ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND JUNE 4-5 2016 AND THEREAFTER - In this May 26, 2016 photo, Spc. Brittany Cobb-Lyttle stands in front of a Black Hawk helicopter on Ladd Army Airfield at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Erin Corneliussen/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner via AP)

ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND JUNE 4-5 2016 AND THEREAFTER - In this May 26, 2016 photo, Spc. Brittany Cobb-Lyttle stands in front of a Black Hawk helicopter on Ladd Army Airfield at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Erin Corneliussen/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner via AP)

Fort Wainwright soldier works to live up to her dad

FAIRBANKS — When U.S. Army Spc. Brittany Cobb-Lyttle was in school, her dad would often come home to find parts of his U.S. Navy uniform missing. Without fail, he would find them in her laundry hamper.

“I watched my dad put on his uniform every morning so whenever there would be an event at school, I would always dress up in his camos,” she said, speaking fondly of her father, James Flowers Jr. “He finally went and got me a uniform that was my size so I didn’t have to pull it all the way up past my stomach to wear it.”

When asked if it was the style or something else that urged her to don his battle dress uniform for school, her answer is quick and simple, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.

“Because my dad wore it,” she said.

Her father’s service and the respect it earned inspired the now-25-year-old soldier from Kingsland, Georgia, to enlist in the armed services.

“Of course he wanted me to go into the Navy, but I went into the Army because I felt it would be more challenging,” she said.

She currently is stationed at Fort Wainwright, where she’s not only met the challenge but excelled.

Cobb-Lyttle was named Soldier of the Year for U.S. Army Aviation Task Force for 2015, an award that came after winning brigade Soldier of the Month and Quarter. She has her sights set on even higher awards, too, such as U.S. Army Alaska Soldier of the Year.

The Soldier of the Year distinction is essentially recognition of model soldiers, including everything from physical fitness to military bearing and knowledge of her job.

She serves as an aviation operations specialist, working with directing Army helicopters. She’s been deployed in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Outside of the Army, Cobb-Lyttle volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and mentors youth. It’s an extra level of service to her community that not all soldiers perform while stationed away from home.

She said much of her work is based on her faith.

“I feel I have a purpose on Earth,” she said. “I feel that I found my purpose three years ago when I was coaching. I really enjoy helping others, mainly helping youth because a lot of youth make destructive decisions.”

And to that end, Cobb-Lyttle has personal experience. Even though she graduated homecoming queen in high school and did well in classes, she found herself in trouble with alcohol and academics in college.

It’s an experience that has helped her connect with teenagers going through the same challenges and encourage them.

“When you’re a teenager, you go through a lot, you see a lot,” she said. “When they have somebody who can relate to them and say, ‘Hey, I made it out of this. This happened to me, you can do it,’ they’ll listen.”

Her father’s 21 years in the Navy has given her something to live up to and her younger siblings have given her someone to be a role model for. To put it lightly, Cobb-Lyttle is highly motivated to be the best.

“It gets boring when you’re just a plain soldier just walking around, just living, just doing your job,” she said. “If there’s something out there that I can do better to better myself, I’m going to do it, and I’m going to be better than you.”

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Nov. 3

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

A weather-beaten Kamala Harris campaign sign is seen on the railing along a downtown street on Wednesday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
How Juneau voted: Support for Trump varies between 55% near airport to 15.7% in downtown precinct

Voters in two local districts favor keeping ranked choice voting, while statewide residents evenly split.

The Alaska governor’s mansion on Wednesday. Gov. Mike Dunleavy is considered a contender for a post in Donald Trump’s second presidential administration. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Election summary: Trump wins, GOP takes over U.S. Senate, Alaska may get new governor

Begich and repeal of ranked choice voting narrowly lead; GOP may lose control of state House.

Nesbett Courthouse in downtown Anchorage on Oct. 7, 2024. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Voters line up at the polling site at Anchorage City Hall on Nov. 4, 2024. City Hall was one of the designated early voting sites in Alaska’s largest city. It is not a designated site for Election Day voting. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Alaska Republicans lose two seats in state House, increasing odds of leadership switch

Rural Alaska precincts had reported few results by 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night.

Donald Trump won or was leading as of Wednesday morning in all seven swing states in the 2024 presidential election. (Doug Mills / The New York Times)
Donald Trump returns to power, ushering in new era of uncertainty

He played on fears of immigrants and economic worries to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris.

Republican U.S. House candidate Nick Begich and his supporters wave campaign signs at the corner of the Seward Highway and Northern Lights Boulevard on Nov. 4, 2024, the day before Election Day. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Begich leads in early results, but Alaska’s U.S. House race won’t be immediately decided

About 255,000 ballots counted as of 3 a.m. Wednesday, Peltola trails by 4.4% with many rural votes uncounted.

A voter is handed as ballot at Woodworth School in Dearborn, Mich., on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. One of the most consequential presidential elections in the nation’s modern history is well underway, as voters flocked to churches, schools and community centers to shape the future of American democracy. (Nick Hagen/The New York Times)
Trump ‘likely to win the presidency’ as he holds advantage in key swing states

Former Republican president has 95+% chance of victory as of 9 p.m., according to NY Times forecast.

Juneau Assembly members and other visitors gather in the entrance lobby of the Michael J. Burns Building on Monday, April 8, 2024, as part of their on-site tour of potential locations for a new City Hall. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
‘Office space shuffle’ for city workers continues with plan to buy part of Michael J. Burns Building

CBJ would purchase two floors, Permanent Fund Corp. would keep top floor under “condo” agreement.

Most Read