Glenwood Native Escorted Brittney Griner Back To U.S. After Prisoner Exchange
U.S. Navy Capt. Melissa Hiller Lauby (left) was part of the State Department team that escorted American Brittney Griner (right) back to the United States after the professional basketball star was released from a Russian prison on Dec. 8. They’re shown here prior to their arrival in San Antonio, Texas. - COURTESY PHOTO
A Glenwood native had a major role in the Dec. 8 prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia involving American professional basketball star Brittney Griner and Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Following her release from Russian detention, Griner was escorted back to the United States by a delegation from the U.S. State Department that included Capt. Melissa Hiller Lauby, Director of Mental Health for the U.S. Navy. Capt. Lauby, daughter Barry and Patricia Hiller of Glenwood, is a 1994 graduate of Glenwood Community High School She’s currently stationed in Washington, D.C.
Two days prior to the highly-publicized prisoner exchange, Capt. Lauby called her parents and told them she would be leaving the country for a few days and would be unavailable should they need to reach her. Capt. Lauby wasn’t able to share information about her assignment but her father said it isn’t unusual for her to travel to areas across the U.S. and around the world because her duties include leading a team of U.S. Navy psychologists to sites of aircraft crashes, crew member suicides and other military emergencies and disasters.
On Dec. 8, after the prisoner exchange was announced to the news media, Capt. Lauby’s husband Todd, also a captain in the U.S. Navy, telephoned the Hillers in Glenwood to let them know their daughter was safe and part of the team returning to the U.S. with Griner. Capt. Lauby was expected to spend 7-10 days at Fort Sam Houston Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, while state department officials debriefed Griner and she underwent medical evaluation.
Barry Hiller, a retired U.S. Air Force master sergeant, referred to his daughter’s involvement in the prisoner exchange as “just another Melissa adventure.”
“Like jump jumping out of a perfectly good airplane with the Army’s Golden Knights parachute team, jumping off the deck of the US Aircraft Carrier the USS Nimitz 13 stories down into the Persian Gulf off the shore of Iran or driving the USS Nimitz out of Hong Kong Harbor,” he said. “I remember reading her the book, “Oh The Places You’ll Go” by Dr Seuss and knew she would do great things, but never thought she would be involved in an international a prisoner exchange in the United Arab Emirates.”
Capt. Lauby has had a distinguished military career since entering the Navy in 2003. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology and is licensed to practice in Hawaii. She was selected as Navy Senior Psychologist of the Year for 2016 and the Military Health System Allied Health Leadership Excellence Award recipient for 2018. Her personal decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (5) and the Navy Achievement Medal.
After graduating from GCHS, Capt. Lauby attended the University of South Dakota where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 1997 and Master’s degree in 1999. She completed her Internship in clinical psychology and public policy at the University of South Florida’s Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute and was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy Degree with dual specializations in Clinical and Clinical Disaster Psychology in 2002. Capt. Lauby completed her fellowship at the Veteran’s Administration National Center for PTSD in Honolulu, Hawaii. She graduated from the Air Command and Staff College non-resident program in 2011.