The faces of the Navy have changed and it’s not what you think. Some members the armed forces have used it as an opportunity to create careers and to pay for college. Many of those faces are African-American and under the age of 40.

Attending a special event in her capacity as the first vice chairwoman of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), Michigan Chronicle COO Karen Love boarded the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) for a series of panel discussions relating to the impact the Navy has on educating students interested in pursuing higher education.

This interactive, immersive experience was designed to expand the participants’ knowledge and appreciation of how the Navy can fit into the lives of college students. The Navy is committed to reaching out to African-American college students to help them achieve their dreams.

“It was a real experience,” Love said. “It ended up being an experience of a lifetime. I was enthralled by the stories we heard and all the Black folk that looked
like us, from varied backgrounds, who joined the Navy to do something different – to be educated.”

Love was thrilled that many on the decks and in the corridors working were not only Black, but many were between the ages of 18 and 21.

“They are a group of people we can be proud of,” Love said. “The whole experience left me breathless. To meet these young people was the most exciting thing to happen to me in a long time. The message is if they’re in school and if they have a 2.7 GPA, the Navy will pay for the rest of their education.”

The U.S.S. Ronald Reagan was commissioned on July 2003, making it the ninth and newest Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The ship, named after the 40th president, carries the motto of “Peace through
strength,” a recurrent theme during the Reagan presidency.

“It’s important for the Black press to get the word out
about job security in the Navy,” said Commander Al Worthy. “Navy integrates more Black men and women than any other branch of the military.”

“As Blacks, we can go beyond the myth, we can change our fate,” said Commander Mark K. Harris.

Commander Michael J. Singleton joined the Navy to make a difference.

“The Navy experience will not only improve your life but make you a polished pearl,” Singleton said. He has accomplished everything in the Navy that he dreamed of as a young boy growing up in Mt. Pleasant, Gullah Island, N.C.

Lt. Commander Joseph “Nick” Byrd always wanted to be a
pilot but didn’t have the money for flight lessons, which is why he joined the Navy.

“I am a strong supporter of diversity,” Byrd said. “I believe that the Navy will improve the lives of men and women. As a flight instructor, I always encourage the brothers and sisters with a ‘you’re going to make it.’”

Commander Dobbs, a doctoral candidate, said he is proud of the legacy he will leave for others coming after him.

The following profiles are only a handful of extraordinary officers who are leading the way for future generations of African- Americans in the Navy.

Commander Stanley Dobbs, Supply Corps, U.S. Navy

An honor graduate of Strom Thurmond High School, Commander Stanley Dobbs enlisted in the Navy in 1983, and was commissioned through the Broadened Opportunity of Officer’s Selection and Training (BOOST) and Enlisted Commissioning Program. His sea tours include the ship U.S.S. Holland (AS-32), the nuclear submarine U.S.S. Sunfish (SSN-649), and the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). Ashore he has served at the Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C.; Naval Inventory Control Point, Philadelphia; Commander Strike Fighter Wing Pacific, Lemoore, Calif.; and Commander Naval Air Forces, San Diego.

A doctoral candidate, he has earned multiple advanced degrees and executive certifications in the academic disciplines of engineering, business, law and management from institutions ranging from the
University of Memphis and the Naval Postgraduate School to the Ivy Leagues of Harvard, Stanford and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Dobbs currently serves as the deputy, assistant chief of staff for Supply Chain and Logistics, Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) where his responsibilities includes the global operations and business management of NAE
assets in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

Dobbs resides in Hanford, Calif.

Commander Michael J. Singleton, Medical Corps

Commander Michael J. Singleton was born and raised in Mount Pleasant, S.C.

Singleton completed USAF ROTC at Duke University Det. 585 in Durham, N.C. receiving a B.S. in biology/chemistry from North Carolina Central University.

His first duty assignments as a USAF Space Systems Operation officer and subsequently Satellite Mission planner and Space Systems Acquisitions officer eventually led him back to medicine, as he worked off-duty as a volunteer emergency room assistant in an inner city hospital. He completed his USAF commitment and UCLA Medical School and returned to the
military in the Naval Medical Corps while completing his internship at Loma Linda Medical Center. After completing his internal medicine residency he was assigned as a medical officer at Naval Hospital Lemoore, Lemoore California, working at the naval community hospital as a staff physician within the Internal Medicine Clinic. He quickly rose to the Department Head and used his leadership skills to inspire his staff of two clinical nurses, two primary care providers and 5 corpsmen to provide high quality primary and specialty healthcare services to active duty, retirees and their family members.

Singleton served as a combat-internist in Iraq and provided emergent and urgent healthcare services to our injured military and civilian casualties.
Commander Singleton completed his master’s degree in healthcare management from George Washington University. He currently he serves as a staff attending physician at the Naval Medical Center San Diego.

He is responsible for the supervision and education of future naval internal medicine physicians. He provides guidance and instructions to the interns and residents during both hospitalized and outpatient clinical
patient encounters.

