SAN DIEGO — Petty Officer 2nd Class Samantha Brown, a native of Hansville, is serving in the U.S. Navy at Naval Medical Center San Diego.

Brown serves as a hospital corpsman at the San Diego-based preventive medicine unit. According to Navy officials, the priority of the Navy Environmental Preventive Medicine Unit — also known in Navy parlance as NEPMU — is to provide preventive medicine, environmental, and occupational health services.

“I work in the administration department here at NEPMU5,” Brown said in a story released by the Navy. “I get to provide customer service for staff and get to help and interact with everyone here.”

The sailors who are part of Navy medicine are the most highly trained, educated and specialized force in history, Navy officials said. Cmdr. Shelton Lyons, the officer in charge of NEPMU FIVE, said those sailors play a critical role in maintaining the medical readiness of the fleet.

“The NEPMUs are uniquely capable of providing preventive medicine, environmental and occupational health services,” Lyons said. “We are also able to provide critical training for global health engagements and disaster responses, increasing readiness and overall capacity of our fleet and strategic partners.”

Brown said she feels honored to be able to serve at a hospital that is continually raising the bar in health care.

“This command provides a sense of family and everyone is ready and willing to help you out,” Brown said. “During the holidays, people open homes to those from out of the area.”

Those who serve in Navy medicine understand that they play a key role in meeting the missions of our armed forces, according to Navy officials.

“I like the teamwork and how every job in the Navy is significant in its own way,” Brown added. “Without one job, things would fall apart. The Navy empowers me to continue to be tough and strong and keeps pushing me to look outside the box.”