Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary S Eshleman | 190426-N-BM955-0001 LOS ANGELES (April 26, 2019) Electrician’s Mate Petty Officer...... read more read more
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Story by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Richard Perez
LOS ANGELES (NNS) – Electrician’s Mate Petty Officer 2nd Class Godson G. Bagnabana’s journey began in Africa, where he always saw his life leading towards opportunities lingering outside of the continent. However, he never foresaw himself maximizing his potential in the world’s greatest Navy, but eventually his path would lead him to recruit others with the same goals in mind.
Bagnabana, now a member of the Navy Recruiting District (NRD) Los Angeles team, embraced this opportunity after five years in the fleet. He says he likes to take a humble approach to recruiting, so he can create a better relationship between the Navy and Future Sailors from the beginning.
Bagnabana was born in Lome, the capital city of Togo, in West Africa. His family is from the Kabye tribe in Northern Togo, and he is the youngest of 18 children. He has a distinctive scar across his right cheek that’s a reminder of his childhood; it’s part of the tribe’s tradition during the initiation when you are a baby.
Since his father was deeply involved in the traditions of his tribe, Bagnabana says he was born into a culture of pride and honor. When he got his citizenship he changed his first name to Godson. He says this was because of how he felt God intervened in his life and helped him as he migrated to the United States.
As a young kid, he was motivated and eager to study abroad because of the opportunities for better schools and technologies. He was also driven by what he saw on TV. Togo used to be a French colony until 1960, when it gained its independence, so French culture is still seen throughout. However, he says they’re still influenced heavily by the United States because of music and entertainment on television.
“Coming to U.S. was a dream come true,” said Bagnabana. He specifically chose the Navy because his heritage is very important to him, and it was the branch he saw as best because of its traditions and customs.
He decided to enlist in the Navy in 2011. He joined the Navy for discipline and a direction in life. Coming in at the age of 34 years old, he was actually older than his instructors in boot camp, but his age didn’t bother him, and he still faced the challenge head on.
Bagnabana’s first duty station was the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in San Diego. Working in the engineering department, he quickly advanced through the ranks. During this time, he participated in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise 2014, and there he earned his surface warfare pin as a brand new Sailor.
“My biggest strength is that I have tenacity,” he said. “What I mean is that when someone says I can’t do something or challenges me, I put forward my all to accomplish the task and will not stop until it is completed.”
In 2016, he saw an opportunity to help his Navy outside of the engineering community, and he decided to become a Navy recruiter.
“When I was selected to become a recruiter, at first it was hard to accept that because, as an engineer, being away from your rate can be seen as detrimental to your career, and your knowledge. I was worried about not being able to make rank and forgetting my job knowledge,” said Bagnabana. “After the recruiting school I gained interest because it was going to allow me to pass the information about joining the Navy to everyone in general, but particularly to green cards holders, because I can relate to them.”
Bagnabana says recruiting has been a very challenging, but rewarding duty. “The unique part of my job in recruiting is that I get to meet new people every day, and I work out, advise, and motivate Future Sailors that are going for the Navy challenge program.”
Recently, he earned the sailor of the quarter and the scout of the month awards, both of which are granted to Sailors who beat their recruitment goal.
“Being able to get out in public and interact with people and open their eyes to the opportunities in the Navy, is the most rewarding part,” said Bagnabana.
“Recruiting is important because it’s the best way to create awareness about the Navy’s advantages, and it lets me supply the fleet with qualified candidates,” he said.
Being an immigrant himself, he says he like to be able to help others gain their citizenship and advance their lives like he did.
“I was able to help some applicants to turn their lives around, and I even helped some take the advantage of getting US citizenship for free through the Navy.”
Bagnabana says he’s going to continue pushing hard and taking on any challenges that come his way in recruiting or back out in the fleet.
For more news from NRD Los Angeles, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil,
and follow Navy Recruiting District Los Angeles on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NRDLA1/) and #nrdlosangeles on Instagram.
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, three Navy Recruiting Regions, 18 Navy Recruiting Districts and eight Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 1,330 recruiting stations across the world. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NavyRecruiting), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).
| Date Taken: | 04.26.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 04.26.2019 10:54 |
| Story ID: | 319668 |
| Location: | LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 149 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, A Recruiter’s Journey to Give Back, by PO1 Richard Perez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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