By Arsenio R. Cortez Jr.
In a landmark moment for both her career and the U.S. Navy, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Sandra Parker-Ansah was commissioned as a Naval officer in the Navy Chaplain Corps, Aug. 2, 2024. Hailing from Ghana, Ensign Parker-Ansah has exemplified dedication, resilience, and a profound commitment to service throughout her journey.
“Receiving a commission in the United States Navy Chaplain Corps is a significant achievement, a dedication to service, leadership and the responsibilities that come with it,” said Cmdr. Eric Polonsky, director for administration, Naval Medical Forces Pacific. “As with any milestone, the wisest person is one who while looking forward to the journey before him or her also looks back in a moment of reflection to its beginning.”
Parker-Ansah graduated from Accra Girls Senior High School, Accra Region, Ghana, in 2008, a bustling institution with a student body of approximately 10,000. Her academic pursuits took her to the London School of Business and Finance in the United Kingdom, where she earned a degree in economics and statistics in 2012. She further honed her skills and knowledge at Duke University, graduating in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. By 2018, she had completed a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Administration from Emory University and is currently on track to graduate from Liberty University in 2025 with a Master of Divinity, focusing on Military Chaplaincy.
Parker-Ansah enlisted in the Navy on January 7, 2019. With educational background in health care, she was motivated to serve as a Navy health care administrator. Since joining the Navy, Parker-Ansah had significant assignments, such as working in the operating room at Walter Reed National Military Center during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she played a crucial role in life-saving surgeries.
At Naval Medical Forces Pacific, Parker-Ansah received a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for exceptional meritorious service in her multiple roles with the command. For her primary role as administration assistant, she processed thousands of official correspondences and coordinated command trainings resulting to 99 percent compliance rating for two quarters in a row in 2023. Additionally, as the assistant command diversity officer, she championed diversity and workplace equality.
Her journey toward becoming a chaplain began in February 2023 when she learned about the Chaplain Candidate Program Officers. Parker-Ansah submitted her package for the program in April 2024, marking a new chapter in her career. She aims to bridge healthcare and chaplaincy in the Navy, leveraging her background as a registered nurse and her advanced degrees in healthcare administration and divinity. Her passion for ministry and healthcare uniquely positions her to address mental health issues among service members, including reducing suicide rates.
“I was drawn to this field because I want to impact the lives of our Sailors by providing a safe space for them to express their concerns without judgment,” she said. “I have a passion and call to ministry, so I intend to touch their lives by sharing my experience and faith with them. I specifically want to help reduce mental health related issues like suicide.”
She also recollects a commitment she made in the past after a tragic experience before joining the Navy. While visiting her family in Ghana, a gang of armed intruders breached into her family’s home that claimed the life of her grandmother.
“With guns pointed into our heads, I prayed to God to keep us alive in exchange for my service to Him (God),” Parker-Ansah said during her remarks. “Standing here before you this morning is a testament I’ve dedicated my soul in the business of saving souls.”
Parker-Ansah is supported by her husband, Daniel and their two-year-old son Damian. One of the biggest challenges she faced in her Navy career was giving birth to her son in the absence of her husband, managing the demands of work and school on her own. These experiences have revealed her strength and resilience, further motivating her to pursue her goals.
“My beloved son, Damien, you make all the hassle worthed,” she said during her commissioning ceremony. “Thank you for choosing me to be your mother. I really found the strength I didn’t know I embodied. I hope someday when you’re old enough, you will be proud of me. My handsome and gentle husband, thank you so much for standing by me. You are my gift from God wrapped in human form, and I love you dearly.”
Her mentors, Chief Hospital Corpsman Rashanta Pippins, NMFPs command senior enlisted leader, and Cmdr. David Alexander, NMFP’s force chaplain have been instrumental in guiding her.
“NMFP really is home for me,” Parker-Ansah said. “This command gave me all the necessary tools I needed to succeed in my career. The leadership was amazing and shaped me into the best version of myself. This command is indeed a family, and I will forever cherish you all.”
Alexander praised her steady, deliberate pursuit of her dream and her deep spiritual life, which he believes makes her an excellent addition to the Chaplain Corps.
“I am impressed by the spirit in which she has pursued her dream,” Alexander said. “She has been steady, deliberate, patient, and singularly focused. Nothing was going to keep her from this path, and she accepted the adversities that came calmly without breaking her stride. She loves people and wants to help them flourish. Also, she possesses a deep spiritual life. In those two attributes, she has everything she needs to set out on this path.”
Parker-Ansah envisions completing her Divinity Program and pursuing certification in Clinical Pastoral Education. As a member of the Chaplain Corps, she aspires to be a beacon of hope and resilience, providing spiritual guidance and support to those in need.
The U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps promotes the spiritual, religious, moral, and personal well-being of Navy and Marine Corps members. Comprising clergy from various religious traditions, the Chaplain Corps supports service members’ free exercise of religion and provides vital support in times of adversity, reinforcing morale and ethical conduct during military operations.
Parker-Ansah’s commissioning reflects the Chaplain Corps’ mission and the enduring legacy of chaplains who have served with honor since 1775.
“Some folks who know my background are asking why a nurse would want to be a chaplain,” she said. “To those folks I say, when God calls, all you have to do is answer.”
