For one local beauty, this year truly marked not just a New Year but definitely a new beginning for Jordyn Madewell Combs, a Class of 2021 graduate from Checotah.
Jordyn enlisted on June 27, 2024 in OKC and shipped off September 29 to eventually graduate Boot Camp December 12 at RTC Great Lakes, Illinois. However, her journey wasn’t an easy one. In fact, she had several obstacles to climb before they would even recruit her into the Navy.
“I started my weight loss journey at 307 pounds -the heaviest I had ever been,” Combs said. “Now I’m at 191 but my goal weight is 165-170 but it has taken me one year to lose the first 100 pounds.
At first when Combs went to enlist in September of 2023, the military turned her down and told her that she needed to lose more weight to join. That’s when she had to get serious about her health.
“I originally wanted to join the Marine Corps, but they didn’t have a medical field and then the army was my second choice because of my dad being in the army. Ultimately the ocean called me because they have the best medical transition program for medical school. I wanted something to set me up for myself in the future, because having a doctor’s office in my hometown has always been one of my goals. I figured what better way to live my life than to earn a career path that I’ve always wanted and serve my country that I love at the same time.
“I had a good job prior to this and I had good friends. I was in a good routine I thought for my life, but now I know God put me on this path for a reason and He put this vision in my head for a reason. So whether I stay in the Navy for 20 years or only do my contract for five years, I know I will make a difference and give my best effort for the people who need me.
“But how did I get from there to here? Well one day, I was getting a glass of milk, I had been feeling super down and depressed, and I had never felt that way in my life. I looked at myself one day in the mirror, and I hated it. I didn’t even recognize myself. Of course my family didn’t say anything because they loved me, but the one person that did finally say something was my dad. We had a little bit of a disagreement, and he had hurt my feelings and that half flipped the switch I needed to open my eyes and realized that I had let myself go and I didn’t even realize it. They say that it’s really easy to put it on, but hard to take it off. I couldn’t agree more but I changed my life because of my dad’s comment.
“Now my dad wasn’t a fan of me joining the military either. He hated the idea, but my mom was the real supporter of all my choices. I knew that if I didn’t have my dad’s support, I had hers. But I also had another support system, my personal trainer, Valorie Watson. I didn’t lose all the weight on my own. I did all the natural things, yes, the diet, hard work, sweat and lots of tears. I even cried late at night because I was hungry. But she helped me stay focused and every time I worked out, it was like a weight was being lifted off my shoulders. She was more than a personal trainer; she became my friend. I know I couldn’t have done it without her help. She gave me guidance and perseverance through all the choices I made, even getting myself into the military. She’s also military and so is her husband so that helped me to realize my potential.
“I feel like the gym has saved my life and made me such a better person and a more disciplined person as I work out every day now. Through all the hard work that I’ve done I can say that it is definitely hard, but it is doable. You will cry 98% of the day and you will want to quit but the other 2% but you’ll be so glad that you did it at the end of the day. I’m so glad that I pushed myself past the limits or I would still be working the same job at the same hospital, seeing the same people, and eating at the same fast food places and the same two Mexican restaurants in town.
“The whole journey of me losing weight and leaving home was such a big mental battle. I had juggled the idea for an entire year. I had done the whole travel nursing thing prior to the military and me losing all the weight. It was wonderful and I met some great people and even had some great experiences, but it wasn’t what my heart wanted. I was still searching for something to be honest. I think I am still searching, but at least I’m starting to find myself and never would have thought it would be in the military. I guess that’s also a big thing. Mentally the weight loss made me see a bigger picture. I don’t want to limit myself or my future children. I want them to say look mom did it, so why can’t I?
“People always say they want to do bigger things with their life but then they always come back to Checotah. That is one thing I will not allow myself to do. I want to think bigger than just my hometown and that’s ok. I really want to influence people to join the military and get out of your hometown or just do something besides staying in Checotah. Yes, it will always be home, but it’s not going anywhere. The world is big so why limit yourself while you’re still young, get out and go for it!”
“As far as why I joined the military, I love my country and I love God. And we are one nation under God, right? What better job is there than to fight for what you love? I knew medical school was expensive, I had gone to Conner State Nursing program, and that was a drop. I didn’t want to be an ordinary nurse in my hometown or the nurse that worked in the same hospital for 20 years. I knew that when I graduated high school I wanted to be something big. I wanted to bring something back from my crazy life adventures to Checotah that would make it better and something that would make a difference.
“My last names, Madewell and Combs, carry a lot of weight too and I wanted to make my family proud. I always wanted to be a doctor and now the military will help me pay for that and give me the good disciplined life like I’ve always needed. Plus I’m a huge travel junkie so it offers the best of both worlds.”
“This is just the beginning of a wonderful career. Everything you do in life is a mental and physical battle. You can’t be physically strong if you’re not mentally strong first. When I finally got to see my dad at graduation I made him cry because he was so proud. That will be a feeling I will never forget!”
“I am also proud that our Division 953 was top of our class out of 1,022 graduating sailors. We even earned the Battle E flag. My green side specialty is for the Marine Corps. I hope to get attached to an infantry unit so I can be a ground medic for the Marine Corps Frontline. My plan is to eventually do special operations once I have some experience. I don’t know where I’ll be stationed yet, but I will be picking overseas if possible.”
“They say ‘Go big or go home.’ But I guess I wanted to do the opposite, ‘Get fit and go farther than I could ever imagine!’”
