Photo By Chief Petty Officer Torrey Lee | Chief Electrician’s Mate Nuclear Zephaniah Wood, assigned to Navy Recruiting Station...... read more read more
Navy Talent Acquisition Group Pacific Northwest brought the Navy’s Strike Group mixed-reality experience to Eisenhower High School Feb. 23-24, 2026 to give students a hands-on look at Navy missions and career paths.
Strike Group is a cutting-edge, multi-scenario, mobile mixed-reality experience and is the latest innovation in recruiting. The platform is designed to showcase Navy STEM careers, from nuclear engineering and aviation to special warfare and medicine, while giving participants an immersive look at the technology and teamwork central to Navy service.
Students moved between stations that paired physical challenges with virtual scenarios. In one area, students competed in the Navy Special Warfare Training Challenge, cycling through pushups, dips and rope pulls while a live leaderboard tracked scores. Nearby, recruiters cheered on students during a pullups competition focused on physical readiness.
In another station, students used virtual reality to step onto the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), directing simulated flight operations. Some participants took on the role of an aviation boatswain’s mate (handling), learning how Sailors coordinate the movement of aircraft and equipment on the flight deck. Quartermaster 2nd Class Damian Hake, assigned to Navy Recruiting Station Yakima, said the hands-on format helps students connect effort with opportunity.
“A lot of students don’t realize how many different jobs exist in the Navy until they can see and feel it for themselves,” Hake said. “When they’re competing, learning and having fun, it opens the door to a real conversation about goals, education and what service can look like.”
Chief Electrician’s Mate Nuclear Zephaniah Wood, said bringing the experience inland helps ensure geography does not narrow students’ options.
“Not every future Sailor grows up near the ocean,” said Wood. “Strike Group lets us bring the Navy to communities like Yakima and show students that high-tech careers, and the training to earn them, are within reach no matter where they’re from.”
Recruiters said the competitive events created energy and helped students engage with visiting Sailors. During the warrior challenge, students faced off against classmates and recruiters in timed sets and distance-based rope pulls, drawing crowds of students to the leaderboard throughout the day.
Wood joined students during the dips and rope-pull portions of the challenge, helping demonstrate the physical expectations tied to many Navy career fields.
Master Chief Navy Counselor Joshua Johnson, chief recruiter for NTAG Pacific Northwest, said the command’s goal is to reach students who might not otherwise picture themselves in Navy service.
“We have to go where the talent is, and that means showing up outside the coastal hubs,” Johnson said. “The Navy isn’t just ships at sea, we’re a multi-mission force, and we need the most diverse team we can assemble, coast to coast. We’re always looking for the next generation of warrior Sailors, and location should never be the limit.”
Wood acknowledged that the mixed-reality platform brings Navy missions to life, from the flight deck to other high-tech environments, while highlighting how education, teamwork and support shape day-to-day service.
Navy Talent Acquisition Group Pacific Northwest manages more than 34 enlisted and officer recruiting stations throughout Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. The command’s mission is to recruit the next generation of warrior Sailors from the Pacific Northwest, focusing on high-quality candidates who will enhance the readiness of America’s Navy and inspire future leadership.
| Date Taken: | 02.23.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 02.26.2026 15:17 |
| Story ID: | 559011 |
| Location: | YAKIMA, WASHINGTON, US |
| Hometown: | YAKIMA, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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