A San Diego recruiter helped his brother take the next step in life by enlisting him in the United States Navy, May 6.

Neil Idanan, 23, raised his right hand and took the oath of enlistment while his brother, Petty Officer 2nd Class Christian Idanan, assigned to Navy Recruiting District San Diego witnessed the momentous occasion.

The last of three brothers to enlist in the Navy, Neil will join, Christian, 29, an aviation machinist's mate; Ian, 27, a hospital corpsman assigned to a Marine Unit at Camp Pendleton, California; and youngest brother, Terry John, 20, an information systems technician assigned to USS Farragut (DDG 99) homeported in Mayport, Florida.

"Hearing stories from my brothers and uncles in the Navy made me want to experience those things as well," said Neil.

A 2010 graduate of William C. Overfelt High School located in San Jose, California, Neil said he couldn't decide on what his next step would be after graduating. He completed three years in his high school's Army Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) program and thought he would likely join the Army instead, but his family wasn't keen on that idea, he said, so he put off joining the military.

In October 2014, Neil decided he really wanted to join the military and went to his brother Christian for information. In January, he made his decision to join the Navy.

"My uncle is stationed on the Nimitz and he gave me a tour of the ship when they were in San Diego," said Neil. "That solidified my decision."

Neil accepted a job as a boatswain's mate (BM), the oldest job in the Navy. BMs are responsible maintaining the ship's exterior along with repairing, maintaining and stowing equipment in preparation for underway operations.

Neil said he hopes to make a career out of the Navy and is excited about all the opportunities the Navy has to offer. He will report to Recruit Training Command, in Great Lakes, Illinois, Oct. 5. Upon graduation, he begin the six-week Boatswain's Mate "A" School.

"I am happy for him," said Christian. "This is a good opportunity to get his foot in the door, be independent and take the next step in his life."

For more information on Navy District San Diego visit: http://www.cnrc.navy.mil/sandiego/, http://www.facebook.com/nrdsandiego; Navy recruiting visit: http://www.cnrc.navy.mil/ or joining the Navy visit: http://www.navy.com/

For more news from Navy Recruiting District San Diego, visit www.navy.mil/.