Ocean City Hero: Nurse Retires From The Army

Brittany R. Speers's great grandfather lived around Ocean City and served as captain for the Coast Guard. Speers took part in two family traditions: joining the military and returning to Ocean City when possible.

Now Speers has more time for Ocean City visits, retiring from the U.S. Army Nurse Corps after 25-plus years of service. She began visiting Ocean City as a baby. Her grandmother grew up there and went to Ocean City High School.

Speers's favorite stops include Kohr Bros Frozen Custard, Johnson's Popcorn, Arlene's On Asbury and Sack O'Subs, according to her father, Thomas. She and her sister, Brooke, own a condo in Ocean City.

Plenty of Speers's family have military backgrounds. After great grandfather Jack Jerneé served in the Coast Guard, her father and two two great uncles served in the military. Her sister and brother, Matt, both serve in the armed forces.

But Speers, who lives in Fairbanks, Ala., had dreams bigger than Ocean City. She always wanted to be a nurse. An ROTC scholarship to Villanova allowed her to follow her dream and continue family tradition.

"I had wanted to be a nurse forever," Speers said. "That was the easy part. Paying for college was the hard part."

Speers served all over the world in Iraq, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee and Alaska. Speers was a nurse at Combat Hospital during the Iraq War from 2003-04, even having to miss her daughter's first day of kindergarten while serving.

But Fort Drum in upstate New York was her favorite military destination. It gave her constant reminders of how small the Army community can be.

"Before that, I had been in lots of large medical centers," Speers said. "But this was a smaller one, and it was great to see the Army and civilians come together to support the soldiers and their families."

That community never felt smaller than when she took care of a pregnant woman on Fort Drum. Her father's roommate at the Naval Academy became a pastor. A member of his church happened to be stationed with her husband at the base.

Speers relished the opportunity to take care of someone far away from most of her family, forming a bond with her during a complicated pregnancy.

"Regardless of whether you knew anybody (before), you can form bonds real quickly in the military," Speers said.

And yes, Brittany R. Speers is well aware that she shares a name with a pop star. She laughs about it now, but it caused her some trouble when Britney Spears dropped her debut single "...Baby One More Time" in 1998.

Speers stayed home with her daughter in San Antonio, Texas, after she was born that same year. She suddenly received constant phone calls asking her to sing, asking to speak with Britney Spears.

After two days of constant calls, her brother contacted her. He asked her if she knew of a new singer named Britney Spears. It all made sense. A radio DJ in San Antonio even announced that there was a "Brittany Speers" in the phone book and that people wouldn't stop calling her.

"We finally had to take the phone off the hook for a few days," Speers said. "It was absolutely crazy."

But the name has given Speers lighter memories. A few clubs let her in for her name. When her brother went to Virginia Military Institute for undergrad, they made him sing Britney Spears songs as part of their legal hazing.

"I only felt slightly bad about that one," Speers said.

Pictured above: Brooke J. Speers and Brittany R. Speers. Photos provided by Brittany R. Speers