Dr. Martin Luther King famously stated, “The time is always right to do the right thing.” Lucky for us, for our very own Lt. Elizabeth Flanary, the “right thing” was to join the Navy. Lt. Elizabeth Flanary is the construction manager at the Public Works Department (PWD) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NAS PAX), Maryland. The exceptional work on that journey to support the Navy’s flight research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) efforts has earned her the 2024 Society of Military Engineers (SAME) D.C. Post recognition. She was nominated and selected to receive the Post Military Branch Service Award for the U.S. Navy.
“I am very flattered and honored to be receiving this award and am grateful for all the support my family has provided my entire life, as well as the exceptional examples of leadership I have seen from Civil Engineer Corps officers in my career to date,” Flanary said.
She always wanted to serve in the military, but it was not until later in her life that she pursued that dream. She worked for several years in the private sector in computer software and environmental engineering. In 2017, she applied to and attended the Navy’s Officer Candidate School at Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island. “I wanted to join the military since I was young. My grandfather, Richard Scanlan, served in the Navy during World War II, and he was a big influence on me,” Flanary said.
Scanlan’s influence led to her graduation and first tour with the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Five (NMCB-5) in Port Hueneme, California as a platoon commander to Okinawa, Japan and to Guam on a detail as an officer in charge in 2019. “My following tour was serving as the engineering officer and later the logistics officer for Navy Cargo Handling Battalion One (NCHB-1) in Williamsburg, Virginia. With NCHB-1, I conducted many shipboard cargo operations involving travel nationwide, Albania and Antarctica,” Flanary said.
While she appreciates being on shore tour, Flanary faced many challenges that included transitioning from civilian roles in the private sector and adjusting to the military culture. “It has also been a challenge to stay connected to my family, who lived across various time zones and being apart from them for many months,” she explained.
As the NAS PAX construction manager with PWD, Flanary supports maintenance and repair of runways, taxiways, parking aprons and hangars. However, when she is not strengthening the RDT&E process, she is cooking. Her culinary fancy these days is quiche -- a French tart that consists of pastry crust filled with savory custard and pieces of cheese, meat, seafood or vegetables. Flanary, an avid reader, loves Betty Smiths’ A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. She also enjoys walks and hikes with her German Shepherd, Shadow.
Flanary will receive her award during SAME’s 28th Annual Post and Military Branch Service Awards ceremony on Jan. 30 at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C.