Hopeton Thompson

Standing on the deck of the USS Seattle AOE 3, Petty Officer Hopeton Thompson waved a solemn goodbye to his wife and children. He had just been deployed at the start of operation Desert Shield. The ship inched out of dock for what seemed like an eternity worsening the already traumatic episode. Still, refusing to let his eyes separate from his loved ones he continued to wave until they were no longer in view. Every second was considered precious because as Hopeton stated, “You don’t know if you’ll be coming back”

Serving over twenty years in the military, Hopeton has seen the world and experienced more than most in his lifetime. His tour in the Navy took him Caribbean, Europe, Russia, Alaska, Saudi, Okinawa, Orient, and all across the United States. Hopeton worked on aircraft, helicopters from H1 to C5, before deciding to switch to the medical field.

Once he mastered his medic training, he was qualified to be part of instructional staff at Great Lakes Il. There he instructed others to become medics. They took men and women with basically no medical knowledge and in fourteen weeks they trained in some areas as well as an RN. Hopeton had seven clinics that he was in charge of. These clinics saw about 7,000 patients a month and had a rotating staff of about thirty. “As they became competent and moved on you got new ones to instruct.” Than in Portsmouth VA he was put in charge of the Pediatrics department. He was responsible for the nurses and reported directly to the Chief Resident.

“I find the Navy very intriguing. They don’t put limitations on you, the only limitations are what you put on yourself.” And Hopeton has taken advantage of that mentality to learn and experience everything that he can. He’s been engaged in combat, trained to work on aircraft, trained medics and worked as one himself. However, one of the most valuable things that he’s gained in all of this is a heart of true compassion towards other veterans. “A veteran can understand another veteran” And he does understand.

Hopeton now works as a Program Director/Counselor at Mechling-Shakley Veterans Center. There, he is able to assist veterans from all over the state by helping them find the jobs, housing or counseling they need to live full lives. Hopeton also travels to different businesses and speaks to them about the benefits of hiring veterans. His new career is far from standing on the deck of the USS Seattle AOE3 but it is nonetheless fulfilling.

To watch the video go to http://www.alle-kiskitoday.com/video/veterans. For more information on the Mechling-Shakley Veterans Center go to http://www.qualitylifeservices.com/veterans_center.html