Laura went from military child to military member. She joined the Navy through the Naval Academy and served 31 years retiring at the rank of Captain. Highlights of her career include serving as the first Ship’s Intelligence Officer and receiving personal recognition from President Bush (41) for her efforts as the Commissioning Coordinator for the USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH (CVN 77) in 2009. She also served as Commanding Officer, Navy Expeditionary Intelligence Command in Dam neck, VA in 2011. In 2013 she was recognized as the Hampton Roads Blue and Gold Officer of the Year for her devotion to helping young Americans apply for admissions to the Naval Academy. Today, she is a photographer in the DC region.
From Military Child to Military Member
Laura biological father was in the Air Force but her parents separated early in life. She spent her early childhood in England with her mom. Then at nine years old her mom married a Navy sailor and they moved to Rota, Spain. She went from the British school system to the American through the Department of Defense education program. She learned she was behind in math and also was encouraged to start a journal over summer break.
Her step-dad also helped encourage Laura to join the Navy. He had her meet with a Marine who attended the Naval Academy. She was able to get into the prep school and upon completion was able to attend the Academy for four years. She originally was a Navy diver. But quickly learned that Navy officers don’t dive very often so she switched to intel.
From active duty to reserve
She then transitioned to working as an Active Guard Reserve member for the Navy. At the time, the Navy relied heavily on the Reserve component to meet the demands required after September 11th. There were many deployment taskings and her role in ensuring everyone was both prepared for deployment while also ensuring the correct paperwork was complete was busy but rewarding.
Commissioning Coordinator for the USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH (CVN 77)
In 2009, she was told to be the Commissioning Coordinator for the USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH (CVN 77). It was not only a lot of work to help with getting the ship ready. There was also a large ceremony that she helped coordinate with a number of heads of state. George Bush, the son of George H.W. Bush was president at the time so it was quite the event. And even though everything didn’t go quite like she planned it was still a great event.
Leaving the military
She could have continued her career in Intel but she wanted to do something different. She first worked for a non-profit but it wasn’t the right fit. That led her to decide to be an entrepreneur and follow her passion in photography. Her pension from the military along with the health benefits gave her the confidence to make the leap into entrepreneurship. She is a photographer in the DC area, if you would like to learn more about her work you can check it out at her website.
Connect with Laura:
Book Online or View Portfolio: https://www.laurahatcherphotography.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spikenavy/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurahatcherphotography/
