SK2 Carolyn Pivarnik, U.S. Navy (2000-2005)

Two pieces of advice: 1) Keep all your request chits, and 2) Explore!

For the first, I was able to renegotiate an evaluation because of this. I was marked down for not trying to pursue higher education, even though I had repeatedly sent chits up the chain of command to do so. They would either be denied or my work schedule would be changed, making it impossible for me to follow through with classes. When my evaluation came back to me to sign, I refused to until they changed that category to a better score, and I was able to prove my case because I had heeded the early advice given to me and saved all my request chits. When my chiefs saw their own signatures, they changed the score to a Promote.

As for exploring, my first duty station was overseas. That can be overwhelming for people and causes them to retreat to things that are familiar. However, there is so much to learn and enjoy by being stationed away from what is familiar. One of my favorite spots in Sicily was the Valley of the Temples. This pic was taken 25 years ago, and recently I was able to recreate it on another trip I took there last month. Because I embraced my experience overseas, I feel like I get to call another country my second home. As newbies in the military, we’re not in control of a lot of situations that get handed to us, but we do get to be in control of how we deal with those situations. Don’t waste 2 or 3 years of a tour being miserable and wishing for something different, but rather take the time to explore and enjoy something new. You might be surprised as to how that alone will open you up to a world of possibilities.

Read the Military Memories of our Runner-Ups.