We’re With Schtarline: A Sailor on the Front Lines of Support in Greece

By Trey Smith

Some of the most meaningful moments of military service don’t happen during missions or ceremonies. They happen in the quiet moments: a letter from home, a conversation with a stranger or a simple act of kindness that reminds a service member they haven’t been forgotten.

That’s why volunteering with the USO has become so meaningful for U.S. Navy Petty Officer Schtarline Joacilien. Stationed at U.S. Naval Support Activity Souda Bay in Greece, she helps provide support, connection and comfort to her fellow sailors through morale-boosting programs, knowing firsthand how much those impactful gestures can mean when you’re far from home.

Ever since she was young, Schtarline felt called to serve. Originally from Haiti, she moved to Florida at 16 and went on to earn her associate degree after high school. In 2022, she made the decision to enlist in the U.S. Navy, drawn initially by an interest in law enforcement but unsure about committing to a single career path so early.

“I’ve always wanted to be a police officer, but I didn’t want to commit to a career right away. I thought, ‘Let me join the Navy for a couple years and see how I like it,’” she said. “I was jumping from job to job, and I felt like I needed something stable. I wanted somewhere I could commit and not quit.”

That search for stability ultimately became a journey that would reshape how she thinks about not just how she serves her country, but also how she can support the men and women serving beside her. Like many new service members, Schtarline quickly learned that military life meant constant change. Every duty station brought new surroundings, unfamiliar cultures and new people to learn from.

“My first command was in California. It was very different from Florida. The weather and the people, those were challenges. Another challenge is culture. Having a Haitian background, and [being] in the military, you work with people from different countries as well.”

That professional adjustment was compounded by personal challenges as well. For Schtarline, being away from family, especially early on, made connection back home feel fleeting and even more of a necessity. Letters and photos sent to her by her mother during boot camp became emotional anchors during those early experiences of separation in her military career. More than updates from home, those letters were a reminder that the people she loved most were thinking of her, even while far away.

“I remember when I was in boot camp and my mom sent me letters and pictures. I just wanted to cry. I was like, ‘Oh my God, they’re thinking of me.’ I know it sounds silly, but it makes you want to keep going. It makes you happy. It makes you feel like what you’re doing is very important and that the people back home are thinking of you, love you and want you to succeed.”

For all its challenges, Schtarline also found herself experiencing opportunities in the military that she remains grateful for — from continuing her education to new experiences around the world. But still, it was always the smaller, more intimate parts of service that stayed with her, and she never took for granted what that kind of connection can do for someone far away from family.

So, when she arrived at her new duty station in Souda Bay, Greece, in 2025 and saw a USO volunteer opportunity on base, she didn’t hesitate. She signed up right away.

“When I heard that there was a program where you could just sign up and volunteer, I was very excited. I was like, ‘Oh my God, sign me up.’”

At that point, Schtarline had never personally visited a USO Center or taken part in its programs. But volunteering quickly showed her what the USO meant to others. Whether it was handing out a care package before a sailor returned to the ship and out to sea, offering a snack during a busy travel day or mailing someone’s handwritten letter home to their loved one, she saw how simple acts could have an outsized impact on someone far from family.

“I’ve been [deployed] before, and it’s pretty depressing sometimes. You’re with the same people every day, especially during long deployments. So when something breaks that routine, even something small, it means a lot. It’s like a light at the end of the tunnel.”

For her, volunteering became a way to return what she had come to value most in service life: moments of relief, connection and small reminders that someone is thinking about you when you’re far away. From the very beginning, it has been a way to give others the same encouragement she once found in letters from home.

Because she is stationed in Greece, Schtarline spends much of her volunteering time with sailors who have pulled into port. Supporting these service members who get only a few chances to take a break from deployment is especially important to her.

With the help of volunteers like Schtarline, the USO coordinates with ships before they arrive in port to prepare care packages, snacks, hygiene items and activities designed to give sailors a brief break from the demands of deployment at sea. | Photo credit Courtesy Photo

The USO has also continued to find unique ways to support sailors at sea. Since 2022, our organization has maintained unstaffed Centers aboard more than a dozen ships and aircraft carriers, extending our reach even while crews are underway. When sailors pull into port, the USO provides expeditionary support such as care packages, programming kits and other resources they can take back to sea. By providing sailors with this kind of support, we can help them reset and be mission-ready when they are back underway.

In Souda Bay, Schtarline is part of that effort, including by helping sailors pause long enough to write handwritten letters that the USO then mails home to their families.

“One of my favorite parts is the [handwritten] cards. People take those and handwrite letters to their family, and I think that’s really nice. I appreciate when [a sailor] just takes a card and takes the time out of their day, even though they’re busy, to write something home to their family, then give it back to [the USO], and we mail it to their family. I think that’s beautiful.”

That support from the USO doesn’t begin at the pier. Before these ships arrive, the USO reaches out directly to them and asks what the crew needs to break up the rigid routine of deployment at sea. Then, USO volunteers come in prepared, bringing everything from snacks and hygiene items to games and activities meant to give sailors a short reset. It’s a reminder that even while they’re still in the middle of a deployment, the USO is thinking about what might make it a little easier.

“Once we find out what you need, you’re going to have a lot of amazing volunteers who show up to your ship. They bring everything with them,” she said. “I know deployments are pretty hard, but that’s something to really look forward to.”

It’s that kind of impact that, for Schtarline, defines what volunteering with the USO is all about.

“If I was telling somebody who wanted to volunteer [with the USO], I would say, ‘Hey, the USO is an amazing opportunity. You can actually put a smile on someone’s face and make their day better, and maybe make their deployment better.”

Looking back on her time in the Navy and with the USO, Schtarline hopes her service will be remembered not only for the uniform she wears, but for the ways she helped make military life a little easier for others.

“At least I served. That was one of my dreams, to serve.”