From Navy Veteran to ICU Nursing Resident

Military Roots and Early Influences

Military life runs deep in Chase’s family. Growing up in Fayetteville with a father who served as a Parachute Rigger in the Army for 20 years and a mother who was a Sailor for three, Chase’s path seemed destined for service. Initially unsure about college, he found himself drawn to the Navy.

“Recruiters came to my high school when I was a junior. The Navy used to have this digital blue uniform, which looked cool to me. I spoke to the recruiter that day and talked to him about the different Navy jobs, and I was all in.”

From Navy Service to Nursing Dreams

During his five years in the Navy, Chase was an Aviation Machinist Mate (AD) and a plane captain, inspecting aircraft, ensuring they were serviced and safe for flights, and conducting flight operations.

Being deployed at such a young age was tough, but Chase found meaning in helping others, a value he learned from the tight-knit military community he grew up in.

“All of our neighbors were military. People would do neighborly things, whether doing a minor electrical repair for a family or cutting someone’s lawn while their partner was deployed. I always thought, oh, that’s a nice thing to do. As I got older, I realized how much that little bit of help could impact people’s lives.”

Chase began exploring potential career paths while preparing to leave the Navy.

“Nursing was never a clear path for me. I knew I wanted to pursue a career with adrenaline. I knew I loved helping people, and I knew I loved aviation. While researching nursing, I learned about flight nursing and how it incorporated all those passions.”

Finding Purpose at CFCC

Transitioning out of the Navy during the peak of the COVID pandemic, Chase’s original plan was to return to Fayetteville to get his nursing degree. However, he found his way to CFCC’s nursing program through a friend’s recommendation.

“My friend told me she had a home in Wilmington and a really good school here. After looking it up and seeing that CFCC had the top nursing program in the state, I knew I wanted to go here.”

Support and Camaraderie

Supported by fellow student veterans and guided by his instructors, Chase found validation in pursuing his dream of becoming a flight nurse, combining his love for aviation with his desire to save lives.

“One of my instructors, Amanda White, was a paramedic and an emergency nurse, so she has a lot of understanding and experience in first-response medicine. She was nice enough to introduce me to one of the flight paramedics at Novant.”

CFCC’s Veterans Affairs Coordinator, Jason Bocchino, also plays a pivotal role in Chase’s college journey.

“Jason goes out of his way to ensure we get scholarships and checks the G.I. Bill adequately covers us. He helps us navigate other aspects of our lives, like emotional and psychological support. He always keeps an eye on us during our time here to make sure we’re doing good.”

Surrounded by other student veterans in the ADN program, Chase finds comfort and camaraderie in their shared military background.

“When you’re 19 and 20 years old and on a deployment, you have a lot of responsibility and accountability, and that’s not something most 19-year-old civilians have to go through. Several student veterans are in the nursing program, and we gravitated toward each other. None of us had the same job in the military, but it’s comforting to talk about our time in the service and our experiences.”

Looking Ahead

As Chase prepares to begin the next chapter of his life as a nurse, he does so with gratitude for the experiences that have shaped him and a commitment to making a difference in the lives of those he serves.

To learn about CFCC’s Associate Degree Nursing program, visit cfcc.edu/adn .