By Rick Burke, Navy Office of Community Outreach
While many of the sailors are from all over the country, this Navy Week will carry special meaning for visiting sailors from the area, including Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Stancil, a native of Albertville, Alabama.
Stancil graduated from Albertville High School in 2013. Additionally, Stancil graduated from American Military University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science.
Upon joining the Navy, Stancil quickly found that many of the skills and values forged in Albertville were the same as those needed to succeed in the Navy.
“I was not sure if I had what it would take, but one of my mentors told me less qualified people have tried and succeeded,” Stancil said. “I volunteered in the ER at Marshall Medical Centers North, worked as a CNA for Rehab Select at Albertville and as a pharmacy technician at CVS in Guntersville. It was during my second semester of nursing school when I decided I wanted to be a hospital corpsman instead. The knowledge I gained from all of those experiences helped me succeed in my initial training.”
Stancil, who joined the Navy seven years ago, is assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Bremerton, Washington.
“I wanted to train with the best, and I felt a calling to the Navy,” Stancil said. “I researched Navy Medicine and never had a second thought. Serving as a hospital corpsman has been an absolute honor. If I could live 100 lives, I would choose Navy Medicine every time.”
Stancil is participating in the first Navy Week hosted by Huntsville and the eighth time the Navy Week program has visited Alabama. Navy Weeks are a series of outreach events coordinated by the Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO) designed to give Americans an opportunity to learn about the Navy, its people, and its importance to national security and prosperity.
“I wish I would have known how amazing and diverse a career in military medicine could be before I joined,” Stancil said. “I am excited to share with my community the various tasks carried out by Navy Medicine.”
Today, Stancil serves as a hospital corpsman.
“I am a surgical technologist,” Stancil said. “My day-to-day job is just the same as a surgical tech at any other hospital. I even trained at civilian hospitals. My job is very rewarding because our clients are the Navy’s most valuable asset: my shipmates. I am awarded opportunities to gain experience in other fields as well. Right now, I am assigned to security forces three days a month.”
Stancil has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“My proudest accomplishment is the everyday accomplishments that make me feel proud,” Stancil said.
Stancil is grateful for the Albertville community and for those who helped make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my brother, even though he is a tattletale,” Stancil added. “He was the first person I told when I joined the Navy, and he is still the first person I tell when I receive orders, a promotion or any type of recognition.”
Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy’s flagship outreach effort into areas of the country without a significant Navy presence, providing the public a firsthand look at why the Navy matters to cities like Huntsville.
“As we celebrate 250 years of naval tradition and excellence as a maritime nation, we recognize that it’s not only the world’s most advanced weapons systems, but more importantly, our highly skilled Sailors—at sea and ashore—who provide an unmatched advantage in promoting global security, deterring aggression, and safeguarding the American way of life,” said Cmdr. Julie Holland, director of the Navy Office of Community Outreach. “Bringing Navy Week to Huntsville—an epicenter of innovation, space exploration, and defense—creates a meaningful opportunity to connect with a community whose values of service, science, and national security deeply align with those of the Navy.”
Huntsville Navy Week events include a Navy Week proclamation and kickoff ceremony at the Space and Rocket Museum; Military Night at the Trash Panda’s baseball game; Hazel Green High School NJROTC Showcase; Floyd E. “Tut” Fann State Veterans Home; Cocktails at the View at Burritt on the Mountain; Panoply Arts Festival; Huntsville Comic and Pop Culture Expo; Arbor Day 5K Race; College Beach Volleyball Championship; Lowe Mill ARTS and Entertainment; Huntsville City Football Club and free live music at venues throughout the city performed by Navy Band Southeast. Sailors will also volunteer with organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs; Downtown Rescue Mission; Manna House Food Distribution; Huntsville Community Drumline; Next Step Farms; Food Bank of North Alabama; 305 Eighth Street Community; Habitat for Humanity; Operation Making a Difference; Sleep in Heavenly Peace and Huntsville Botanical Garden, among others.
For a list of public events, visit https://www.outreach.navy.mil/Navy-Weeks/Huntsville-2025/
