Sailor Story: Former Petty Officer 2nd Class Veronica Birmingham

[Navy for Moms Admin]

Sailor: Former Petty Officer 2nd Class Veronica Birmingham, Memphis, Tenn.
Mom: Irene Birmingham, North Hollywood, Calif.

After high school graduation, Veronica Birmingham heeded the call of the open road and jetted off on a solo adventure around Europe for three months, before settling in Frankfurt, Germany. Her first taste of military life came while she was living near the U.S. Army Installation in Frankfurt and working on base as a picture framer. She found she enjoyed the military way of life: the order, the structure and the opportunities for travel, educational advancement and benefits that the military offered.

A few years later, joining the military became a reality for Birmingham. She lived in Colorado at the time and felt she needed a change. The Navy option surfaced, and this time it became a serious consideration.

“I was working full-time and still could not afford the tuition of a state college,” Birmingham says. “I figured I could do something better with my life. When the Navy offered me an education and the opportunity to travel, it became clear.”

Her mother, Irene Birmingham, remembers feeling pleasantly surprised at her daughter’s decision, as she had also contemplated pursuing a military career. She says proudly, “My daughter mirrors my adventurous side!”

After three months in Boot Camp at the Navy Recruit Training Center in Orlando, Fla., Birmingham departed for U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo in Sasebo, Japan, where she would spend the next three years working in security detachment as a member of the Military Police (MP). As an MP, her duties ran the gamut.

“I got to do a number of different things, from retrieving cats out of trees and writing traffic tickets to arresting people. It was a lot like being a police officer but better because I was overseas and on a Navy base.” Birmingham says.

Birmingham enjoyed her duties as an MP, but harbored a strong desire to combine her favorite hobby, photography, with her career in the Navy. She spoke with her superior officers and was able to change career fields. On her first attempt, she passed the qualifying exam, convinced the review board that she would be better suited as a photojournalist for the Navy and soon after received a promotion to 3rd Class Petty Officer as a photographer’s mate.

Behind the lens as a photojournalist is where Birmingham truly fostered her talent, photographing a variety of images. Her repertoire includes heartfelt moments, such as pictures from award ceremonies. The “grip and grin moments,” where award recipients shake the hand of their commanding officer and smile, are her favorites, because they gave her a sense that she became “a part of their history, because those photos were going to their loved ones.”

Other photography duties ranged from snapping shots of Naval activities around base for promotional materials to photographing VIP events. Oftentimes she was asked to join teams from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) to take pictures of crime scenes for their investigations.

“Those jobs were different,” she says. “They were more exciting because they were so interactive. They tell me why they needed pictures of certain things, like a rug or an entryway, so they could piece together the crime.”

In 1996, Birmingham accepted a prestigious honor to attend Syracuse University’s S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications to participate in the military photojournalism program. For 10 months, she attended one of the top communications schools in the U.S. and honed her skills in photography, graphic arts and writing, without spending a dime. With the program experiences under her belt, she went on to work with Naval Support Activity (NSA) at Navy Recruiting Command (CNRC) in Millington, Tenn., and served as the media director for the Navy Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Division. She went on to travel with NSA to Bahrain, where she remained until the end of her enlistment in 2004.

Currently, Birmingham is finishing her bachelor’s degree in internet journalism at the University of Memphis. The Navy helped her realize the dream of a college degree through financial assistance from the G.I. Bill. She will soon begin her pursuit toward a degree in nursing, her newest career goal. Although she chose an alternate path, she credits the Navy for giving her the courage to pursue opportunities she never thought possible.

“Fear is just an emotion,” Birmingham says. “I wanted to do something that not only challenged me, but scares me. It’s not your goal but it’s the path you take; it’s how you live your life while you’re achieving your goals.”


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Below are photos actually taken by V. Birmingham:



030811-N-6803B-002 Naval Forces Central Command (Aug. 11, 2003) -- Mark Six swimmer defense dolphins are deployed to the Arabian Gulf to provide operational force protection capabilities for Navy ships, piers and other high-value assets as part of the global war on terrorism. The dolphins are trained to detect, locate and mark threat swimmers and divers attempting to commit terrorist attacks. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Veronica Birmingham. (RELEASED)


030709-N-6803B-004 Port Shueiba, Kuwait (Jul. 9, 2003) -- Storekeeper 1st Class Darl Cord assigned to the U.S. Navy Cargo Handling and Port Group (NAVCHAPGRU) lashes equipment to the deck of the Military Sealift Command large medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off ship USNS Charlton (T-AKR 314). NAVCHAPGRU is currently deployed to the Arabian Gulf as part of the naval support element in the Central Command Area of Responsibility supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Operation Iraqi Freedom is the multi-national coalition effort to liberate the Iraqi people, eliminate Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, and end the regime of Saddam Hussein. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Veronica Birmingham. (RELEASED)


020621-N-6803B-003 In port Manama, Bahrain, aboard USS Hopper (DDG 70) Jul. 21, 2002 -- General Tommy R. Franks, Commander in Chief, United States Central Command, stops for a group photo with Sailors assigned to the guided missile destroyer. General Franks took time to express his sincere appreciation for their efforts with the war on terror, Operation Enduring Freedom. Hopper is home ported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and is currently on a regularly scheduled deployment, conducting missions 5th Fleet areas of operation. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Veronica C. Birmingham. (RELEASED)