The first time Engineman First Class Eden Avelino walked into a recruiter station, she was told that she did not meet height or weight requirements necessary to join and was sent home. The recruiting station she walked into was in the Philippines, and she walked out unqualified to join the Philippine’s version of Recruit Officer Training Corps.
Avelino would leave the Philippines and come to the United States to live with family in Lompoc, California. There, she worked at the exchange at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The call to serve, for Avelino, was much more than just working in a support role on a military base. However, she encountered problems trying to enlist in the U.S. Navy as well. At her initial weigh-in, she registered only 84 pounds, below the minimum to join, and had to come back when she gained more than 10 pounds.
One hurdle remained. Despite growing up on an island, she was not very good in the water.
“When I joined I didn’t know how to swim”, she said. “The recruiters said ‘there’s a kiddie pool’. I got pushed back two weeks and before I went to boot camp, there were a lot of people telling me you’re not gonna make it. Even though I didn’t know how to swim I pushed myself to prove them wrong.”
She has kept pushing and making the most of every opportunity the Navy has offered. Using the bachelor’s degree she earned in the Philippines to become an IT was not an option, due to her citizenship status, and when she was offered Engineman, and a chance to leave quickly for boot camp, she jumped.
Her first ship, the USS San Diego (LPD-22) was deployed and she joined them when they pulled into Tonga. As soon as they returned home they were scheduled for a two-year yard period. Instead of sitting idle, Avelino volunteered to join the USS Rushmore (LSD-47) for their deployment in order to continue to gain experience and earn necessary qualifications.
““If I don’t go, I probably don’t get my (surface warfare) pin,” she said.
After spending her Navy career in San Diego and being deployed on three different ships, the last place EN1 imagined she would end up was Boise, Idaho as a Navy recruiter. Now, she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
“I thought that I would be in Portland and I didn’t know I’d be stationed in Boise,” she said. “But I think that’s the best thing they did for me. I love this place, people are so kind and they’re humble, especially my team here they’re so great. I love the atmosphere here, the outdoor stuff; I’m considering this as a choice of retirement because it’s really nice here.”
Boise is where her first child, Robin Charles, was born. As a new mom, Avelino sees parallels between caring for her newborn son and the future Sailors as an on-boarder for Navy Recruiting Station Nampa, ID.
“All these future sailors, you need to treat them like your own kids or they aren’t going to trust you, so you need to be there if they have a problem or need someone to talk to,” she said. “You are there for them and know their concerns. So same thing with my son, I have to make sure I provide whatever he needs. When they need support, like a mom, I should be there.”
Avelino treats the current group of 22 future sailors in her care like a big family, which is not surprising since she comes from a large one herself. She credits the Navy for being able to help her family, all 15 members, who are back in the Philippines.
““I love the Navy, it helps me a lot,” she said. I am able to give allowances to my brothers and sisters back in the Philippines. If I was working as a civilian, I wouldn’t be able to afford that.”
After recruiting ends and she returns to sea, Avelino has much more to accomplish in the Navy before retiring back to Idaho, mainly being stationed close to her husband’s family in Bremerton, Washington and earning her Engineer of the Watch qualification.
Avelino is also looking forward to being underway and forward deployed. Her travels have taken her to Thailand, Vietnam, Guam and across Asia but she has yet to pull into the Philippines. When asked if she would be excited for that port call, and seeing the family who lives three hours away from Subic Bay, her eyes light up and she flashes a huge smile.
“It would be nice to see them all,” she said. “They would all be there.”
| Date Taken: | 08.03.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.03.2020 18:12 |
| Story ID: | 375194 |
| Location: | BOISE, ID, US |
| Web Views: | 101 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Sailor travels over 7,000 miles to find success in the US Navy, by Daniel Rachal, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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