Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Theron Godbold | future Sailor Mike Labrado, poses with Engineman Chief (ENC) Scott Le, prior to...... read more read more
A little over a year ago future Sailor Mike Labrado packed his bags and took a chance to better his life, moving from the Philippines to Ohio; he decided to chase his dream. He quit his job but couldn’t give up his passion.
“I used to be in the merchant marines,” Labrado said. “It is my passion to be a Sailor.”
This passion led Labrado through the doors of Navy Recruiting Station Cleveland where Chief Engineman Scott Le helped prepare him for his duties as a Sailor.
“When he walked in, I knew he had the drive to be a Sailor,” Le said. “We prepared all the paperwork and scheduled him for processing at the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS), where he originally chose aviation support equipment technician as his job.”
Labrado originally scored a 25 on his Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB); this didn’t sit well with him. He knew that he could exceed this score with more study.
“When he came back from MEPS he was determined to do better,” Le said. “He asked me what he needed to do to try again. I told him he needed to study, but not math and engineering. He needed to work on his English skills and paragraph comprehension.”
Labrado hit the books, studying from multiple sources like “ASVAB for Dummies,” the Khan Academy, and the Union Test Prep website for at least an hour a day, three to four days a week, for a month. He believes the best thing his recruiter did was offer guidance and a quiet place to study.
“At home there are so many distractions,” Labrado stated. “Going to the recruiting office was the best place for me. I knew if I sacrificed my time, I would get something I truly wanted.”
Labrado’s dreams of working on ships came to fruition after retesting for his ASVAB, where his motivation and confidence paid off with a score of 55 and a new job as an Electricians Mate.
“We want to give our future Sailors every opportunity,” Cmdr. Patrick Henken, commanding officer, Navy Talent Acquisition Group Ohio River Valley, said. “Providing the ability to retest for an improved score is just one way we can ensure the highest quality applicants become part of America’s Navy.”
Labrado shipped out for boot camp April 9 and is currently on his way to fulfilling his dream of becoming a United States Sailor.
NTAG Ohio River Valley recruits the highest quality applicants for the U.S. Navy throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Southern West Virginia, and Southern Indianna.
| Date Taken: | 04.09.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.16.2025 15:04 |
| Story ID: | 495443 |
| Location: | OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 49 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Perseverance and Desire Lead to Higher Scores for NTAG ORV Future Sailor, by PO1 Theron Godbold, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
Recruiting
