ROTA, Spain – Growing up on a horse farm in Fern Prairie, Washington, HM1 Brandon Day learned early the value of hard work and motivation. Those values—instilled by his grandfather and sharpened through 11 years of dedicated service—have led to his selection as the 2024 U.S. Navy League-Madrid Council Shore Sailor of the Year, representing Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Rota, Spain.

As a surgical technologist and proven deckplate leader, HM1 Day’s impact on warfighter readiness is both strategic and personal. Supporting over 350 surgical cases, his hands-on role ensures that forward-deployed personnel receive timely, high-quality medical care that keeps them in the fight.

"I joined the Navy to pursue a better life, travel the world, and start a rewarding career," said Day. "Being a surgical technologist is awesome—I get to assist some of the most intelligent physicians in the world in providing surgical services to people in need."


His leadership spans far beyond the operating room having served as the Directorate Senior Sailor and Senior Enlisted Leader, managing a team that delivered a 22% increase in surgical caseload while maintaining a 98% patient satisfaction rate. Under his mentorship, Sailors earned advancements, awards, and qualifications, reinforcing the Navy’s operational medical readiness posture in Europe.

“Serving in the Navy has given me structure, discipline, and job satisfaction like no other time in my life,” Day said. “It’s about bettering myself while protecting the ones I love.”

Whether he's in the operating room, leading from the deckplates, or shaping the next generation of Sailors, HM1 Brandon Day embodies the spirit of warfighter readiness—mission-ready, family-strong, and service-driven.

NMRTC Rota serves as a force multiplier in Navy Medicine’s strategic global medical support mission throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East while also supporting operational readiness and maintaining a strategic repository of expertise at the Naval Hospital Rota Military Training Facility within the Iberian Peninsula.

Navy Medicine is represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.