Long have U.S. Navy hospital corpsmen answered the operational readiness call when needed.

Even to return home.

When Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Marissa Stancil learned about the opportunity to support the unique Navy mission of Huntsville Navy Week by heading back to her Alabama roots, April 21-27, 2025, there was no way she could pass up the chance.

“Why not! I love my job. It was the perfect occasion to get to talk about it,” said Stancil, from Albertville, Alabama, approximately 47 miles outside Huntsville and assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command Bremerton as a Main Operating Room surgical technician. “I saw it as a great opportunity to step out of my comfort zone as an introvert.

For the seven year Navy veteran and Albertville High School 2013 graduate, it was the chance to give back to the area she grew up.

According to the Navy Office of Community Outreach who coordinates the event, Navy Weeks are a specialized series of outreach events specifically designed to give Americans an opportunity to learn about the Navy, the officers and enlisted personnel who serve, and its mission to maintain, train and equip combat-ready naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintained freedom of the seas for 250 years.

The Huntsville area is a state hub for the military, with strong ties to the U.S. Army and NASA. Navy uniforms are not a common sight in the state’s most populace city. As such, the Navy Week provided Stancil to readily explain her role as a part of a ready medical force ensuring that America has a medically ready force.

“We received a few comments of, “where’d you park the boat?” But overall, people were just curious. There was a little bit of who has more pride banter as well, but all in good fun,” Stancil said, adding that the Huntsville response to her and other Navy personnel was overwhelmingly positive.


“We were appreciated everywhere we showed up. North Alabama is a very compassionate area. It’s hard to find someone who isn’t helping someone else. There were many teams that contributed to humanitarian projects and the organizers were so grateful. In addition, the area is full of very passionate people, so even at social events we felt our appearance welcomed,” shared Stancil.

Stancil’s infectious enthusiasm was on full display at many venues throughout the eights-days-a-week event, along with her hospital corpsman specialty training as a surgical technician.

“Oh, the places we got to go,” exclaimed Stancil, who represented the Navy Medicine contingent at a number of local colleges and high schools.

“My high school was one of them! It was great visiting my health science class and seeing how much the school has grown! While we were visiting Drake State, they were hosting a health fair for a local elementary school. The nursing students were gaining didactic experience in pediatric heath education and the children were having a great time learning,” said Stancil.

Stancil and the other Navy Medicine representatives also joined another group in a Navy birthday celebration at the local Floyd E. “Tut” Fann State Veteran’s Home.

“It was amazing! I even met another corpsman there,” related Stancil, who also found herself in the limelight on a daily newscast. “Being from the area, I was able to go to the local news station, which was very cool to see how what we see on the television is made behind the scenes.”

One of the many highlights for Stancil was touring the Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology.

“Their team was very engaged as Rear Adm. Todd Weeks, program executive officer, strategic submarines spoke and even conversed with the Navy Medicine team at the end,” said Stancil, acknowledging that visiting the U.S. Space and Rocket Center was a definitive highpoint.

“Every evening there was a social event. One of my favorites was the first night at the Space and Rocket Center. There’s a very excited picture of me floating around social media. My co-workers have named it, “the super smile.” Apparently, I do not hide excitement well. This event was especially powerful to me because I attended leadership camp there in high school. I had the amazing opportunity to reflect on where I started as a leader while surrounded by my leaders, peers, and future leaders,” stated Stancil, who continues to professionally - and even scholastically - bolster her career as demonstrated by receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in 2023 from American Military University.

Stancil was afforded several notable moments to share on her chosen career path as a hospital corpsman with surgical technologist specialty training in supporting Navy Medical Service Corps and Nurse Corps officers in operating room and surgical suites, along with providing treatment care, safety, and support to patients before, during and after surgery and assisting the anesthetist during operating procedures and helping with other duties relating to surgery. Grade school and high school students were collective rapt audiences and openly shared their curiosity in all things Navy, even uniform items like footwear.

“I lived for all such little moments. Just seeing, hearing and sharing was very memorable, such as a 12-year old commenting I was more fashionable than my other friends (Navy officers…) because I chose to wear black shoes instead of the white shoes. Of course kids notice such details,” recollected Stancil. “And watching teenagers break out of their shells and asking us questions!”

Stancil attests the Huntsville Navy Week felt like one week-long civic, cultural and community, providing numerous chances to mix and mingle with local residents.

“A 12-hour day was a short day,” said Stancil, acknowledging the commitment was demanding, albeit in a good way. “It was challenging, but that’s what I went for. I knew I had to give it my all because a lot of people were supporting me at NHB being away from work. I made a point to talk to as many people as possible and to shy away from nothing. Talking with other Sailors there was also gratifying. There is so much the Navy does and it was so enlightening to listen to everyone’s stories.”

Stancil also expressed appreciation to her command and co-workers.

“I used to think how cliché it sounded when someone would say, “thank you for holding down the fort.” But I guess I never got to experience something so impactful. I can’t shake the immense gratitude for my peers for taking on the extra work when I was gone, my leadership helping me get there and the continued support I received while gone and now back at work.”

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.

There are 14 other locales slated to host Navy Week in 2025, which began in Tucson, Arizona in February, followed by Sacramento, California in March, American Samoa also in April, followed by Richmond, Virginia in May, Anchorage, Alaska and Duluth, Minnesota in June, Milwaukee, Wisconsin in July, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Columbus, Ohio, and Springfield/Branson, Missouri in August, Wichita Falls, Texas and Hartford, Connecticut and Springfield, Massachusetts in September, Eugene, Oregon in October and Sante Fe, New Mexico in November.

When Stancil was asked if she would be willing to take part again, she replied, “I would go again and again. I would sign up to go on all of them if it wasn’t taking the opportunity from someone else. I loved it.”