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How do you advocate without being an activist in the military? Are they separate?  Can you rock the boat without tipping it over? How do you move the needle on inclusion in spaces that are dead set against your presence?  How do you criticize a policy and maintain your obligation to the chain of command from leadership?  How do you use media to tell your story when seeking a broader change?

We will address these critical topics as I chatted with Blake Dremann about how he succeeded on active duty and became a face of a cause. At the same time, the politicians debated what was then (and still is) a controversial issue. He has taught me so much in my advocacy journey and how to push for change correctly. 

Commander Blake Dremann serves as the Supply Officer and Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul – Logistics Deputy Director at Fleet Readiness Center – East in Cherry Point, NC.
 
Commander Dremann is a native of St. Louis, MO.  He is a 2003 graduate from Ozark Christian College, received his commission through Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, FL, in 2006, and attended Navy Supply Corps School in Athens, GA.
 
Dremann’s operational assignments include Supply Officer, USS Maine (SSBN 741), earning Maine’s second Logistics Excellence Award and recipient of the 2015 Vice Admiral Robert F. Batchelder Award and division officer afloat as Food Service Officer, Disbursing Officer and Assistant Supply Officer, USS Denver (LPD 9).
 
Dremann’s personal decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (2), the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals (4). 

He is qualified as a Submarine and Surface Warfare Supply officer and an Acquisition Corps member.  Commander Dremann received the 2018 Department of Defense Pride Military Leadership Award, Modern Military Association of America’s “Outstanding Advocate” Honoree for their 25th Anniversary, and was named a 2019 Out in National Security Next Generation Leader.

In 2019, he testified before the HASC Personnel Committee along with four other trans service members and the current President of the American Medical Association Jesse

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