MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii -- Sitting in the lounge area of the Marine Corps Base Hawaii’s Auto Hobby Shop, wearing a pair of coveralls, and sporting pink nail polish, she looks quite out of place among an array of car parts, guys, and the sounds of roaring engines that are all too familiar to the shop.
But the old adage: “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” in this case, rings true.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Michelle E. Wood, a Navy hospital corpsman, assigned to SMART clinic, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, and a self-proclaimed tomboy, said she knows more about automobiles and has skills that could run circles around some of the men who come to the Hobby Shop.
Wood, a Middleburgh, N.Y. native, joined the military right after high school and has been in for 13 years.
“I knew ever since I was ten years old that I wanted to join the Navy,” she said. “My brother came home in his Navy uniform, and that was what sealed it for me.”
Wood’s family has a history of relatives serving in the military — including her father and brother who were also in the Navy. Like her brother, who retired from the Navy, Wood said she intended to stay in at least 20 years, but is getting out this November on a medical discharge because of injuries sustained from a car accident last year.
Wood spent the first 10 years of her Navy career as a field corpsman, working with Marines on bases in Quantico, Va.; Cherry Point, N.C.; and Orlando, Fla., to name a few.
“I loved working with Marines and being out in the field, training and spending time with them,” she said fondly. “I enjoy the discipline, structure and physical aspects of the Marine Corps and military in general.”
Since joining the service, Wood has deployed to seven different countries, many of which were in Europe, and said her most defining moment in the Navy was when she went to Belleau Wood, France.
“We had the chance to walk through the woods and see the turrets and bunkers, and I got to drink from the fountain. It was such an important thing to me to get to see a piece of history of the Marine Corps. The French Embassy also named me an honorary Marine. It was a great experience.”
Although Wood joined the Navy, most of her experiences in the military are with Marine Corps units, and that is what she said she will miss the most when she leaves the military.
“I have been working with the Corps ever since I joined, and I don’t know what I will do when I get out,” she said, sadly. “I have plans for the future, but I will miss the tight-knit family that the Corps offers.”
After a 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. workday, Wood heads straight to the Auto Hobby Shop in order to fulfill her other passion — besides her job — working on her car.
“I was given this car from a friend who didn’t want it anymore,” she explained. “I have been working on it for six months, and I love doing it.”
The car she is referring to is a ’69 Ford Mustang convertible. She is totally restoring the entire car and said the most difficult aspect of the work isn’t the physical labor.
“This is a pretty rare car, so finding the parts I need can be difficult at times,” she said. “I think I can have it done in the next six months, though.”
Wood works on her car not only after work everyday, but also on weekends.
“I go in as soon as I can, and I don’t leave until the shop closes and the workers start to clean up. I actually stay and help them sweep up,” she said. “I just applied for a job here, because I love working in here, and I am pretty acquainted with the shop.”
She also said there are not a lot of women, or men for that matter, who take advantage of the Auto Hobby Shop and all the things it offers.
“Even people who know very little about their car can come in and get fast, reliable service,” she said. “The staff here is amazing. They have become like a family to me, and they show the same sense of care to anyone who comes in the shop. They go out of their way to help people, and they do a great job.”
Wood said her knowledge of working on cars began when she was younger and living on a cattle farm.
“My father was a mechanic, and I just kinda got into it,” she recalled.
Although working on her car is her current zeal, she said that once she returns to New York, she intends to continue studying medicine. She is working toward a degree in nursing and hopes to specialize in sports medicine.
“I am going to work in a medical assistance job for the VA (Veterans Assistance) in Albany,” she said.
Wood wants to eventually retire from a job in the federal government, and regrets that she can’t remain in the Navy with the people who have become her family.
“I just love the military. Everything about it appeals to me, and I will miss is greatly,” she said.
“If I could give anyone advice about joining, I would say once you’re there, you will get out of it what you put into it, and you have to remember to make your own decisions and be true to yourself.”