When he joined the Navy Reserves in 2019 as a corpsman, Glenn Field had no idea what was in store for him.

Who could possibly know that shortly after he enlisted a global pandemic would occur that would take the third class petty officer from the Big Apple to South Korea?

At Military Sealift Command Office Korea, Field was responsible for helping ensure the health of MSC personnel, specifically conducting COVID-19 testing of those entering, departing and transiting through the Republic of Korea.

“I also helped care for patients who came into the clinic not feeling well,” he said.

“I was glad to help alleviate the ever-increasing load of the under-staffed medical team who juggled their regular patient load with the added responsibility of meeting, tracking and administering COVID-related restrictions and obligations.”

Field said that one of the most challenging aspects of the assignment was making sure all COVID requirements – which changed frequently – were met in a timely manner. He explained that active duty and reserve service members, civilian employees and civil service mariners needed their COVID test results promptly, especially during crew reliefs.

He’s used to juggling deadlines, though, and competing requirements to ensure success. The former journalist has a Bachelor of Science in psychology and a master's in conflict resolution and mediation. In addition to assisting the State of New York with its COVID response mission, he has supported MSC in Albania and the Marines in North Carolina.

“The most gratifying aspect of my job is the opportunity it provides me to give back to the community around me,” Field said.

He’s done that as part of every assignment, but in Korea, he did just a bit more. During his short tenure with Military Sealift Command Office Korea, he volunteered at a local orphanage and took part in a Korean-to-English language exchange.

“These opportunities gave me incredible insight into the culture and hospitable people and allowed me to help build important partnerships.”

Although Field has only been with MSC for a couple of years, he believes it’s a good fit for him and his passion for taking care of others.

“From the most senior leadership on down, there is a sincere commitment to make sure every member of the command is taken care of,” he said.

“I get a great deal of satisfaction from being a small part of a much bigger team. MSC is critical to the Navy's operational success around the world. MSC delivers all the logistics needed to sustain our warfighters – and our partners and allies -- not only in the Indo-Pacific but throughout the world as well.”