Celebrating her 19th Birthday, Lesley Torres of Edinburg, Texas, enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the San Antonio Military Entrance Processing Station, Jan. 23.

Assisting her in journey of becoming a Sailor was her brother, Navy Counselor 1st Class Ivan Aguilar of Pharr, Texas, a division leading petty officer assigned to Navy Recruiting Station McAllen, Navy Recruiting District (NRD) San Antonio.

“It’s a tradition in my family to serve,” said Torres, a 2018 graduate of Edinburg North High School.  “I wanted to follow my two older brothers into the Navy and receive a higher education to become a better person.”

Torres will become the first female in her family to serve in the military.

“When I was younger, I didn’t understand why my brothers were gone from home a lot,” said Torres.  “When they would come home, they would tell me stories of their travels and I became interested as I grew older.”

Aguilar, who oversees enlisted recruiting in the Rio Grande Valley, is proud of her decision to serve.

“Serving will make her more independent and a better person,” said Aguilar, who graduated from Johnny G. Economedes High School in 2005.  “The family has high expectations of her; the standard had been set.”

After graduation from recruit training, Torres will attend Yeoman “A” School at Naval Air Station Meridian, Miss.

“I looking forward to boot camp and the challenges that await, both mentally and physically,” said Torres.

Yeomen perform office personnel administration, maintain records and official publications, and perform administrative functions for legal proceedings.

NRD San Antonio’s area of responsibility includes more than 30 Navy Recruiting Stations and Navy Officer Recruiting Stations spread throughout 144,000 square miles of Central and South Texas territory.

The Navy’s recruiting force totals over 6,100 personnel in more than 1,000 recruiting stations around the globe. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.

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For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, visit www.navy.mil/.