted in the United States Navy.

“I initially joined when I came to the realization that I was on path to graduate college in my home town and eventually get a job in the same town,” said Redding. “I wanted more than that. I wanted to help, and I felt the best way I could was to be a corpsman. However, I did have my concerns. Hospitals scared me as a kid, and one of my concerns was giving others shots.”

After completing boot camp, Redding started “A” school where she learned the basic duties of a Hospital Corpsman.

Even with concerns, Redding proved to herself how capable she was when tested. Redding graduated Hospital Corpsman school in the top 10 percent of her class.

Upon graduation, she was presented with an opportunity to attend psychology technician “C” school. Having joined the Navy with a dream of going to sea, she was advised that attending the school would limit her options and reduce opportunities to deploy on a ship.

Redding decided to take the chance and applied for the “C” school. She clung to the idea that one day she would deploy on a U.S. Navy ship and experience everything the Navy has to offer.

“I took psychology, sociology and cultural anthropology in school, and it really fascinated me,” said Redding. “It felt right making the decision because I knew that it was a field I could really help others in. Even before the Navy, I spent time doing research on different coping mechanisms to help others with depression and anxiety. It just seemed like the stars were starting to align for me.”

While in “C” school, Redding, designated the class’ leading petty officer, learned about the processes and treatments for Sailors and Marines with a variety of mental health issues. She graduated second in the class of 62 service members from across all branches. As a result of her hard work, dedication to learning, she was granted the choice to choose orders early.

“It was a great experience,” said Redding. “It was my first time in a joint environment, and I left there ready to go put all my training to use. When orders came out, I had several to choose from, but I was excited to see one of them said sea duty.”

Redding picked orders to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 60 in Naval Station Rota, Spain. She was excited about the opportunity to become a part of the team and serve alongside her fellow Sailors at sea.

Soon after orders were issued, Redding was on a flight to join the fleet. She was met at the airport at Rota by 11 Sailors from her new command.

“They handed me a command ball cap and gave me a huge, warm welcome,” said Redding. “Once I got settled in, I discovered that I was the first Corpsman to ever come to the command, and they don’t have a doctor yet. The command uses the Hospital Corpsman and Navy doctors from the naval hospital in Rota.”

During the check-in process, leadership wanted to discuss what her goals were while at the command. Redding responded with enthusiasm for the idea she had been mulling over since becoming a psychology technician.

I want to deploy on a ship and earn my Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) pin, said Redding.

Much to Redding’s delight, the commander responded with, I am very happy you said that Redding. We are sending you to temporary assigned duty on a destroyer for a patrol.

Today, Redding is living her dream while deployed with a crew of more than 280 Sailors in support of U.S national security interests in Europe and Africa.

“I finally feel like I am a part of something bigger than myself,” said Redding. “I’m a part of team that works together, and I feel I am out here really making an impact and putting all my training to good use. The crew has been wonderful, and I have been learning a lot from the corpsman serving on board. Every day I try to take it all in. I carry a huge amount of pride knowing I am able to do my part and serve while being in a deployed status.”

Redding’s chain of command understands the importance of her experience and agrees she adds to the capabilities of medical team consisting of five corpsman. The team is trained to treat anything from a common cold to a combat casualty. Adding to their capabilities, Redding utilizes her specialty training as a psychology technician aboard.

“Most corpsman who go through psychology tech school don't get the opportunity to see and work under the same conditions as their patients,” said Porter’s Medical Leading Chief Petty Officer, Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Jeremy Brower. “This deployment will hopefully give her the background to better understand her patients and what they are going through. As she moves forward in her career, I think that this time will be of great value, and its perfect timing for her because she is straight out of school.”

As Porter continues to sail in the Mediterranean, Hospital Corpsman Seaman Breanna Redding can be found studying for her ESWS pin, treating patients or standing by during a ship’s evolution as a safety observer ready with a huge grin on her face and living her dream come true.

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