When Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (FMF) Aimee Granger joined the Navy, her only goal was to qualify for the GI Bill so she could finish nursing school. But before her term was over, something unexpected happened.

She fell in love with the job she was doing and decided to reenlist.

Currently, she's a hospital corpsman (HM) detailer in Navy Personnel Command's (NPC) Career Management Department, and the NPC Sailor of the Year (SOY) on her way to the nation's capital to compete at the Manpower, Personnel, Training & Education (MPT&E) level.

"Granger is the definition of a leader's leader," said Master Chief Hospital Corpsman (SW/AW) Chuck Hickey, lead HM detailer. "She has the ability to make everyone around her want to better themselves. She is nothing short of stellar and represents the very best of the Navy."

The Colorado native always wanted to be a caregiver, and had even begun attending nursing school, but had to drop out. It was then that her life took an unanticipated turn.

"At that point, I looked for other avenues of approach, and that's when I stumbled across the corpsman rating in the Navy," she said. "It seemed an ideal way for me to reach my goals in the health care field while serving my country and fellow man."

In a decade with the Navy, she's been to Tajikistan, Germany, Bulgaria, Australia, New Guinea, the Philippines, Guam, Hawaii, and Timor Leste. She's also been stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, working with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, and the base naval hospital.

During that time, she deployed to Afghanistan with the Female Engagement Team and aboard USNS Mercy for Pacific Partnership, working in a variety of areas.

A wife and mother, Granger, the youngest of three children, puts a high importance on family.

Granger was on maternity leave and studying for her E7 exam when the SOY results were announced. The first person to hear about her accolade was her husband.

"My husband is my partner and we share our failures, our successes, and our ambitions," she said. "My success would mean very little without someone to share it with."

She said she grew up watching Denver Broncos games together with her father "pretty religiously." The Super Bowl teams of the late '90s included her favorite players, including Ed McCaffrey, Terrill Davis, and even the "loudmouth," Shannon Sharpe. Her favorite, however, was Hall of Fame receiver Rod Smith. She said she remembers watching an interview that mentioned his "crazy number" of consecutive practices. It was to have a profound influence on her.

According to Granger, when asked why he practiced so frequently and intensely, Smith said he didn't have others' natural talent, so he had to make up for it by working hard to be competitive.

"That always stuck with me," Granger said. "I feel that no dream or goal is out of reach if you are willing to put in the work."

That attitude carries over to her duties as a detailer for her field.

"I love 'Sailorization,' the mentality of others before self," she said. "I think that is why I love detailing so much; you work with Sailors to help them accomplish their goals."

According to NPC Force Master Chief (SW/AW) Tuck Williams, every Sailor is screened by rating and must be selected before getting assigned to NPC, so to win the SOY against all the other Sailors who are the best of the best in their specific ratings is a huge honor.

"She is not only engaged as an HM detailer, she was selected by her peers to be the president of the First Class Association," Williams said. "She is a role model for everyone to emulate; very intelligent, hardworking and always puts other Sailors first. In short, she is a rock star."

Granger said she looks forward to representing NPC at the board in Washington, D.C.

"At this point I'm planning to stay in until retirement" she said. "I'm not sure if that is going to be 20 years or 30, but it will come down to what is right for my family. I still want to do and accomplish many things with my career."

Among her goals are to obtain a master's degree, raise a family and run an Ironman triathlon. She also wants to get on a ship, get qualified, and eventually make master chief. Most of all, she wants to have a positive impact in the Navy.

"Responsibility and hard work pay off," she said. "Take ownership of your failures and mistakes and always work to fix and learn from them. Have a sense of autonomy, as nothing is free. In this life, everything is earned."

For more news from Navy Personnel Command, visit www.navy.mil/.