Louis Hanssen, Navy Veteran

It was a twist of fate that led Louis Hanssen to the Navy. Louis grew up surrounded by military veterans. Both of his grandfathers served in the Navy. When the time came for Louis to consider joining the service, his first thought was to enlist in the Army. But when he got to the recruiting station, fate intervened. The Army recruiter wasn’t available, so Louis talked to the Navy recruiter instead. The rest is history.

Louis began his career in the Navy as a service technician on the USS Curtis Wilbur stationed in Yokosuka, Japan. During his five years in Japan, Louis would earn a promotion to an E5 Petty Officer Second Class.

“One of the things I liked best about being in Japan was getting to know the people,” Louis says. “It was such a pleasure to be able to interact with the people of Japan who taught me a lot about their culture.”

Louis added that serving in Japan helped him see things from a different point-of-view, which gave him a new respect for people from different backgrounds. Even today, it helps him interact with people differently and he tries to find common ground.

When it came time for Louis to leave the service, he knew he still wanted to serve in some way and someone recommended he consider working in the medical field. The idea of being an EMT appealed to Louis. His first job after the Navy was for a small company as an EMT. He then went on to get additional training, eventually joining AMR and becoming a paramedic.

“Being in the Navy helped train me for my role today,” Louis explains. “Having a solid work ethic, learning how to care for others and being able to juggle multiple priorities are lessons I learned in the Navy and are skills I use today.”

“AMR was a good place to start my career after the Navy,” Louis said. “There are a lot of veterans at AMR, so it was an easy transition.” “I would definitely recommend it to other vets—street medicine is where it’s at, you are challenged daily and it’s a great place to build a career,” Louis adds.