By Captain Charlotte Browning, US Navy, Broadmoor Resident
Twenty years ago, in Tampa, FL, near Central Command (CENTCOM) Headquarters:
“Craig, can you meet me at the pizza shop off the main gate with 15 two-liter bottles of soda in about 20 minutes?”
He was surprised by the late call and the request. We had just started dating about a month earlier. It was Friday night, and we had plans to go out for dinner. I had not given him my work phone number, and by then it was around 8 p.m. and I had not called. It was 2006, and as one of the more junior officers at CENTCOM, I was sent to get pizzas. War had broken out between Hezbollah and Israel, and my directorate had been tasked to plan and execute the largest evacuation of noncombatants since WWII—15,000 civilians. Nobody went home that night, and the Crisis Action Team went to work. For the next two months, we all worked extremely hard on this operation while CENTCOM continued to execute operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
While these were challenging times, I have always been so thankful for the military. Growing up in South Dakota on my own and in foster care, I had no money for college and first learned about the military academies when I was around 13 years old. I read a book about the requirements for admission and set my goals. I chose the Naval Academy after the school flew me out for an orientation weekend in Annapolis.
It is hard to put four years of strict academics, sports, and military training into a nutshell. Attention to detail, critical thinking, problem-solving, and overcoming challenges were a way of life. What stands out to me most, however, is how personal character is the core of every leader and every organization. What do you do when things get hard? How do you treat and take care of your people? Service above self.
After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1997, my first ship, the LSD-43 USS Fort McHenry, was stationed in Sasebo, Japan. As a Deck Officer, one of my many duties was embarking 400 Marines and all their gear. We were underway constantly for about two years throughout Southeast Asia. After earning my Surface Warfare pin, I elected to become a Naval Oceanographer. The Navy sent me to the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, where I completed graduate studies in Meteorology and Oceanography. So began many more moves and duty stations around the world.
Being stationed on Diego Garcia for a year was an absolute highlight for me, as I had the opportunity to take charge of my first small unit. At the time, I was still single. If I had had a family, it would have been a totally different experience.
Later that same year, after Craig met me at the pizza shop, we traveled to Colorado Springs. He asked me to marry him at The Broadmoor, on the bridge overlooking the lake, on New Year’s Eve. He is an amazing husband. I clearly remember when we were first married and he heard about one of my successes at work. He said, “The better you are, the better we are. I support you.”
And it is not always easy—work calls late at night, requirements during anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays, training during the kids’ special events, and deployments. A significant portion of my career, more than 16 years, has been spent supporting 24/7 watch operations. I absolutely know that the spouse of a military member has the harder job, and I am thankful every day that we serve our country and our family together.
We are blessed with two beautiful kids and love raising them in this community. Cayman is 13, Savannah is 11, and Ruby is our rescue dog.
Now, after 30 years and traveling the world to more than 45 countries, I am nearing the end of my naval career. It is hard to hold back tears when I hear “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Our courageous founders led us to this American experiment, forging a force for good and opportunity grounded in faith, freedom, reason, and liberty. I think of the goodness and sacrifice of loved ones, and what this land of opportunity has meant in my personal life, and I thank God.
This year also marks 50 years since women were first admitted to the United States service academies. I am deeply grateful to the trailblazing women who opened those doors through courage, perseverance, and sacrifice. Because of them, generations of women, including me, have had the opportunity to serve, lead, and contribute to something greater than ourselves. Their legacy continues to inspire the next generation of leaders who will carry our nation forward.
Happy 250th Birthday, America!