Commander Lenora Creseda Langlais, Nurse Corps, USN

Commander Lenora Langlais is native Philadelphian by way of Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies. She is a 1985 graduate of Villanova University and is currently a PhD candidate.

In her 18-year military career, Commander Langlais has served in three branches of service as an active duty military nurse corps officer. Her military career began in 1991 with the U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps in which she served four years; she then joined the U.S Army Nurse Corps and served five years and her final mission is being assigned in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps in which she has served nine years.

In combat under the command of the Department of the Navy, she served with the 1st Marine Logistic Group (MLG) as the senior combat/trauma nurse of the Surgical Shock Trauma Platoon (SSTP) in Taqqaudum, Iraq. Ashore with the Navy, she served as senior medical officer over the design and implementation of the U.S. Navy’s first Deployment Health Clinic for Navy Medicine West, servicing over 36,000 active duty and reserve marines and sailors assigned to deploying units of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. CDR Langlais is currently assigned to the Navy Recruiting District San Diego Headquarters as the lead officer for the Medical Recruiting Team and Diversity officer.

Langlais’ awards include the Purple Heart, Navy Commendation, Army Commendation, Air Force Commendation Medal, Fleet Marine Force and various unit and service awards. She became the first Navy nurse to receive a Purple Heart on April 7, 2006.

Lieutenant Jessica A. Reed, Surface Warfare

Lt. Jessica A. Reed was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona.

Reed attended the United States Naval Academy receiving a B.S. in Physical Oceanography in 2004. Her first duty assignment was aboard the U.S.S. Essex(LHD 2), a Landing Helicopter Dock Amphibious Assault Ship forward deployed from Saseabo, Japan. On board the Essex, she
served as the Internal Communications Division officer and also as Main Propulsion Division officer for one of Essex’s two 600 psi boiler steam propulsion plants. While on the Essex, she achieved her Surface Warfare
Officer Qualification and participated in an 8-month deployment to the Northern Arabian Gulf in support of the Global War on Terrorism and humanitarian relief efforts for the 2005 Tsunami in Southeast Asia and 2006 mudslides in Leyte Gulf.

In 2007 Reed returned to the United States and attended two months of AEGIS Weapons System and Air Warfare Training at the AEGIS Training Center in Dahlgren, Va., in preparation for her following assignment as Fire Control officer on board Guided Missile Destroyer U.S.S. Pinckney (DDG 91) homported in San Diego, CA. On board that ship she completed a six-month deployment to the southern Philippine islands in support of the Global War on Terrorism and achieved her Air Warfare coordinator and Anti-Submarine Warfare evaluator qualifications.

In 2008 Reed was assigned to be an instructor at Fleet Anti-submarine Warfare Training Center in San Diego, Calif. She is the division officer over the staff of instructors responsible for delivering Single Ship Anti-Submarine Warfare, an anti-submarine warfare tactical team training and evaluation course of instruction critical to Anti-Submarine Warfare Area Certifications for shipboard watch standing teams. Her military awards and decorations include two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and various other service and unit awards.

Lieutenant Lori A. Campbell, Nurse Corps, U.S. Navy

Lt. Lori A. Campbell was born and raised in New Orleans. She joined the Hampton Roads NROTC unit
in Norfolk, Va. receiving a B.S. in nursing from Hampton University in 2003. She completed her master’s
degree in 2006.

Her first duty assignment as a Nurse Corps officer was at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, working in the Labor and Delivery department, rising quickly to charge nurse and awarded Junior Nurse of the Third Quarter at one of the largest Department of Defense hospitals in the nation.

She currently serves as a medical officer recruiter at the Navy Recruiting District San Diego.

Campbell was awarded the Officer Recruiter of the Quarter for 1st Quarter Fiscal Year 2008. Additionally, she is the Diversity Program officer for the Navy Recruiting District San Diego, which includes Las Vegas and Yuma, Ariz. She was also selected as the Diversity Officer of the Year Fiscal 2008. She is a PhD candidate in the School of Psychology at Walden University where she is maintains a 4.0 GPA.

Lieutenant Dennis L. Holmes Jr.

Lt. Dennis L. Holmes, Jr. “D.J.” is a native of Killeen, Texas. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in August 1995 as an operations specialist. He served on U.S.S. Coronado (AGF-11), the staff of Commander, Amphibious
Squadron Five, and the staff of Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group One prior to entering the Naval ROTC program at Prairie View A&M University in August 2001. He was commissioned through the Enlisted Commissioning Program in May 2003 after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Naval Science.

Holmes’ first Division Officer tour was aboard the U.S.S. Bunker Hill (CG 52), where he served as electrical officer and assistant fire control officer, making one Western Pacific deployment. While on the Bunker Hill he qualified as a Surface Warfare officer, Surface/Subsurface Warfare coordinator, Force Protection Action officer, Command Duty officer and Officer of the Deck (Underway).

His awards include the Navy Commendation Medal and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with three gold stars and the Navy Good Conduct Medal with one bronze star.

Holmes currently serves as the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program manager at Navy Recruiting Command.