Photo By Chief Petty Officer Jessica Vargas | EAST WENATCHEE, Wash. (June 15, 2022) – Commander John Hiltz, Commanding Officer of...... read more read more
Wenatchee, Wa. (June 15, 2022) – Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Pacific Northwest Sailors, Future Sailors, and Wenatchee Community Leaders including the Mayors of Wenatchee and East Wenatchee, came together to celebrate the grand opening of Navy Recruiting Station (NRS) Wenatchee with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15.
After nearly six years without a local Navy recruiting station, Cmdr. John Hiltz, the NTAG Pacific Northwest Commanding Officer was happy to bring back the local presence in the community.
“It’s a real thrill to be back in the Wenatchee Valley,” Hiltz said. “The ceremony today really corrects a mistake that the Navy made about 6 years ago in leaving this area. During sequestration and budget cuts in 2013, the Navy was trying to find ways to save some money. As a result, they virtualized a lot of recruiting areas and unfortunately this area was one. The idea was that if someone wanted to join from Wenatchee, they could visit a website or they could just drive to Tri-Cities. That was a huge mistake and we missed out on a lot of patriotic Americans that are motivated to serve but didn’t get the opportunity presented to them. We know there are people here in Wenatchee that are excited to serve and that is why we are back with a brand new station and two motivated recruiters that are excited to be a part of the community.”
East Wenatchee Mayor Jerrilea Crawford, who comes from a military family, says she is proud to welcome the Navy to the community.
“Thank you all for coming back to the Wenatchee Valley. The Navy is near and dear to my heart because both my grandfathers, my uncle, and my dad were in the Navy” said Crawford. “You have chosen a good future for you here. I am excited as the Mayor to welcome you to East Wenatchee and I look forward to seeing some new recruits come from this community.”
Prior to the station opening, recruiting in the community was challenging for both Navy recruiters and potential applicants.
“If anyone was interested in the military they most likely were already talking with the other branches who already had recruiting stations,” said Damage Controlman 2nd Class Curtis Shanklin, a native of San Diego, Calif. and Navy Recruiter assigned to NRS Wenatchee. “This made it challenging for us. While waiting for the station to be completed, we had to get creative and work around those challenges by finding ways to present information and interview applicants who were interested in the Navy. I conducted interviews in Coffee Shops, restaurants, high schools and the public library. Having a station has made this experience so much better and makes the interview process a much more comfortable setting for both the recruiter and the applicant.”
According to Future Sailor Cadin Cervin, a senior at Eastmont High School, having easier access to recruiters eliminates the stress of having to commute to the nearest station 100 miles away in Yakima.
“It makes the whole process easier,” says Cervin.” Having a recruiting station close-by helped ease the nervousness my parents had about me joining the Navy. They were able to come in and talk face-to-face with a recruiter who answered all their questions. That visit helped reassure them that I was making the right decision.”
Cervin who received a $38,000 shipping bonus to depart for Navy Boot Camp in September encourages anyone who has questions about the Navy to stop by the station.
“Talking is free. Stopping by the station to learn about Navy opportunities and just weighing options can’t hurt. Two big concerns for me were job security and figuring out how I was going to pay for college. The Navy answered those questions and it turned out to be a good fit.”
Shanklin says that community has welcomed the Navy with open arms and he is excited to continue to serve the Wenatchee Valley.
“It has been an amazing experience overall,” said Shanklin. “I have had the opportunity to meet and work with some talented young men and women of the Wenatchee Valley. They are going to represent this great community well as they start their Navy journey around the world.”
Navy Talent Acquisition Group Pacific Northwest’s area of responsibility includes more than 34 Navy Recruiting Stations and Navy Officer Recruiting Stations throughout Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska.
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, three Navy Recruiting Regions, 26 NTAGS and 64 Talent Acquisition Onboarding Centers (TAOCS) that serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations around the world. Their mission is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
| Date Taken: | 06.15.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.22.2022 14:50 |
| Story ID: | 423529 |
| Location: | EAST WENATCHEE, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 276 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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