“The American Legion Post 278 in Stevensville has its first female commander and its first retired female naval officer member. Nikki Randolph of Stevensville was elected commander by the membership this spring, and retired Navy Lt. Commander Doranne Devey of Chester is the first female naval officer to join the American Legion Post 278. Randolph is a veteran of the Air Force and the Department of Defense as a civilian employee. Devey served in the Navy first as an enlisted person and returned later as an officer.

Randolph handles her duties as post commander around her full-time position as a program manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at its Washington headquarters. She called her position there a multifaceted one that allows her to travel a lot. While in the Air Force she was a medic who specialized in labor and delivery and served in posts in the United States and Europe. She mustered out in 1992 with the rank of sergeant after seven years. Richard, her husband of 24 years, is still on active duty in the Air Force and is stationed at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington. They have two children. An Oklahoma native, Randolph has lived on Kent Island for five years because she “”fell in love with the community.”” Randolph said she oversees everyday operations and sees that the veterans’ needs are being met. The post is currently involved in a number of functions, including assisting veterans at the Perry Point facility in Cecil County.

Devey, a Hot Springs, Arkansas native, retired as a Navy Lt. Commander in 2005 after a varied naval career. She enlisted in 1973 at age 18 and was stationed at Naval Air Station Saufley Field near Pensacola, Florida, where she served in the weather section. After finishing her enlisted stint, she went to college under the G.I. Bill, earned a degree in nursing, and re-entered the Navy in 1989 as a reserve officer. She was activated during Desert Storm and Desert Shield and served at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, where she did mainstream nursing. Between mobilizations, she also taught childbirth classes for military personnel. Devey moved to Maryland in 1995 and to the Eastern Shore in 2000 because it is “”much quieter.”” Since her retirement, she has worked for Shore Home Care in Easton, where she is now clinical supervisor for the home care agency.

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