When Pete Bradford earned the opportunity to pursue his Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree through the U.S. Navy medical enlisted commissioning program in 1998, he knew exactly where to enroll.
“Choosing Arkansas Tech University was an easy decision,” said Bradford. “The university’s reputation for producing exceptional nurses, its welcoming environment and its commitment to student success made it the ideal place to begin the next chapter of my career.”
Bradford completed his bachelor’s degree from Arkansas Tech in 2001 and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps.
“Looking back more than twenty-five years later, that opportunity completely changed the trajectory of my life and family tree,” said Bradford.
Bradford retired from the U.S. Navy on July 1, 2026, after almost 39 years of active duty. Along the way, he served in emergency nursing, operating room nursing, post-anesthesia care, urgent care and executive health care leadership. Bradford retired at the rank of Captain after serving as chief nursing officer at Naval Hospital Pensacola (Fla.) for almost three years.
“One of the greatest privileges of my career was leading sailors and health care teams during times when they mattered most,” said Bradford. “I deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq. During my 2009 deployment to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, I served as the trauma team leader at NATO Role III Hospital, caring for coalition service members, civilians and local nationals during one of the war’s most demanding periods. Later, I had the honor of serving as the officer in charge of a forward-deployed medical unit in Erbil, Iraq, the first Navy nurse to perform this leadership role.”
When not at the battlefront, Bradford’s career often focused on humanitarian missions. He participated in COVID-19 response with the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Florida Department of Emergency Management. He also completed global health missions aboard the U.S. Navy hospital ship Mercy.
“Although I am proud of the operational assignments and promotions, I believe my greatest accomplishment has been investing in people and remaining an engaged parent and spouse,” said Bradford. “Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of mentoring hundreds of enlisted sailors, nurses, physicians, hospital corpsmen and junior officers as they developed into leaders themselves. Watching others succeed has been one of the hallmarks of my service.”
Bradford began his U.S. Navy career as an enlisted electronics technician. Almost four decades later, he points to his degree from Arkansas Tech and the experience he had as a student there as the turning point that allowed him to become one of the U.S. Navy’s senior nurse executives.
“Beyond teaching clinical knowledge, the (ATU) nursing program emphasized critical thinking, professionalism, accountability, teamwork and compassionate patient care,” said Bradford. “Those principles remained constant throughout every assignment I held, from bedside nursing to executive leadership. The faculty challenged us to think beyond textbooks and understand that nursing is ultimately about serving people.
“The professors stuck with me,” continued Bradford. “That perspective proved invaluable, whether I was caring for trauma patients in combat, leading hospital departments or making strategic decisions affecting thousands of beneficiaries and health care professionals. I remain grateful to the faculty, classmates and university that helped prepare me for a lifetime of service. Arkansas Tech gave me far more than a nursing degree…it provided the foundation for a career dedicated to leadership, service and caring for others around the world.”
