Hannah Martin
Hannah (pictured) and her wife Emilia have two children Rowan and Juniper. Photo courtesy of Hannah Martin.

According to the latest report from the Department of Defense, in 2021, women made up 17.3% of the active-duty force, totaling 231,741 members; and 21.4% of the National Guard and reserves at 171,000 members.

In Virginia, there are more than 109,000 women veterans who call the commonwealth home, one of these women veterans is Hannah Martin.

Hannah enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1995 and left as a sergeant in 1998 to pursue her bachelor of science degree in English at the U.S. Naval Academy. She graduated in 2002 with honors and joined the U.S. Navy until she left in 2005 as a lieutenant.  

The Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion is a heavy-lift helicopter operated by the United States military. As the Sikorsky S-80, it was developed from the CH-53 Sea Stallion, mainly by adding a third engine, adding a seventh blade to the main rotor, and canting the tail rotor 20°. It was built by Sikorsky Aircraft for the United States Marine Corps. The less common MH-53E Sea Dragon fills the United States Navy's need for long-range minesweeping or airborne mine countermeasures missions, and performs heavy-lift duties for the Navy. The Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion, which has new engines, new composite rotor blades, and a wider aircraft cabin, is set to replace the CH-53E.
The Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion is a heavy-lift helicopter operated by the United States military. As the Sikorsky S-80, it was developed from the CH-53 Sea Stallion, mainly by adding a third engine, adding a seventh blade to the main rotor, and canting the tail rotor 20°. It was built by Sikorsky Aircraft for the United States Marine Corps. The less common MH-53E Sea Dragon fills the United States Navy's need for long-range minesweeping or airborne mine countermeasures missions, and performs heavy-lift duties for the Navy. The Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion, which has new engines, new composite rotor blades, and a wider aircraft cabin, is set to replace the CH-53E. Photo from wikipedia.org.

As one of the first female helicopter mechanics in the Marine Corps, Hannah was assigned to this role which had been re-designated as "non-combat" when she was in boot camp on Parris Island, the site of the corps' recruit training since Nov. 1, 1915. "After training, I was assigned to HMH-361 'Flying Tigers' based in Tustin, CA where I was part of the flight line working on the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter.”

Hannah also served in the U.S. Navy as a surface warfare officer on board the USS BLUE RIDGE (LLC-19) based in Yokosuka, Japan, and then on the USS HUE CITY (CG-66) based out of Mayport, FL.

About the USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) - The ship is the lead ship of the two Blue Ridge-class amphibious command ships of the United States Navy and is the flagship of the Seventh Fleet. Her primary role is to provide command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) support to the commander and staff of the United States Seventh Fleet. She is currently forward-deployed to U.S. Navy Fleet Activities, Yokosuka in Japan.

About the USS Hué City (CG-66) - The ship is a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser serving in the United States Navy. She was ordered in April 1987, and laid down in February 1989, at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi. Hué City was in active service from 14 September 1991 to 23 September 2022.[1] She is named for the Battle of Huế, fought in the city during the Tet Offensive of 1968 by the 1st Marine Regiment (composed of 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines and attached units) during the Vietnam War. The three battalion commanders were the honored guests at her 1991 commissioning. 

In addition to driving ships and doing general surface warfare jobs, Hannah was a communications officer, MWR (morale, welfare, and recreation) officer, and training officer. 

Because of her years of service, she has seen the world whether deployed and/or visited ports in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Hannah joined the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics in the Fall of 2022. 

"We proudly recognize Hannah during Women’s Veterans Week and honor her and other women who proudly served to protect our country. AAEC is fortunate to have her as part of the team and the leadership she brings. Thank you, Hannah!," said Matthew T. Holt, professor and department head.

Get to know Hannah more…

“I joined the military to begin something new and vastly different than anything anyone would have expected of me. At that point, I had flunked out of college and was working a night shift as a waitress at a 24-hour diner. My closest friend was going down a similar path and, on a whim, we decided to join the Marine Corps together.” 

“The transition back to civilian life after a decade in various branches of the military was certainly a bit rough - I discovered years later that people thought I was "scary" and "serious." Who knew? I loved driving ships in the Navy and had left because the prospect of living forever under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (yes, that policy when in place, followed even retirees into retirement) was simply too much to manage. I spent several years post-military exploring possibilities and finding new passions. Even today, that exploration is a part of my identity as an artist.” 

I am the first woman in my family to serve in the military. I don't come from a military family in general, though I'm of the age where both of my grandfathers served in World War II. It was a bit of a family scandal when I joined without asking anyone's advice first, and then when I ended up being a helicopter mechanic instead of a 'secretary' somewhere... I think one of my grandmothers almost fainted when I told her.” 

“My advice for anyone thinking about joining is to embrace the experience while remaining true to the core of who they are.”