Recruiters and support personnel assigned to Navy Recruiting Station McAllen, Navy Recruiting District (NRD) San Antonio, and Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Harlingen were invited to McAllen High School to participate in an oath of enlistment ceremony of future Sailor Yailyn Segura, Nov. 2.

Lt. Israel Villarreal, of San Benito, Texas, and assigned to NOSC Harlingen administered the oath.

“It was an honor to serve as the administering official and to be part of bringing a young person into the U.S. Navy,” said Villarreal. “I think it is important for the school to allow those who choose to serve in our military the opportunity to share such a moment with teachers and students.”

Segura, a senior, joined the Navy under the Professional Apprenticeship Career Tracks (PACT), which is a program designed for enlisted Sailors to enter into an apprenticeship program that provides apprentice-level formal training and on-the-job training that leads to a permanent rate/career field within two years of enlistment.

According to Segura, the Navy will provide her with the opportunity to attain a higher education and a career.

“My mother mentioned the military to me and afterwards I took the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery),” said Segura. “During the Summer, I was visited by two Navy recruiters who explained the benefits to me and [asked] if I was interested to visit them at the recruiting station. After doing some thinking, and weighing the pros and cons, I decided it was the right choice for me.”

Assistant Principal Jozabad Palacios, of Mission, Texas, said the least thing the school could do is honor and represent Segura and others who join the military for their commitment.

“The swearing-in ceremony provides the community the opportunity to be a part of something which some of our students have chosen to do: serve our county by joining the military,” said Palacios.

Palacios, who has been involved in education for 11 years, is no stranger to the Navy; he recently attended NRD San Antonio’s Educator Orientation Visit to San Diego in July.

In turn, Palacios believes he now has a better grasp of information to provide to his students should they have questions of what the Navy has to offer.

After having the opportunity to participate in the Navy EOV, Palacios had been instrumental in highlighting the branches of the armed services by providing swearing-in ceremonies for students who secure a military contract of enlistment.

Palacios has also nurtured relationships with all military recruiters assigned to the school to ensure students are being afforded the opportunity to have access to recruiters.

Moving forward, Palacios foresees highlighting commemorative military events along with the school's Junior ROTC program, and the local recruiting stations.

Not only has Palacios attended the Navy EOV, but also the Marine Corps.

“Although I enjoyed the Marine workshop very much,” said Palacios. “The Navy EOV provided exclusive opportunities such as being inside a submarine, which many people cannot say they have done.”

NRD San Antonio recruits in an area covering more than 144,000 square miles of Texas territory, spanning from Waco, west to Midland/Odessa, southwest towards El Paso, southeast along the Rio Grande Valley, and west of College Station.

Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, two Navy Recruiting Regions, 20 Navy Recruiting Districts and six Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations across the country.

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.

Get more information about the Navy from US Navy Facebook or Twitter.