Photo By Jerry Morrison | Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld administers the Oath of Enlistment to sailors...... read more read more
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Within sight of Indonesia, Malaysia and downtown Singapore, 30 sailors and two Marines took the re-enlistment oath here today from Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex.
Rumsfeld is here to meet with Singaporean officials and to participate in the annual "Shangri-la Dialog" conference of Pacific nations.
"I thank you for your decision to re-enlist, to stay in the service of our nation, to keep our military forces strong with your experience and your professionalism," Rumsfeld told the sea service members gathered on the ship's deck. "And I certainly want to say that you make us all very proud."
Three crew members of the guided missile destroyer USS McCampbell, on its first six-month deployment from its San Diego home port, were among the sailors who re-enlisted.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Sarah Young of Palmyra, N.Y., said re-enlisting was always in the cards for her. "I planned on making this a career since I've been in," she said, adding that her experience in the Navy has lived up to her expectations.
For Petty Officer 1st Class Daniel J. Buit of Muskegon, Mich., the decision to raise his hand for a third term was easier than it was for his first re- enlistment. "I wasn't going to re-enlist the first time, but I decided to," he said. Now, he added, he's a career sailor.
Though he wasn't always sure whether he'd make a career of the Navy, Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric Seltzer of Greeley, Colo., said today's re-enlistment sealed the deal. "It isn't every day you get to do it with the secretary of defense," he said.
Young said she already was scheduled to re-enlist here when her lieutenant asked her if she'd like to have Rumsfeld administer the oath. "I didn't even think twice about it," she said. "I was like, "Heck, yeah!"
Story by John D. Banusiewicz, American Forces Press Service
| Date Taken: | 06.04.2004 |
| Date Posted: | 07.04.2025 02:57 |
| Story ID: | 534492 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 8 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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