WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Oct. 2, 2023) – Petty Officer 1st Class Brittney McKoy, whose parents live in Virginia Beach, Virginia, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group operating out of Williamsburg, Virginia.
McKoy graduated in 2009 from Bayside High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. McKoy also earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Norfolk State University while on deployment in 2020.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Virginia Beach.
“Growing up, I learned the value of being able to fit in wherever I go,” said McKoy. “Being open to learning other people’s backgrounds, being able to lead and be led, being able to guide people and be humble are all things I’ve carried with me. In the Navy, you have a lot of different people over you and a lot of different people under you. You have to be able to be in the same room with people and work together without any animosity.”
McKoy joined the Navy nine years ago. Today, McKoy serves as a gunner’s mate.
“I joined the Navy because I wanted financial stability and the Navy pays for school,” said McKoy. “I was originally in nursing school and every time I had to take the exam for state boards, it was $700. I could join the military and they could pay for it, so I did. I still returned to school but I finished with a different degree.”
Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group, headquartered in Williamsburg, Virginia, is made up of more than 3,300 personnel assigned to three regiments and seven battalions across the United States. Its mission is to deliver worldwide expeditionary logistics with active and reserve personnel to provide a wide range of supply and transportation support critical for peacetime efforts, crisis response, humanitarian and combat service missions.
Serving in the Navy means McKoy is part of a team that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“In the Navy, we’re one team and one fight, doing what we need to do to better the issues in the world,” said McKoy.
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to trained sailors and a strong Navy.
McKoy has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“I’m most proud of advancing in rank and being able to finish school in a situation I did not think would work out,” said McKoy. “I made petty officer first class in six years and I finished my degree on deployment. I didn’t plan on making my time in the Navy a long-term thing, but I’m sticking with it.”
As McKoy and other sailors continue to train and perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the U.S. Navy.
“My service means I’m proving that anyone from any background, despite your doubts in yourself, that you can do it and come out on top,” said McKoy. “I think back and look at where I am now, I never thought that I’d be successful in the military because I doubted myself so much before I joined. I have a 5-year-old daughter and I never thought I’d be able to leave on deployment and come back and still have that close bond with her. We’ve been through two deployments since she was born and our bond is strong.”
McKoy is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my mom, Gisele Phillips, because I get my strength and my courage from her,” added McKoy. “Even though I doubted myself, she was always there like, ‘Girl you got this.’ I also want to thank my husband, Lee McKoy, for holding the fort down any time duty calls. I’m thankful for my daughter, Mila McKoy, for being my motivation and my reason why on my hardest days.”
By Ashley Craig, Navy Office of Community Outreach