Captain Janet Days made history on Friday by becoming the 51st commanding officer of Naval Station Norfolk. In the 106-year history of the world’s largest naval base, the 54-year-old Chicago native became the first African-American woman commanding officer.
Days was the executive officer of the base. Captain David Dees was relieved, and he will take over as Chief of Staff for Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic.
Days’ father, George Hanks, also served in the military. “I watched a strong role model as I was growing up and it was in my father,” Days said. She and her siblings were put into foster care for some time during what she described as “some unfortunate instances” in her family. She would join the Army before later joining the Navy.
Days has served on various ships, including the USS Simon Lake, the USS Mahan, and the USS Forrest Sherman. Days, according to Wavy.com, has deployed twice. The first was to conduct theater security cooperation in the US Central Command area of responsibility, and the second was to conduct counter-narcotics operations in the US Southern Command area of responsibility. She was also the executive officer and commanding officer of the USS McFaul, which deployed independently to the 6th and 5th Fleet Areas of Operation in the United States.
Days was also assigned to the International Security Assistance Force headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, according to Wavy.com. She has also served as the director of maritime warfare at the Surface Warfare Officers School, where she trained the heads of surface warfare departments.
Days earned a bachelor of science in business from Old Dominion University in 1999 before beginning her naval career. She also holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Naval Postgraduate School and has completed the Joint and Combined Warfighting School at the Joint Forces Staff College.
Developing a Naval Station Norfolk’s commanding officer is enormous in comparison to what was possible decades ago. Officer positions in the United States Navy were previously unavailable to Black men. The Navy did, in fact, suspend Black enlistment.
When sixteen Black men arrived for officer training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois in January 1944, it marked the culmination of a four-year campaign by civil rights leaders, ordinary citizens, and the black press calling on the Navy to end its segregated practices during World War II.
At the start of the war, Black men in the Navy were only permitted to work as cooks and cleaners. The Navy, which was said to be the most segregated branch of the United States armed forces, did not believe its Black members should mix with Whites.
The Naval Station Norfolk, where Days serves, spans over 6,200 acres. It has over 600 facilities and 326 tenant commands. There are over 67,000 people working there, including military and civilian personnel. Naval Station Norfolk has 13 piers and an 8,000-foot airfield, as well as 63 ships, 188 aircraft, and 18 squadrons.