Photo By Chief Petty Officer Benjamin Dobbs | 190804-N-RB168-0163 PITTSBURGH, Pa. (August 4, 2019) Future Sailors from Navy Talent...... read more read more
Young men and women stood in the entrance tunnel of Heinz Field, home to the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, before making their way to the turf to assemble themselves on the goal line during the 2019 Family Fest and Steelers Practice, August 4.
They gathered together representing all branches of the military as they came forward to answer our nation’s call, during a joint service mass enlistment ceremony. Marine Recruiting Station Pittsburgh’s Executive Officer U.S. Marine Captain Robert Lass, from St. Louis, Mo., administered the oath as more than 60 future Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen and Marines raised their hand and recited.
“This was outstanding. I really enjoyed being out there on the field,” said Lass. “It’s always great to see the future leaders of this county, who are stepping up to defend the freedom we love so much. It’s truly a blessing.”
The enlistees were met with cheers from a supportive crowd who applauded and waived towels as they exited the field following the enlistment.
“Hearing them supporting us feels really good and gives us a lot of motivation all around,” Lass said. “Everybody out here is my brother or my sister,” Lass said. “We are all defending the same constitution and the same great country. One team, one fight.”
Attendees at the Steelers Family Fest got the opportunity to watch the team during a full live practice, meet with some of the legendary players and win prizes.
Lass had strong ties to the city of Pittsburgh long before taking the field to usher in the freshest crop of service members.
“All of my family is from Pittsburgh, Pa., Lass said. “My dad processed through the same office that I’m working in right now,” said Lass. It was a great day. Standing out there on Heinz Field it's just a blast being here in Steelers country.”
Navy Recruits Joseph Prentice, from Mercer, Pa., and John Cerra, from North Huntington, Pa., were among the 19 future Sailors from Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Pittsburgh who raised their right hand to enlist.
Despite being slightly nervous, Prentice, who will become Cryptologic Tehcnician (Interprative) in the Navy, made his way onto the field of enlistment with his fellow future service members.
“It’s been a long process getting to this point trying to figure out what I want to do with my life,” Prentice said. “Once I got here it, became very clear that I need to join the Navy. Coming here in front of everybody it was surreal and to be able to swear in, in front of that many people and publicly make that decision was pretty awesome.”
Cerra, who plans on becoming an Electronics Technician (Nuclear) in the Navy, also stood tall while taking the oath.
“My grandfather was in the Air Force during Vietnam,” Cerra said. “My grandpap was a really big motivator and influencer throughout my life, but the decision to join the Navy was mainly mine, but I know that he is very proud.”
NTAG Pittsburgh, part of Navy Recruiting Command, recruits the next generation of Navy Sailors throughout areas in Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, and Maryland.
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 1,300 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: | 08.04.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 08.05.2019 20:40 |
| Story ID: | 334645 |
| Location: | PITTSBURGH, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 104 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Future U.S. Armed Forces Service Members Enlist Together at NFL Stadium, by CPO Benjamin Dobbs, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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