Revere Native Meritoriously Advanced in U.S. Navy

by Douglas H. Stutz, Naval Hospital Bremerton Public Affairs Officer

Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Dylan Stuart, (left), a 2010 Revere High School graduate and native of Revere, Massachusetts, was meritoriously advanced in rate serving at Naval Hospital Bremerton (NHB) Washington.

Stuart was one of 12 selected sailors – and recognized as a top performer – for the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2019 Meritorious Advancement Program (MAP) out of approximately 550 enlisted personnel.

“I was first and foremost surprised, and extremely grateful for the position my leadership put me in to get me to this point,” said Stuart, leading petty officer for NHB’s Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Department. “Without them, I certainly wouldn’t be able to achieve the things I have. I’m extraordinarily happy and excited.”

The Navy’s MAP authorizes commanding officers to advance eligible enlisted sailors in paygrades E5 and below to the next higher paygrade, and provides the opportunity to acknowledge those personnel who have demonstrated they are ready for the next level of responsibility by advancing them in rate. The program also grants greater authority to individual commands to better structure their manning levels, and overall helps the Navy by continuing to develop and reward talented sailors.

“Congratulations on such an outstanding achievement,” said Capt. Jeffrey Bitterman, commanding officer of NHB. “Your hard work, dedication, and sustained superior performance are clearly shining through! I am confident that your ability to lead by example in motivating others will result in Command growth and future promotions for other shipmates.”

It was Stuart’s early interest in the medical field that has led him to serving approximately six years in the Navy, with NHB his second assignment after an initial tour at Branch Health Clinic Iwakuni, Japan.

“I was interested in emergency medicine from a young age,” Stuart said. “However, when I was in high school I found myself dreading going to college. I looked into the military and after researching the hospital corpsman rate a bit, I immediately felt that was what I wanted to do. I could work in the field of medicine and serve my country at the same time. It can’t get much better.”

Stuart said his most compelling assignment happened during his time in Japan.

“While stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan I was one of the lead emergency medical technician (EMT) instructors for the base EMT program.” Stuart said. “Teaching and working with students, and seeing them put their knowledge to good use to take care of our sailors, Marines and their families was exciting.”

Although he attests that being far from home and missing a lot of major family moments can be difficult at times, he has made the most of the flipside to that.

“Traveling to locations I’ve never been is always great, but the general camaraderie between the sailors, Marines, and other military members I’ve had the opportunity to work with is something that never gets old.”

Stuart adds that he considers working alongside his friends and peers as the best part of his Navy career.

“It’s easy to come to work when you enjoy the people you work with,” Stuart said, acknowledging that he continues to set and achieve goals.

“I hit a lot of personal goals recently,” Stuart said. “I was selected for the MAP to second class petty officer, and my request to affiliate with the Navy Selected Reservists (component) was approved following my end of active obligated service in April, 2020. Following that I will be attending the Massachusetts Fire Academy in order to join the Revere Fire Department as a full-time Fire Fighter/EMT. In the meantime I would like to work my way towards a degree in Fire Science,” shared Stuart.

The Navy’s surgeon general has stated that there’s a renewed emphasis on readiness and the Hospital Corps, the Navy’s only enlisted corps, will continue to rely on hospital corpsman – like Stuart – to serve in scores of environments to support the warfighter by utilizing the most advanced technology and sciences. Along with their own drive, discipline, and determination, like Stuart.

“As the leading petty officer for my department, the readiness of my sailors specifically is a daily objective and one of my primary focuses,” Stuart said. “I assure they’re up to date with all of their training and medical readiness. I make sure they are staying in shape physically to meet and exceed Navy standards, and I emphasize in providing them as many opportunities as possible to take additional courses and training to expand their knowledge and physical readiness.”

NHB is a U.S. Navy hospital located on Naval Station Bremerton in Bremerton, Washington. NHB has a three-fold primary mission to support our warfighters, past and present, and their families by: Providing exceptional care anytime, anywhere; shape military medicine through training, research, and graduate medical education; and to prepare our forces for deployment.