Benefis Nurse Receives Airman of the Year Honor

Benefis Nurse Receives Airman of the Year Honor

A Benefis nurse recently received one of the highest enlisted honors bestowed by the U.S. Air Force. Staff Sgt. Brianna St. Lawrence-Brody, a command post controller assigned to the 120th Airlift Wing, Montana Air National Guard, was selected as one of the U.S. Air Force's 2026 Total Force Outstanding Airmen of the Year.

Brianna is also a registered nurse with Patient Flow at Benefis Health System and a school nurse at Longfellow Elementary.

The award is especially exciting because this was the first year Air National Guard airmen were eligible to compete in the Total Force Outstanding Airmen of the Year program. Brianna was the only drill-status airman to complete at the national level and ultimately be selected as an award recipient.

Brianna is a mother of four, a military spouse, and a shining example that it's never too late to change direction in life and do difficult things. She entered nursing school "later in life" while her husband was deployed.

Brianna graduated from nursing school in May 2020, accepted a position with Benefis in Patient Flow working in the COVID-19 Unit, then joined the Air National Guard in August 2020.

"I wanted to see if I could do it as I approached turning 40," she said. "I also had a different perspective as I entered basic training. After working in the COVID Unit, the stress was doable."

Brianna credits Benefis leadership for supporting her military career each step of the way, including her six-month deployment to Germany last year.

These days, Brianna works two or three shifts at Benefis each week.

"Working on different units at Benefis has me feeling like a jack of all trades and master of none some days," she says. "But the opportunities here have strengthened my character as nurse."

The award is not a ticket to slow down for Brianna. Instead, she is asking herself, "What's next?"

Could she integrate Juniper, her therapy dog who accompanies her at her school job, into her other roles? Juniper would certainly be thrilled.

"Having summers off is boring for her," Brianna says.

Boredom is a foreign concept to Brianna, who says nurses are famous for squeezing all they can out of the hours in a single day. Balancing her family, her school nursing position, and her military commitment is challenging - but not impossible.

The Air Force Outstanding Airmen of the Year program recognizes enlisted airmen who demonstrate exceptional leadership, superior job performance, professional development, self-improvement, and sustained commitment to their communities.

A fitting description of Staff Sgt. Brianna St. Lawrence-Brody, RN.

She will be formally recognized during the Air Force's Outstanding Airmen of the Year events later this year and represented on a display of the winners at the Pentagon.