Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Chris Williamson | ST. LOUIS (Aug. 18, 2022) Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Mid America personnel...... read more read more
ST. LOUIS – Twenty-five Future Sailors from the local St. Louis area took the oath of enlistment at Busch Stadium, Aug. 18, 2022.
This group of Future Sailors, known as the 64th Annual Recruit Cardinal Company, has been a long-standing tradition in St. Louis. Cardinal Company received its moniker after the St. Louis Cardinals, who together with Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Mid America and the St. Louis Navy League, have sponsored the group annually since 1958.
Before even stepping foot onto the field, the Future Sailors assembled in front of the Gateway Arch, along with NTAG Mid America personnel, to march from the national monument to Busch Stadium. Along the way through the streets of St. Louis, cars honked in approval, and cheers erupted in Ballpark Village near the stadium.
“It was awesome seeing the amount of support we received,” said Hull Technician 1st Class Richard Ide, who was part of the marching formation. “It really made me feel proud to be a Sailor and I could tell the Future Sailors felt a sense of pride too.”
Once everyone made it into the stadium, they headed down below to the tunnel where they’d all make their entrance onto the field. The Future Sailors marched to home plate, while NTAG Mid America Sailors manned the first and third baselines.
Administering the oath of enlistment in front of home plate was Cmdr. John Bear, the commanding officer of the future Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS St. Louis (LCS 19).
“It’s a pleasure to be able to represent USS St. Louis while in St. Louis,” said Bear. “The Future Sailors on the field today represent the pride and professionalism of the city and the namesake ship. I have no doubt they will carry that with them to Navy boot camp and represent the city well as soon-to-be U.S. Navy Sailors.”
After Bear finished enlisting the Cardinal Company into the Navy, he stepped onto the pitcher’s mound and threw the ceremonial first pitch prior to the St. Louis Cardinals versus Colorado Rockies game.
Normally the ceremony would stop there, with the Future Sailors and Sailors going to their seats in the stands. However, unbeknownst to Cmdr. Benjamin Fischer, NTAG Mid America’s commanding officer, he was invited to the pitcher’s mound for another ceremonial first pitch. Fischer, who took command of NTAG Mid America in February 2021, is changing command and retiring the following day on Aug. 19 after 20 years of naval service.
Caught off guard in the moment, Fischer smiled, shaking his head, stating:
“I knew they had something up their sleeve.”
Like the year before, NTAG Mid America, in partnership with the St. Louis Cardinals, is sponsoring a recruit division at boot camp known as “Cardinal Division”, slated to start their training Aug. 24 at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois.
In fact, the four Cardinal Division recruit division commanders came to St. Louis to teach the Cardinal Company Future Sailors how to march and will return with the Cardinal Division pennant in hand. This pennant will be carried by the division throughout their entire boot camp journey.
“I’m excited to get back to Great Lakes to show our recruits the pennant,” said Chief Operations Specialist Derek Leslie-Butti. “It’s an honor to be sponsored by an organization such as the St. Louis Cardinals.”
This year’s Cardinal Division can expect to first go through a militarization phase, where they are introduced to military bearing, drill, and inspections. They will also take basic classes related to getting ready for operating out in the fleet.
The next phase the division will go through is Sailorization, where they will learn the bread-and-butter skills necessary of an enlisted Sailor. These include skills such as firefighting, line handling, and weapons familiarity.
Finally, the last week of boot camp will include their final evaluation phase, official physical fitness assessment, final inspections preparing for review and graduation, and the final crucible event – Battle Stations, where they will hopefully earn the right to be called U.S. Navy Sailors.
Cardinal Division is the Navy’s longest-running special recruit division, with this year’s 64th Annual Recruit Cardinal Division scheduled to graduate on Nov. 4, 2022.
NTAG Mid America, part of Navy Recruiting Command, recruits the next generation of Navy Sailors throughout areas encompassing Missouri, Kansas, central and southern Illinois, and a portion of Kentucky.
| Date Taken: | 08.18.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.18.2022 20:02 |
| Story ID: | 427588 |
| Location: | ST. LOUIS, MO, US |
| Web Views: | 509 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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